Trouble loading Ilford film in a Pentax 645?

[declark]

I have loaded dozens of different types of film in my Pentax 645 120 insert without any trouble, but today I wrestled with loading Ilford FP4 for some time before geting it loaded. I thought maybe the film spool was a bit thicker on the O.D., so ended up spooling out too much, probably lost the first shot or two. I remember having trouble also a while back with some Ilford Pan F. Haven't run into this with Fuji and Kodak films. Just wondering if there is a difference in the spools, maybe the engagement slot is narrower? Anyone else run into this before?

 

[nworth]

My guess is that it is the crossed notches on the Ilford spools. They fit the Pentax better in one direction than the other. You have to be careful that the spool is fully seated before you pull out the leader of the backing paper. If it doesn't seem to seat well, turn it 90 degrees and see if it works in that direction.

 

[pelerin]

I have loaded dozens of different types of film in my Pentax 645 120 insert without any trouble, but today I wrestled with loading Ilford FP4 for some time before geting it loaded. I thought maybe the film spool was a bit thicker on the O.D., so ended up spooling out too much, probably lost the first shot or two. I remember having trouble also a while back with some Ilford Pan F. Haven't run into this with Fuji and Kodak films. Just wondering if there is a difference in the spools, maybe the engagement slot is narrower? Anyone else run into this before?

Hi,
I had a client that had a similar problem. Tri-x no problem, but the Ilford would not fit in the insert. This was quite vexing to her because the Ilford had previouly worked in the insert and was her preferred film. I took the same Ilford spool and tried it in an insert (2nd hand) that we had on hand. It fit in that insert with no problems. She was concerned that there was some variability from spool to spool or that Ilford had made a change that rendered the film unusable in her camera. I measured a # of Ilford spools and determined (to my satisfaction) that differences among the spools was not the culprit. Ilford also confirmed that.

(the following would be much easier to illustrate with a picture) After a bit of poking about with a caliper it appears that the variability involves the position of the static support (as opposed to hinged, not unmoving) for the film spool. A measurement from either the tip or the shoulder of the support to the face of the insert wall showed enough difference between inserts to render the film unloadable. The dimensions of the hole and flange on the Kodak spool are different enough to render this problem moot. As the insert was not mine (and I am not a repair tech) I did not dissasemble the insert to try and diagnose the problem. However, 1) as I had an insert on hand which worked fine, and 2) as the Ilford film originally fit in her insert, it seems logical that a tech could cure this problem. Good luck.
Celac