Originally posted by n61870 I just put some film in and when I try to advance the film the lever skips. It started counting frames then I noticed it went to 0. I opened it up and there was a bit of film wrapped around the takeup spool but as I tried to advance it seems hard and feels like its skipping. Is it supposed to do this or is there something stripped in there?
Thanks
No, it is not supposed to to that and there may very well be something stripped or poorly adjusted somewhere. However, before we jump to conclusions, how about we make sure that all the parts are there and that the film is properly loaded. It is not obvious, but the take-up spool is not what drives the film transport. That job belongs to the sprocket cogs. In order for those to work, the film must be flat across the gate with the pressure plate in place to insure that the cogs are engaged. So:
- Is there a working pressure plate attached to the film door?
- Before closing the back take care to confirm that the film is stretched flat across the gate
- Also confirm that the sprocket holes are fully engaged top AND bottom (very important that it is both)
- Also confirm that the rewind release button on underside of the camera has popped out and is no longer pressed in
It is good to note too that there is no rule against doing a full wind onto the take-up spool before closing the back. This will tension the film an pop out the release button. After closing the back, wind on until the film counter goes to "1" and confirm that the rewind crank rotates as the film is wound. That is your sign that all is well.
Steve