diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index ed4e279..66a02b4 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -19,5 +19,5 @@ check: rustcorefoundation-test
 	./rustcorefoundation-test
 
 clean:
-	rm -f *.o *.a *.so *.dylib *.dll *.dummy
+	rm -f *.o *.a *.so *.dylib *.dll *.dummy rustcorefoundation-test
 
diff --git a/base.rs b/base.rs
index e82c928..4ead07e 100644
--- a/base.rs
+++ b/base.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@ pub struct CFRange {
     length: CFIndex
 }
 
+fn CFRangeMake(off: CFIndex, len: CFIndex) -> CFRange {
+    CFRange { location: off, length: len }
+}
+
 struct __CFAllocator { private: () }
 pub type CFAllocatorRef = *__CFAllocator;
 
@@ -138,7 +142,4 @@ extern {
 
     /* Base Utilities Reference */
     // N.B. Some things missing here.
-    //fn CFRangeMake
 }
-
-    
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/string.rs b/string.rs
index 4f0b6c1..8b0977d 100644
--- a/string.rs
+++ b/string.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ use base::{
     CFAllocatorRef,
     CFIndex,
     CFOptionFlags,
+    CFRange,
+    CFRangeMake,
     CFRelease,
     CFTypeRef,
     CFTypeID,
@@ -234,7 +236,7 @@ pub impl CFString {
         let string_ref = do str::as_buf(string) |bytes, len| {
             CFStringCreateWithBytesNoCopy(kCFAllocatorDefault,
                                           bytes,
-                                          len as CFIndex,
+                                          (len-1) as CFIndex, // does NOT want trailing NUL
                                           kCFStringEncodingUTF8,
                                           false as Boolean,
                                           kCFAllocatorNull)
@@ -243,6 +245,39 @@ pub impl CFString {
     }
 }
 
+pub impl CFString {
+    pub pure fn char_len() -> uint unsafe {
+        CFStringGetLength(self.obj) as uint
+    }
+}
+
+pub impl CFString : ToStr {
+    pure fn to_str() -> ~str unsafe {
+        let char_len = self.char_len();
+        let range : CFRange = CFRangeMake(0 as CFIndex, char_len as CFIndex);
+        let encoding = kCFStringEncodingUTF8;
+        let mut bytes_required: CFIndex = 0 as CFIndex;
+        // first, ask how big the buffer ought to be.
+        CFStringGetBytes(self.obj, range, encoding, 0, false as Boolean, 
+                                   ptr::null(), 0, ptr::to_unsafe_ptr(&bytes_required));
+
+        let buffer : ~[u8] = vec::from_elem(1+bytes_required as uint, '\x00' as u8);
+        let mut bytes_used: CFIndex = 0 as CFIndex;
+        // then, allocate the buffer and actually copy.
+        let chars_written = CFStringGetBytes(self.obj, range, encoding, 0, false as Boolean, 
+                                             vec::raw::to_ptr(buffer), buffer.len() as CFIndex,
+                                             ptr::to_unsafe_ptr(&bytes_used)) as uint;
+
+        assert chars_written == char_len;
+        // this is dangerous; we over-allocate and nul-terminate the string (during initialization)
+        assert bytes_used + 1 == buffer.len() as CFIndex;
+        // then, reinterpret it as as string. you have been warned!
+        let casted_str : ~str = cast::transmute(move buffer);
+        // sanity check.
+        return move casted_str;
+    }
+}
+
 #[link_args="-framework CoreFoundation"]
 #[nolink]
 extern {
@@ -293,14 +328,16 @@ extern {
 
     /* Accessing Characters */
     //fn CFStringCreateExternalRepresentation
-    //fn CFStringGetBytes
+    fn CFStringGetBytes(theString: CFStringRef, ++range: CFRange, encoding: CFStringEncoding, 
+                        lossByte: u8, isExternalRepresentation: Boolean,
+                        buffer: *u8, maxBufLen: CFIndex, usedBufLen: *CFIndex) -> CFIndex;
     //fn CFStringGetCharacterAtIndex
     //fn CFStringGetCharacters
     //fn CFStringGetCharactersPtr
     //fn CFStringGetCharacterFromInlineBuffer
     //fn CFStringGetCString
     //fn CFStringGetCStringPtr
-    //fn CFStringGetLength
+    fn CFStringGetLength(theString: CFStringRef) -> CFIndex;
     //fn CFStringGetPascalString
     //fn CFStringGetPascalStringPtr
     //fn CFStringGetRangeOfComposedCharactersAtIndex
@@ -349,3 +386,10 @@ extern {
     //fn CFStringIsSurrogateLowCharacter
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn string_and_back() {
+    let original = "The quick brown fox jumped over the slow lazy dog.";
+    let cfstr = CFString::new_static(original);
+    let converted = cfstr.to_str();
+    assert original == converted;
+}
\ No newline at end of file