Kodak Panoram No. 4 -- Film and Developing

1. 103 film will be available soon from Film For Classics, according to communication with them in April 2018. If you have developed this size of film before, can you tell me how you did it? In a tank of some kind? See-sawing the filmstrip through a tray in the dark? Other?

 

2. If you loaded sheet film instead, what size did you cut the sheet to for one exposure?

 

Thank you.

I haven't done this size. However, I cut 120 film down to 127 film width. The resulting roll is too long to fit in a 127 reel. So, I made my own reel by cutting a bit out of each vertical leg of a stainless steel 120 reel, and gluing it back together. It's not very strong, but it works.

In your case, I don't think the length of the film is a problem, but you need to make each leg of the reel an inch longer. You could get some tube (ideally stainless) that will fit around the wire the reel is made from. Cut a piece for each leg; it needs to be a touch less than 3.5 inches, so the edges of the film sit in the flange part. Then insert the cut legs of the reel into your tube sections, and glue it with epoxy. I think the tubes will make it stronger than what I made.

Thanks, Dustin. That sounds like what I had in mind, but have a machine shop do the work instead of me, on a 220 reel to make sure the spiral is long enough. I'll need to wait until I know what the exact width of the filmstrip is to make sure it fits smoothly into both spirals.

I have done two rolls of 122 using the see-saw tray method.

 

As the film is old, it has a lot of curl to it, and until it gets wet, doesn't like to say in a U shape.

 

My grandfather explained the see-saw method to me 50 years ago, but I already had a tank

by then, so didn't need to try until recently.

 

I have a 116 tank, though, to use on my 116 film.

see-saw tray method.

 

Although I haven't done 103 film, I have done 120 and 620 by the see-saw method. It was easier when you could use a red safe light, of course.

The first one I did with Diafine, that being the only developer I had at the time. So four trays instead of three.

 

I put a big space between the developer trays and the stop bath tray, to make it easier to get in the right one,

and reduce any splashing or otherwise that might occur.

 

My first set of darkroom supplies came from a thrift store, which included a contact printer

and the red brownie safelight. This was when the brownie came with yellow and green filters.

 

A few years ago, I developed a roll of V116, but by then had a tank for it, and used that,

so no red safelight needed. (Way too fogged to see anything.)