Spooling Film for Developing

I've been using Hewes reels for 35 and 120 for longer than I care to remember with no problems at all. Other reels that I have used have had occasional problems--the otherwise excellent Kindermann reels sometimes caused me to donate blood with their sharp pointed method for starting the film on the reel.

I have used the Paterson reels for 40+ years and only remember messing up one roll of film. I never really "got" the stainless reels but that video makes it look really easy.

On the 35 film I simply held the cartridge between pinky and heel of thumb allowing film to glide between index and thumb to put a slight lengthwise bow along it so it easily fits in the spool.

Works easily by feel in the bag and keeps things compact.

Didn’t seem to need corners cut but that sounds like a good idea.

Here's a thread with pros and cons for various reels

 

Loading film onto a reel?

Film curls the same way, toward the emulsion, regardless of which end you load first. It's a losing battle to load against the curl.

 

The real difference is between plastic reels, loaded from the outside in, and metal reels loaded from the inside out. The first is equivalent to pushing a rope and keeping it straight, the latter to pulling it. That said, I load starting with the taped end, because there is much more space between the front end and the first frame, in case you run out of space on the reel and have to cut it.

 

I also have a plastic reel that can load from the inside out, or outside in. It has a sharp metal spike near the center, you poke through the film, and then spool the usual inside out way. I mostly used that for 116. (It is old enough to go up to 116 size.) But now I have a Nikor 116 reel.

 

For metal reels, I start with the taped end, but don't cut off the other end, even if it goes outside the reel. It doesn't bother it much to stick out, at least less than one turn around.

 

But yes, my first tank 51 years ago. was a Yankee II with plastic reel. I don't have that one, but I have another Yankee II, bought from eBay for a low price.

I got that to do 110 film, as no other tank I have goes down to 16mm. (Interesting, from years before 110 film was made.)

I have never loaded a reel where the film didn't fit? 120, 220 or 36exp 35mm . . .

On the 35 film I simply held the cartridge between pinky and heel of thumb allowing film to glide between index and thumb to put a slight lengthwise bow along it so it easily fits in the spool.

You can actually roll the reel to load holding as you do if you have a surface that provides a little friction. Flashed me back to a dark closet in rural Wisconsin a long time ago!

The reel advantage (sorry, couldn't resist) of stainless is throughput. You can dry it with heat in a short time, and even when slightly damp it loads just as easily.

 

Plastic is fine if you've got a week to let it get bone dry - otherwise....

 

Plus it quickly gets sticky with the humid atmosphere in a changing-bag on a hot day. The sweat from one's hands is sufficient to significantly increase the friction of the film surface.

 

I do use Jobo plastic reels for C-41 processing in a rotary processor that won't accept stainless tanks. It's the only time I have any frustration trying to push that rope (good analogy Ed) into a thin plastic channel.

I have never loaded a reel where the film didn't fit? 120, 220 or 36exp 35mm . . .

 

36 exposure with the tongue still on usually sticks out a little.

 

But I might have hand spooled some that were more than 36.

These plastic reels are really simple to load without much practice. The downside is that over time, it gets to the point where it's hard to roll a 36 exposure roll into them for some reason. Also they don't work well when wet which means you can't really do more rolls in succession. Hence the 2 roll capability. The metal reels don't have either of those issues. BUT you have to train on these (usually with a sacrificed bad roll of film) over and over and over. Great when you're skilled, not so great otherwise while trying it in a changing bag. The best, but only if you practice. OR you can just use plastic reels. And yes I swapped the names! Oh well, it's the image that counts right?

 

Oh, one more thing. The metal reels use less chemical. This can be important if the chemical you're using comes in small packets and doesn't make that much (like the old Technidol). Also note that there IS a sacrifice roll in the metal reel because if I ever use it again, I'll need a lot of practice before I try to do it blind inside a changing bag. I'm getting chills even thinking about it.

 

 

The downside is that over time, it gets to the point where it's hard to roll a 36 exposure roll into them for some reason.

The plastic becomes crazed from continual exposure to basic and acidic chemicals, probably not so much from wear.

A squirt or rub of silicone furniture polish on plastic reels eases the stickiness for a couple of loads.

 

However, I've only had to resort to this on Paterson reels. Jobo's large diameter plastic reels are reasonably frictionless. The smaller ones are OK if bone dry, but Paterson reels IME are very haphazard in whether they'll stick or not. The water-tightness of Paterson tanks ain't that great either.

The water-tightness of Paterson tanks ain't that great either.

 

I think Paterson knew it too. I have three lid seals, two soft and one hard. The hard one leaks, while the soft ones seal well but only if tightened adequately to be certain

 

As stated before, I've had no trouble with plastic Paterson reels, I suppose it's because I wash, soak, and wash again, and never feed a film in unless the reel is perfectly dry

I've never had a problem with the Paterson flexible lid; you just have to 'burp' it likeTupperware as you fit it. I live with a small amount of leakage with all my stainless tanks; I put a wide rubber band round the seam, and that keeps it to a tolerable minimum. I gave up using the Paterson tank before it had a chance to get old though, because of the bloody-minded spirals.

