4 Ways to Get 35mm Film Out of A Film Canister

Anyone who has taken images with 35mm film may have run into the problem of accidentally rolling the film back up into the film canister. In this article, we’ll explore four ways to get 35mm film out of a film canister at home or don’t live close a film lab so you can load your film into a film camera or reload your film into your camera to do double exposures.

There are 4 ways to get 35mm film out of a canister which are using wet film, film or paper with double-sided tape, or using a film retrieval tool. The process is similar for each method and involves sticking film, paper, or a specialized tool into the film canister and pulling out the film inside.

It’s worth noting that one or more of the following methods may work well for you so you may want to try them all until one of them works. We’ll walk through each method in this guide and give additional tips.

If you are looking how to open the film canister to remove the film for development try this article: 3 Easy Ways to Remove 35mm Film From a Canister (One Without A Bottle Opener)

Something to keep in mind when using these methods is the film may have already been used and pulling the film leader out of the film canister may ruin the previously exposed film. See this article for how to know if your 35mm film has already been used.

How to Get 35mm Film Out of A Film Canister

Below, we provide detailed instructions on how to get your film leader out of film canister using four different methods. These methods are using wet film, a inexpensive special tool called a film retrieval tool and other methods using things found around your house like double-side tape and paper.

Method 1: Using The End of Wet A Film Strip Or A Roll of Film

One of the most convenient ways to get a 35mm film out of a film canister if you don’t have a film retrieval tool and you have extra film involves wetting a used piece film or another roll of film because it’s likely you have these laying around. Follow these easy steps to get film out of a film cartridge using a wet film leader from a 35mm roll of film or a strip of 35mm film.:

1. Start by turning the knob on top of the film canister until you hear a small click. This means the film leader is close to the opening inside the film canister. Then turn it an extra quarter turn before setting it aside.
2. Slightly wet your used piece of film or other roll of film with either tap water or saliva on the lighter side of the film near the end of the film. Keep in mind that you want to only SLIGHTLY wet your film otherwise you risk getting too much water on the rest of your film and possibly ruining it.
3. While holding the film canister with the knob facing right, insert the wet film leader or strip with the darker side up into the film slot about 1 – 1.5 inches until you feel resistance (hint: look for where the two pieces of metal come together with felt)
4. Next, turn the knob on the top of the canister until you feel a slight change of resistance and the film is pulled into the film canister for about 1 – 2 inches. At this point, you’ll know it’s ready for removal.
5. Finally, pull the wet piece of film out of the canister with a sharp tug and your film will come out of the film canister

In my experience, this method works quite well and is a lifesaver if you don’t have a film retrieval tool or double-sided tape handy. However, the process depends on how much water is on the inserted film and if you can line up the film in the canister correctly with the slot so it may take a couple times to get right. Another thing to keep in mind when using this method is you will need to use a fresh section of film each time you use this method by cutting off the section of the wet film – even once it dries. The good news is this method won’t damage your film or the canister so you can try it as many times as you need for it to work!

Method 2: Using 35mm Film with Double-Sided Tape

This method is similar to the first method of wetting film to retrieve film from the film canister but uses double-sided tape for a stronger grip on the film inside the canister. Follow these easy steps to get film out of a film cartridge using double-sided tape and film:

1. Start by finding an old roll of film and cut a strip of the film about 4 – 6 inches long.
2. Cut a piece of double-sided tape that is the same width of your film (about 1 1/4 inches) and place it on one end of film strip and line up the edges. Press the tape and the film together for a few seconds to make sure it makes a solid connection. (Tip: I recommend using two strips next to each other so the film has more to grab onto but it may not be necessary).
3. Turn the knob on top of the canister until you hear a small click. This means the film leader is close to the opening inside the film canister. Then, turn it an extra quarter turn.
4. Peel the other side off of your double sided tape and insert the side of the film strip with double-sided tape on your film facing up and with the knob on the film canister facing right about an 1 inch. Keep in mind it may be a little tough at first so I recommend starting with the edge of the film strip in the slot first rather than starting with the entire side of the film at first.
5. Turn the knob on the top of the film canister so the film strip goes into the slot and stop once the film strip is about 3 – 4 inches into the canister. While the film goes into the canister add a bit a pressure to aid in the contact of the tape and the film.
6. Finally, pull the strip of film slowly and carefully out of the canister to ensure nothing is bent or damaged and stop once you see about an 1 – 2 inches of the other film.

