Loosely wound film in Baldix 12-on

I started photography around 1952 with 120 roll-film, and had no problem
then with the tightness of the exposed film on the take-up spool. (Still got
the negatives to prove it!) [Ensign Pocket 20 6x9, Dacora 12-on with f5.6
Subita, & Zeiss Ikonta f4.5 Novar 16-on]

A few days ago I ran a 120 Velvia 50 through a camera of that vintage, a
mint condition Rangefinder Baldix 6x6cm, and was surprised to find that when
I opened the back, the film was loosely wound on the take-up spool. I closed
the camera back quickly but as we all know, not quickly enough, and there's
fogging on most frames. I've checked the spring loaded metal leaves which
are clearly designed to help keep the wound film tight, but I'm reluctant to
try increasing the pressure too far, in case I end up with a non-mint
camera! The spring loaded leaves on the Baldix seem, if anything, stiffer
than the single leaf in my Rolleicord Vb which doesn't suffer from this
fault, but does have the exposure counter mechanism pressing on the film in
the take-up chamber.

Has roll-film got stiffer since the 1950s?
And apart from taking my changing bag with me, (which would somewhat spoil
the light-weight aspects of this camera's use), how do others deal with the
problem?

Thanks for any ideas

--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK
http://www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm

Malcolm Stewart wrote:

I started photography around 1952 with 120 roll-film, and had no problem
then with the tightness of the exposed film on the take-up spool. (Still got
the negatives to prove it!) [Ensign Pocket 20 6x9, Dacora 12-on with f5.6
Subita, & Zeiss Ikonta f4.5 Novar 16-on]

A few days ago I ran a 120 Velvia 50 through a camera of that vintage, a
mint condition Rangefinder Baldix 6x6cm, and was surprised to find that when
I opened the back, the film was loosely wound on the take-up spool. I closed
the camera back quickly but as we all know, not quickly enough, and there's
fogging on most frames. I've checked the spring loaded metal leaves which
are clearly designed to help keep the wound film tight, but I'm reluctant to
try increasing the pressure too far, in case I end up with a non-mint
camera! The spring loaded leaves on the Baldix seem, if anything, stiffer
than the single leaf in my Rolleicord Vb which doesn't suffer from this
fault, but does have the exposure counter mechanism pressing on the film in
the take-up chamber.

Has roll-film got stiffer since the 1950s?
And apart from taking my changing bag with me, (which would somewhat spoil
the light-weight aspects of this camera's use), how do others deal with the
problem?

Thanks for any ideas


Sounds like you didn't get it quite secure on the takeup real when you
loaded it.

And I take my changing bag everywhere. It weighs hardly anything (no
more than an extra T-shirt) and it's saved my butt too many times to
leave behind.

It also doubles as a dark-cloth when I need that little bit of extra
help through the viewfinder.

Malcolm Stewart wrote:
I started photography around 1952 with 120 roll-film, and had no problem
then with the tightness of the exposed film on the take-up spool. (Still got
the negatives to prove it!) [Ensign Pocket 20 6x9, Dacora 12-on with f5.6
Subita, & Zeiss Ikonta f4.5 Novar 16-on]

A few days ago I ran a 120 Velvia 50 through a camera of that vintage, a
mint condition Rangefinder Baldix 6x6cm, and was surprised to find that when
I opened the back, the film was loosely wound on the take-up spool. I closed
the camera back quickly but as we all know, not quickly enough, and there's
fogging on most frames. I've checked the spring loaded metal leaves which
are clearly designed to help keep the wound film tight, but I'm reluctant to
try increasing the pressure too far, in case I end up with a non-mint
camera! The spring loaded leaves on the Baldix seem, if anything, stiffer
than the single leaf in my Rolleicord Vb which doesn't suffer from this
fault, but does have the exposure counter mechanism pressing on the film in
the take-up chamber.

Has roll-film got stiffer since the 1950s?
And apart from taking my changing bag with me, (which would somewhat spoil
the light-weight aspects of this camera's use), how do others deal with the
problem?

Thanks for any ideas

I would say that you need to increase the tension of the spring that
pushes on the film to keep it tight on the spool and if it breaks, it
breaks. If you don't want to risk it then accept that the camera is
past being usable for photography. Maybe you should sell it on. I
haven't noticed any change in the stiffness of 120 film over the years.