How to Retrieve a 35mm Film Leader

A film picker (a.k.a. film leader retriever) is easy to overlook when shopping for home development supplies. However, it’s an essential gadget for saving time and money, and avoiding frustration.

In this guide, I’ll explain how and why you should use a film picker. I’ll also show you a few ways to get your film out without one.

TL;DR: The easiest, fastest, and most reliable tool for retrieving a 35mm film leader is HCL Film Picker 4.

In this guide: Fetching the lost leader. Pre-loading 135 film onto development reels. Cracking the cartridge open. Using a strip of film to retrieve the leader. Using a film picker to retrieve the leader. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

Fetching the lost leader.

It’s not uncommon to lose the film leader in a 35mm film cartridge. Twist the core the wrong way, and it’s gone. You will need a good film picker to retrieve it, though there are also other ways.

Pre-loading 135 film onto development reels.

For those who develop film at home, retrieving film from cartridges is part of the process.

Loading film onto a Paterson-type reel in complete darkness can be challenging. Especially if there’s any moisture. Especially if the film base is thin. It all has to be done by feel, and it can still cause issues even with years of experience.

The nice thing about the 135 film format is that the rolls come in closed metal cartridges with a slit. This allows us to grab one end of the film, cut it straight and round the corners with our scissors in daylight and feed it into a reel. Doing so before placing the reels into the dark bag can save a lot of trouble. All that’s left is to wind the film onto reels in the dark, which is easier than having to also shape the leaders with scissors and thread them through tiny slits.

This method preserves the film cartridges for bulk-loading or sale (there is always someone looking for extras).

But there’s a problem. Most point-and-shoot cameras will wind the film all the way into the cartridge, so there’s no leader left. Even with manual cameras, remembering to keep the leader out doesn’t always work out.

Cracking the cartridge open.

If the film leader is inside the cartridge, a crude but effective way is to use an opener tool (some bottle openers may suffice). This destroys the film cartridge and makes for a more awkward process, as you now have to deal with the entire 5 feet/1.5m of film out in the open instead of receiving it bit by bit from a whole cartridge.

Cracking plastic film cartridges open can be a frustrating experience.

And, of course, cracking film cartridges open can only be done in complete darkness; plus, you won’t be able to pre-load your film onto the reel for easy transfer.

But it’ll work in cases when nothing else does.

Using a strip of film to retrieve the leader.

Photographic film can get very sticky when wet. As a last resort, you can use that property to your advantage with a 25mm/10”-long strip of 35mm film and a few drops of water.

Wet the strip slightly (it shouldn’t be soaking) and carefully insert it into the film cartridge’s slit. Push it in (emulsion/sticky side down/toward the core), then twist the core counterclockwise so that it pulls the strip in. Once the strip is about 10-15cm (4-6”) in, pull it out in a swift but controlled motion.

This method does not always work, and it usually takes several attempts.

Using a film picker to retrieve the leader.

A film picker/film leader retriever tool is a small device with three flexible plastic blades.

There are many variants, but they all work the same:

With the blades pushed all the way into the tool, insert the stubby stack of the plastic blades into the film cartridge. Rotate the core counterclockwise until you hear and feel a light click. Push the first extendable blade in, then repeat the core rotation maneuver. Push the last extendable blade in, then pull the tool out of the cartridge, and it should have your film.

Unfortunately, most film leader retriever tools are not well-made. Because of that, it can take several tries to retrieve each leader — regardless of how many times you’ve done it before.

This has caused me to give up and crack open cartridges inside the dark bag. Some tools are so bad I’ve had worse luck with them than with a wet strip of film.

The problem is not how these tools work, but rather how they are made.

Horiuchi Color Ltd. (HCL) Film Picker 4  is the only version of this device I’ve tried that works almost every time.

Made by a Japanese printing business, it’s the same small plastic tool, except its blades have just the right kind of texture and flexibility that makes it very reliable.

Whereas other tools fail often and randomly, HCL Film Picker 4 has trouble only if the film leader inside the cartridge is split or not shaped like a typical curved cutout. The only way out of this situation is to crack the cartridge.

This tool is not exceptionally common or popular, but it can be found online. There are several whitelabeled versions of Film Picker 4 sold by brands like CatLabs and Mr. Negative; they are essentially the same thing.

Film Picker 4 is a little pricier than some of the cheap options out there, but given how much better the HCL version is, I don’t see myself using anything else.

❤ By the way: Please consider making your Horiuchi Color Ltd. Film Picker 4/CatLabs Film Picker purchase using this link so that this website may get a small percentage of that sale — at no extra charge for you — thanks!