Can I file the nibs off the film spool axle in Pentax 6x7?

This may be really naive, but I've always wondered about this (I already

read the post on how to change film quickly).

I shoot a lot in the snow with my Pentax 67 (I usually pop out the

battery compartment, with battery, and keep it in my palm inside my

glove until ready, the remote cord being awfully fragile) and I cuss a

blue streak every time I have to change film with gloves on. For me, the

most annoying part of the task is that you have to seat the top of the

film spool--the one on the left--onto the two little nibs in that top

axle thingy (as you can see, I'm not real well-versed on the technical

terms!).

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My question is, why? Why are they there? It's not like the right side,

where the winding lever needs to turn the takeup spool; doesn't the left

spool just spin freely? Neither of my two Fuji 6x9s has these nibs at

the top left side, leading me to think they're dispensable. Or am I

mistaken and I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I file them off?

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Please advise.... Thanks!

Bill, I think the two little nibs you mention keep the film flat and tightly-wound, especilly the part which is to be exposed. Fuji has pobably another mechanism to keep the film flat. I would not dare removing these nibs, although I immediately agree that they are a pain.

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Mark