My 120 film got stuck :/

djs88 · May 27, 2013

Hi all,

(Prepare yourself for a bad description)

I've shot only tri-x so far, and yesterday I attempted to shoot my first roll of colour film.
I was using Fuji Pro 160, but when I got to shot 10 the winder wouldn't wind on any further. It got stuck.

So today I opened the film backto have a look. Unfortunately I was working in a very small space using a small safe-light so I was limited to what I could see.
Anyway, the reason for it not loading any further was because there was the white tape showing on the film that had stopped it going any further. Once I pulled the tape off, the film would wind on.
My question is... why was the tape showing, and why on frame 10?

I loaded the roll as usual by lining up the arrows, then winding until the first frame showed. Was my camera skipping frames?

Sorry for such a bad description!

Thanks for any help
Daniel

railwayman3 · May 27, 2013

1) Did you fully remove the sealing tape when loading the film? (That could be the obvious answer?)

2) And what camera is it? (I have a Yashica 124G and sometimes, when winding off after the last exposure, the end sealing tape from the film can catch under the pressure place.)

3) If you have a scrap film, you could check the camera operation, with the back open if necessary.

djs88 · May 27, 2013

Hiya,
Thanks for the reply.

I definately took of the first part of the tape off. The tape that was causing the jam was the wide tape that connects the backing paper to the film :
http://www.rogerandfrances.com/images/still/tech 120 05 tear tape.jpg

It was that part. I've probably made a really silly mistake somewhere :confused:

I'm using a Bronica SQ-Ai. The end sealing tape was stuck at the top end of the pressure plate, I think.

I do have some out of date film in the fridge that I could try.

Sirius Glass · May 27, 2013

djs88 said:
So today I opened the film backto have a look. Unfortunately I was working in a very small space using a small safe-light so I was limited to what I could see.

Do not use a safe-light for film. Safe-lights are only for black & white paper. One must work in a darkroom without lights or in a changing bag.

The film is at least partially fogged so you may want to turn on the lights to see what has happened.

djs88 · May 27, 2013

Sirius Glass said:
Do not use a safe-light for film. Safe-lights are only for black & white paper. One must work in a darkroom without lights or in a changing bag.

The film is at least partially fogged so you may want to turn on the lights to see what has happened.

Oh shoot. Haha. I had no idea. I had a box of developing gear that I got second hand a while back, and so I just thought the safe-light would be okay for film.
What an idiot! lol Thanks for letting me know, I'm glad it was only on a naff old film with snaps on it.

BrianShaw · May 27, 2013

LOL I'm laughing with you, Daniel about the safe light... not laughing at you. Live and learn!

The good news of the situation is that what happened, at least in my experience, is a rare thing. In all of my years shooting roll film I had that happen only once and I never could explain it.

BrianShaw · May 27, 2013

p.s. The one that "stuck" with me was Fuji film, also. But it was the "expsoed band" that wrapped around the spool in an odd way.

Sirius Glass · May 27, 2013

Do not take it badly.

If you really want to see how many ways one can screw up in photography, take up large format photography such as 4"x5" or larger.

djs88 · May 27, 2013

Haha. No no, please feel free to laugh, guys. I'm able to laugh at my own silly mistakes I don't take it badly.
I apologise if anyone has spat their tea on their monitor

David Grenet · May 27, 2013

It sounds like your back wasn't actually winding on and then suddenly engaged and wouldn't move. That tape that sticks the film to the paper is at the start of the roll so if it stuck there you shouldn't have been able to get to frame 10! Try running a roll of backing paper through the back and see if it can wind from one spool to the other without issues.

railwayman3 · May 27, 2013

djs88 said:
Hiya,
Thanks for the reply.

I definately took of the first part of the tape off. The tape that was causing the jam was the wide tape that connects the backing paper to the film :
http://www.rogerandfrances.com/images/still/tech 120 05 tear tape.jpg

It was that part. I've probably made a really silly mistake somewhere :confused:

I'm using a Bronica SQ-Ai. The end sealing tape was stuck at the top end of the pressure plate, I think.