I seem to have these in two different white plastics. I think they're both real Paterson, but I can't be sure. I'm pretty sure one of the materials is polystyrene, with a matt white finish, and the other looks like polyethylene, a tiny bit more translucent and glossy. I don't think either was noticeably better for loading. In my case the humidity in the loading bag was probably a big factor.

 

I do miss how quick the Paterson tank is to fill and empty. That big funnel is great. You can get steel spirals to fit the Paterson centre reel.

 

I once set fire to a Paterson tank: I put it down on the stove top, by a gas ring I forgot was lit.

I tend to swish the whole tank in a circle and then use the stir stick with the plastic tanks without inverting. I was told to invert initially but I didn't have a problem with bad coverage of the film. I'm guessing inverting it might cause the leaks if any? I feel the metal reels are superior in all ways EXCEPT the level of skill and practice you need to use them (and maybe dexterity). I bought mine because of the technidol packet sizes. Ultimately I eventually just went back to plastic reels with the Technidol diluted a little more to cover the film. I got advice here on Photo.net that that would probably work and it did. But I would certainly use the metal reels every time if I could do it reliably.

I've never had a problem with the Paterson flexible lid; you just have to 'burp' it

 

The seals I meant are the "gaskets" between the lid and the main case. If you are talking about the "cup" lid for the very top of the tank then yes I've had leaks from those as well but it was only because they weren't pushed down far enough. Once I pushed them right down as far as they could go, they sealed absolutely. Leaks from the gasket seal is what I kept watching for after that

 

My Nebro tank has no such problem, but pouring is slower, it has a smaller filler opening, which is strange because for 70mm film quick pouring is vital

I learned the stainless-steel reel from my grandfather, when I was ten, not long before I inherited it.

 

It didn't take long to get used to it, or to remember after not doing it for some years.

 

On the other hand, a few years ago, I was trying to get a roll of 127 into a Patterson reel.

 

As I was trying harder, and on a warm day, my hands got a little sweaty inside the changing bag.

With just the tiny bit of sweat, inside the airtight bag, the film wouldn't move anymore.

Not that it was an important roll, but in the end it wasn't on right, and some exposures didn't get developed.

(That is, they made contact with other parts of the roll.)

 

That was enough, so when I found a 127 metal reel for a good price, I bought it.

 

Must be even worse in humid areas of the world.

Got it - rough handling though, you can do that in the dark and not spoil the film in any way ?

The last time I checked, that's the only way you can load film without ruining it - in the dark.

 

My hands sweat miserably in a changing bag, even in winter. I use surgical gloves so that I don't leave fingerprints, and the film slides between my fingers when loading a stainless steel reel. I started using steel reels when I was in jr. high school. Those reels (and boxes) are over 60 years old now, and have steel lids and caps (which leak like a screen door). Use 'em over a sink.

 

I've used plastic reels along the way. The best (only) way to see if they're really dry is to try and load film.

The last time I checked, that's the only way you can load film without ruining it - in the dark.

 

The video showed a practice film being loaded, demonstrating how to load from the center of the reel- that's the question I was asking, how it's loaded from the center. The handling of the film seemed rough from the way it took an age to attach the end of the film to the clip, then the film was being pushed down into place as it was being rolled along, starting from the center of the reel. If it appears that rough in room light, how could it be easier or less rough when done in the confines of a change bag ?

 

Paterson reels with the ball bearings that grip the film, the only handling for me at least, is to hold the film by the edges to guide the film just passed the steel balls to get it started, after that I don't touch the film any more until cutting with scissors at the end

Plastic reels get sticky because they don't get cleaned properly. Wet reels cause the reels to be difficult to load because the water wets the film, causes it swell and stick to the sides. The "two roll" limit isn't a real thing because the reels are so cheap and readily available that it's easy to have as many of them as you want. I have about 15 or 20 and a four reel tank, in addition to smaller tanks, by the time I need to reuse a reel, it's dry.

How is film loaded from the center?

 

I don't use the clip or barbs in the center of the reel. They distort the film, making it hard to spool straight, and they're not necessary to hold the film in place once you have a turn or two in place. I feed the film with my left hand, slightly cupping the film to let it slide freely between the coils. To start, I hold the leading end of the film between the first coils of the spool with my right hand, my thumb and middle finger through the center of the spool, keeping the film centered and straight. I then turn the spool with my right hand while feeding the film with my left, cupping it slightly toward the emulsion side but letting it spread where it engages the reel. You can tell by the sound and feel of the film if it is feeding smoothly and not buckling.

 

I keep the (usually) tightly coiled free end of the film out of the way with the little finger of my left hand.

 

If the film buckles, you can easily back up and re-feed it. If the edge gets bent, keeping it straight can be tricky, but usually possible.

 

Plastic is subject to etching/crazing when exposed to high pH solutions (developer), and acidic solutions like fixer. Stop bath has a pH of 4, and has no effect on plastic that I can detect.

The 35mm reel that I have doesn't have a clip, and have never had a problem.

 

I have a 120 reel that does, and that I didn't use one time.

In the end, more of the film wound itself into the center.

It seems like, in that case I should use it.

 

Usually I can feel if the film isn't going in right.

If there is a question about it, I wiggle it a little bit.

If it doesn't wiggle easily, just a little bit, that means it isn't going in right.