Video: Retrieving the film leader

[melek]

I've used this tool a lot. Works every time.

[PFMcFarland]

I've used several different ones, but not this one. What really looks good about it is the size, since I'm always misplacing mine.

PF

[TobaccorRoad]

Mine is hiding I hope. Pretty hectic during our move.
Still going through boxes & boxes ?????
Mine is just a little spring steel thingy.

[Bennybee]

Great film Mike. Thanks. Will bookmark that and get me that same tool.
Benny

[Santiago Montenegro]

I use a piece of negative with some sprocket holes cut into a barb. Not as fast or easy.

[LarryD]

I lick a piece of unprocessed film and slide it into the slot. it seems to work.

[Philip]

Mike, you make that thing look easy! I have very poor luck with exactly that same model.
However, next time I try I'm going to look at your video first!

[Tom Hildreth]

Looks like a winner. I have successfully used a piece of plastic shim stock with about an inch of double-sided Scotch tape attached to one end. Holding the film roll as shown in the video above, push the shim stock into the slot about 1.5" with the tape end first. Rotate film spool until you hear the click, then slowly pull out shim stock and on a good day the film will be stuck to the tape and follow the shim stock right out through the slot. Shim stock can be found in an auto parts store.

[Bennybee]

After seeing Mike's film I immediately purchased an identical Film Picker on evilbay. It arrived yesterday. Made in, and shipped from Korea. I tried it right away and it works beautifully.
Last weekend I accidentally rewound a film straight into its cartridge : I had not realized that my 'new' Nikon F501 had not grabbed the film tip after loading it and I had not paid attention to the immobile film rewind crank during shooting. Of course the thing moves while one still has an eye in the viewfinder. Needless to say that my faith in the auto-film-grabbing device is now shattered. Next time I will check the rewind button right after closing the film back....

[GrahamS]

I have a similar tool with the same inner foils but in a tobacco brown sheath that I got way back when I had a mini-lab in the '80s. It still works very well.