I do have some out of date film in the fridge that I could try.

If your film is of no importance (and fogged by the "safe"light!), I'd take it out, rewind by hand onto the feed spool, then run it through again with the camera back open. If it's all OK then, you'll know that it was some odd one-off issue in the film loading or winding through.

djs88 · May 27, 2013

I've replicated the issue with a test roll of film. Here comes more embarrassing errors I've made. This one even worse than the first Prep yourselves guys. And feel free to laugh, I'm happy to be the class clown

Okay, here's the problem. I think I loaded the film in reverse (if that's possible?).

I remember now... A few weeks back I got the SQ-Ai as a 2nd camera, and since purchasing it 2nd-hand I hadn't run a roll of film through it to test the mechanisms of the camera. So a few weeks back I loaded a roll of fuji and shot 12 frames with the lens cap (purposely) on so that I could re-use the film. Well....I *thought* it would be possible to re-use the film.

That roll of test film went back in the fridge in the box. And yesterday I took that same film out of the fridge and re-loaded it. I completely missed the fact that the paper on the roll would have been plastered with the words "EXPOSED - EXPOSED - EXPOSED".

So... I think I may have loaded a roll of film....in reverse....and effectively shot 10 frames of backing paper. HOORAH!!

djs88 · May 27, 2013

On a positive note, I'm glad I'm making these errors now and not in the future. It's a shame the memories of yesterday are gone, but I sure as hell won't be making this mistake again!

railwayman3 · May 27, 2013

djs88 said:
I've replicated the issue with a test roll of film. Here comes more embarrassing errors I've made. This one even worse than the first Prep yourselves guys. And feel free to laugh, I'm happy to be the class clown

Okay, here's the problem. I think I loaded the film in reverse (if that's possible?).

I remember now... A few weeks back I got the SQ-Ai as a 2nd camera, and since purchasing it 2nd-hand I hadn't run a roll of film through it to test the mechanisms of the camera. So a few weeks back I loaded a roll of fuji and shot 12 frames with the lens cap (purposely) on so that I could re-use the film. Well....I *thought* it would be possible to re-use the film.

That roll of test film went back in the fridge in the box. And yesterday I took that same film out of the fridge and re-loaded it. I completely missed the fact that the paper on the roll would have been plastered with the words "EXPOSED - EXPOSED - EXPOSED".

So... I think I may have loaded a roll of film....in reverse....and effectively shot 10 frames of backing paper. HOORAH!!

Solved! (It's probably more embarrassing for those of us on APUG who like to think we might be "experts", that we'd not thought of that mistake, even when we've done it ourselves )

rolleiman · May 27, 2013

Just as a postscript: Do get yourself a changing bag for any future problems. They are a godsend.

djs88 · May 27, 2013

rolleiman said:
Just as a postscript: Do get yourself a changing bag for any future problems. They are a godsend.

Hiya. I use a changing bag for developing my BW film. I just didn't think it would be of any use for my episode with the stuck film, as I really needed to see what was happening, as oppose to blindly trying to sort it.
With all those errors I made you wouldn't think I was capable of developing a roll of film haha.

Thanks everyone for all the help and advice! I've learnt quite a few things along the way with this error. So glad I was told about the safe-light not being safe for film!

djs88 · May 27, 2013

desertratt said:
The only way you get good at this photography thing is to make all the mistakes. Better you do it early than later when somebody is panting to get prints from your negatives and you don't have any good ones.

Too true!

tron_ · May 29, 2013

Nice job figuring out the problem and being able to laugh at yourself over the experience. The best part is you will never make the same mistakes again now

We all make dumb mistakes, just the other day I was loading my Hasselblad and got confused how to load it since Ibounce between that and my Mamiya so often, that I almost put the film on the wrong side of the back

My 120 film got stuck :/

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