Occasionally, 8x10 film gets stuck in the holder when I'm unloading. When this happens, I've run my finger along the edge of the film trying to free it. I've also gently tugged to get it to release. (I suspect that one of these maneuvers may have contributed to the static electricity problem I posted on the forum a few days ago).
At any rate, what do the rest of you do to pull out stuck film from a holder?
Usually stuck film is due to moisture or mechanical problems with the holder - I am assuming you do not more serious problems such as having left film in the holder too long and something nasty happening to the emulsion.
The mechanical end of things can be checked by trying to slide a sheet of film into the holder with the room lights on. Sometimes, there might be a small piece of grit in the film groove that makes the sheet jam or stick. Cleaning the grooves with a blast of compressed air or a brush should help. I suppose there also might be a mechanical problem, a scratch or some piece of material blocking the film - a small file should let you fix that. As regards film sticking due to moisture, emulsion is surprisingly sticky when moist. you could try using a heat gun on a very gentle setting to help dry and release the film. You might need some patience.
I very much doubt the gentle tuges and running your finger along the edge will cause static electricity sparks unless the environment is extremely dry. Those sparks are more likely when pulling out and putting in the darkslide very quickly in dry weather.
Cheers, DJ
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