In my experience, this method works quite well if you have some double-sided tape handy. However, the process depends on if you can line the film in the canister up correctly so it may take a couple times to get right. The good news is this method won’t damage the film in your canister so you can try it as many times as you need!

Method 3: Using A Paper Strip with Double-Sided Tape If You Don’t Have Extra Film

What if you need to get film out of canister and don’t have any film laying around? This method works like using method 2 except that instead of using film, you use paper to get the film back out of a canister. Follow these easy steps to get film out of a film cartridge using double-sided tape and paper:

1. Start by finding an old sheet of thin but sturdy paper (like construction paper or two sheets of copier paper) and cutting it about 4 – 6 inches long and 1 – 1 1/4 inches wide.
2. Cut a piece of double-sided tape that is the same width of your film (about 1 1/4 inches) and place it on one end of film strip while lining up the edges. Press the tape and the film together for a few seconds to make sure it makes a solid connection. (Tip: recommend using two strips next to each other so the film has more to grab onto but it may not be necessary).
3. Turn the knob on top of the canister until you hear a small click. This means the film leader is close to the opening inside the film canister. Then, turn it an extra quarter turn.
4. Peel the other side off of your double sided tape and insert the side of the strip of paper with the tape facing up and with the knob on the film canister facing right about an 1 inch. Keep in mind it might be a little tough at first so I recommend starting with the edge of the paper in the slot first rather than starting with the entire side first.
5. Turn the knob on the top of the film canister so the strip of paper goes into the slot and stops once the paper strip is about 3 – 4 inches into the canister. While the paper goes into the canister add a bit a pressure to aid in the contact of the tape and the film.
6. Finally, pull the strip of film slowly and carefully out of the canister to ensure nothing is bent or damaged and stop once you see about an 1 – 2 inches of the other film.

In my experience, this method works quite well if you don’t have any extra film laying around but do have some paper and double-sided tape handy. However, the process depends on if you can line the paper up to the canister correctly so it may take a couple times to get it right. The good news is this method won’t damage your film or the canister so you can try it as many times as you need!

Method 4: Using a Film Leader Retrieval Tool

If you are looking for the most efficient and repeatable way pull 35mm film out of a film canister, a film leader retrieval tool (like this one from amazon) is ideal. This method is slightly more expensive and less convenient than the other options, but provides a quick and easy access with less hassle.

Film retrieval tools are designed to grip onto the end of the 35mm film in the canister using thin plastic or metal tabs to pull the film out without scratching or damaging the film so it can be loaded into a camera. The one I recommend uses 3 thin plastic sheets which I have found is easier on the film than metal and is just as sturdy.

Follow these steps to get your film unstuck from the canister using the film retrieval tool:

1. Start by placing all of the sliders on the tool in the back position on top of the tool
2. Line the plastic tongues up with the slot on the 35mm film canister with the knob on the canister facing you and the film retrieval tool in your right hand.
3. Insert the tongues into the slot all at once into the film canister. This can be trick so I recommend starting with the plastic tongues at an angle rather than straight at the film slot.
4. Push the tool right up against the film canister so it is flush with the tool
5. Move the first slighter toward the film canister then turn the knob on the canister counter-clockwise until you hear a small click 3 times
6. When you hear the 3rd click, don’t turn the knob anymore and push the second slider toward the canister
7. After this hold onto the film canister and the film retrieval tool and pull apart and the film leader will be pulled out of the film canister.

In my experience, using the film retrieval tool is the most efficient method of the 4 ways to get film from a film cartridge and works almost every time. However, it does take a few times to practice the steps at first to get it right and you’ll find it very easy.

In Summary

Hopefully this guide shows that getting 35mm film out of a canister is easier than it may seem using one of the four differents methods:

1. Using wet film
2. Using Film with double-sided tape
3. Using Paper with double-sided tape
4. Using a film retrieval tool.

Keep in mind that each method does have their own pros and cons. For example, one method requires a special tool but is the most efficient, the wet film method is handy if you don’t have a film retrieval tool but requires you to use a fresh section of film each time, and the double-sided tape method with paper is great if you don’t have additional film or retrieval tool but requires double-sided tape. Also, each method requires doing it a few times before you can get the film leader out efficiently. Whichever method you decide on, I’m confident that using these you will eventually be able to extract your 35mm film leader.