Why are the sprocket holes tearing on my bulk-loaded 35mm film?
Asked 4/18/2015
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I’m bulk loading Ultrafine 400 into reusable 35mm cartridges and using it in a Canon Rebel 2000. After development, some frames show torn and twisted sprocket holes. The damage appears intermittently rather than on every frame. A short test in the camera didn’t seem to show damage during advance, and the images/frame spacing seem normal. Could this be caused by the camera, the bulk loader, the reusable cartridges, or the way the film is being rewound or loaded?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
As others have hinted at here, if you examine the picture of your damaged film you'll notice that:
1) The tears run left-to-right in the direction that the camera winds-on.
2) The damage appears to only be on the bottom sprocket holes, which line up with the teeth of the sprocket on your camera.
3) Since there are no problems with mis-fed frames (you'd notice overlapping images and variable frame gaps), you can safely rule out any problems with the wind-on process.
Thus your problem is caused by the take-up spool (the one on the right) intermittently jamming during the rewinding process, thereby tearing some of the sprocket holes.
If you have overloaded your cassette and wound on too much film, this tearing will tend to happen towards the start of the rewind process, but may tear through several layers of film at once, making it seem like it happens randomly throughout the roll.
Get your camera checked by a repairer (or just buy another Rebel 2000 - they're about $20 on the second hand market here in New Zealand).
Originally by user38928. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user38928
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most likely cause is extra resistance during rewind or from the reusable cartridge, not normal frame advance. Since your frame spacing and transport appear normal, the film is probably feeding correctly while shooting. Torn sprocket holes usually happen when the film is being pulled while something binds—such as a take-up spool jamming during rewind, the film catching on a sprocket, or a reusable cartridge creating too much drag.
With bulk-loaded film, there’s also no factory-set roll end, so if you keep winding after the roll is effectively finished, you can stress the sprocket holes. Reusable cartridges can also be finicky if they’re closed too tightly or pinch the film.
What to try:
- Test with scrap film in daylight to feel for drag.
- Compare with a factory-loaded cartridge in the same camera.
- Check reusable cartridges for pinching or excessive friction.
- Be gentle when you reach the end of the roll and during rewind.
- If needed, inspect the camera during a test run (with sacrificial film) to see where it catches.
So the issue is most likely cartridge/rewind friction rather than the film itself damaging during normal advance.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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