IXMOO Causing Scratches

[Tylaar]

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IXMOO Adventures

Ive recently discovered a couple of IXMOO cartridges in one of my fathers old camera bags.

Ive managed to successfully load same (using an aged "Computrol" bulk film loader) and managed to get both the loader and my M3 to close the lightproof cyclinder successfully.

Sadly when I developed the film from my first outing there are very fine scratches on the non-emulsion side of the film.

Reloading with conventional horrible plastic casettes eliminates the problem so I'm concluding that the scratching has something to do with the poor IXMOO (rather than the film back or any other part of my developing process). Problem could happen either in the loader or camera but im guessing its the loader as the bottom plate on the M3 locks the IXMOO open and the lower edges of the slot "feel" smooth (albeit the scratches are very fine).

Any ideas or suggestions would be hugely appreciated. I love the way the IXMOOs are constructed and it would be wonderful to be able to use them. Film is HP5+ pushed to 1600 using ID-11 and hypam).

Many thanks...........

T

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[hektor]

Dear Tylaar,

I have four IXM00 which I have been bulk loading since 1975; never have had a problem and suggest you have a microscopic look at the cassette.  Like you I enjoy the mechanical marvel which reduces film cost which is fast becoming a boutique niche expensive luxury.

[Tylaar]

I love the Ixmoo…… I wonder if you can help me….. I have three cassettes and the springs are all flipped out of the external cases…I don’t know if this means they are broken because I don’t know what the spring is for……

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[nitroplait]

1 hour ago, Tylaar said:

... I don’t know what the spring is for……

 

The spring functions as a lock that prevents accidental opening of the cassette and possibly also to ensure that the chrome "mushroom" is in the right position when inserted into the camera.

I could speculate that perhaps you have inserted the cassette in the camera with the mushroom in a position where the camera didn't open the IXMOO fully and therefore scratched the film. Just a thought.

Edited November 18, 2022 by nitroplait

[Pyrogallol]

It looks as if someone has bent the spring back, which probably stops it locking the two shells of the cassette in their correct positions. The spring should be tight up against the body of the cassette and only lifted back about 2 millimetres, just enough to unlock the two shells inside the camera or when you open the cassette to reload it.

The spring should look like this. I don’t know any way of bending it back in.

It could be that the two halves of the cassette twisted together in the bulk film loader as you were winding the film in, I have had that happen. Then the film would be dragged through the closed or partly closed mouth of the cassette causing the scratches. I am using a film that might be scratched that way now. I stopped winding the film into the cassette when it felt as is that happened and I will see if it is scratched. My loaders are Watson type with a wheel on the right side that in theory can be used to close the FILCA/IXMOO cassette in the loader, but it has never worked correctly so I keep my hand on the wheel to stop it turning and closing the cassette while I am loading it. 

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Edited November 18, 2022 by Pyrogallol

[Tylaar]

I love the Ixmoo…… I wonder if you can help me….. I have three cassettes and the springs are all flipped out of the external cases…

[LocalHero1953]

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If I had these I would throw them away. I have never heard of a solution to the bent spring issue.

[Pyrogallol]

1 minute ago, LocalHero1953 said:

If I had these I would throw them away. I have never heard of a solution to the bent spring issue.

Keep the inner spools as spares.

[Tylaar]

Thanks guys…….. bittersweet!

[Tylaar]

6 minutes ago, Pyrogallol said:

Keep the inner spools as spares.

That cheered me up

[Tylaar]

I’ve just bought some more from ebay. After all I’d already invested in the brasso to clean them up. You live and learn eh. The ixmoo adventure continues…….

[nitroplait]

On 11/18/2022 at 5:11 PM, Tylaar said:

After all I’d already invested in the brasso to clean them up. 

I am not sure you should polish them. I think the brass was treated to be darker from the beginning. All my IXMOOs and FILCAs looks intentionally patinated, not aged naturally as brass of that vintage would.

[Pyrogallol]

Yes, clean but don’t polish. There shouldn’t be any reflections bouncing around inside the camera but you don’t want to help them reflect.

[Tylaar]

38 minutes ago, Pyrogallol said:

Yes, clean but don’t polish. There shouldn’t be any reflections bouncing around inside the camera but you don’t want to help them reflect.

Good point…….I’m using brasso on the edges of the slots to remove anything that could scratch…..although tbh the vast majority of people I’ve met who use IXMOO (plural IXMOOs?…) don’t report any scratching like I got the first time around. I have managed to bend the springs back now so I’m eager to see if they work…….

[nitroplait]

1 hour ago, Tylaar said:

I have managed to bend the springs back …….

How did you do that?

[Pyrogallol]

On 11/18/2022 at 3:44 PM, Pyrogallol said:

It looks as if someone has bent the spring back, which probably stops it locking the two shells of the cassette in their correct positions. The spring should be tight up against the body of the cassette and only lifted back about 2 millimetres, just enough to unlock the two shells inside the camera or when you open the cassette to reload it.

The spring should look like this. I don’t know any way of bending it back in.

It could be that the two halves of the cassette twisted together in the bulk film loader as you were winding the film in, I have had that happen. Then the film would be dragged through the closed or partly closed mouth of the cassette causing the scratches. I am using a film that might be scratched that way now. I stopped winding the film into the cassette when it felt as is that happened and I will see if it is scratched. My loaders are Watson type with a wheel on the right side that in theory can be used to close the FILCA/IXMOO cassette in the loader, but it has never worked correctly so I keep my hand on the wheel to stop it turning and closing the cassette while I am loading it. 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I will revise my earlier note about only lifting the spring about 2 millimetres to release the lock. When I looked closely you only need to lift the spring a tiny fraction to allow the two halves of the cassette to turn, not enough to measure or hardly see.

[TheBestSLIsALeicaflex]

I have about 80 IXMOO collected over the last 15 years.  I generally reload them twice a year.  When I initially used a daylight loader, it resulted in scratched film, from the loader, not the IXMOO.  Now I just use a dark closet.  Your arms outstretched to the side is about 36 exposures, or 36-38 revelations of the IXMOO spindle about the same.  You don't even have to finish the bulk load.  Load your cassettes and put the remainder of the bulk load back into its' bag and tin, then put it in a dark bag.  I often purchase bulk loads 400'+ for extra savings, and that's a lot of reloading to do in one sitting, so usually it's multiples sittings, even months apart.  

[TomB_tx]

I used to have a FILCA / IXMOO repair die set for replacing the springs. I got it from DAG along with rivets and springs when Don was clearing out stuff he never used. I had collected a number of cassettes to fix and was able to repair them.

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