How do I use this tank?

The Nikor 20 frame reels had thicker wire, so were less likely to bend when dropped, than the 36 frame reels that used thinner wire.

Back in my day, the 20x reels were pretty common. All the shops had both 20x and 36x reels. I always wondered WHY would someone buy a 20x reel and be stuck only able to develop 20x rolls. With a 36x reel I can load both 20x and 36x rolls.

Many/most Nikor reels do not have a label, so it can be hard to tell real Nikor reels from copies. Some copies were good, others were just JUNK. If you are looking in a box of misc reels, it can a Nikor reel or a copy. IF it in a Nikor tank, the odds are better that it is a Nikor reel. But after 40+ years things can get mixed up in the used bin, and someone may have put a brand X reel into a Nikor tank.

OUCH $45 for a Hewes SS reel.

I will keep using my 45 year old Nikor reels. They work just fine.

@maddalice as others have said learning to load a stainless steel reel is difficult.

And harder when you are trying to do it from a book or YouTube, vs. having someone next to you to help you.

If you don't develop often, it may be easier to use a plastic tank/reel. The plastic reel is easier to learn to use. But even with the plastic reel, you still NEED to practice.

At my local community college, I was the only one in class to use the SS reel. Everyone else use the plastic tank/reel.

Since you use a changing bag, I hope it is a BIG one, with something to hold it up. The longer your hands are in the bag, the more they sweat, and put moisture vapor in the bag. That moist air getting on the film and plastic reel will make it harder to use, as the film will stick to the damp plastic. That is why the comment about plastic reels need to be DRY to use. The BIGGER the bag, the more air in the bag, so it can absorb more moisture from your hands, giving you more time to load the reel.

I have simply used stainless steel in many applications and it has yet to fail to give good service. Plastic, not so much.

I was tempted by the described ease of use of the ratcheting type but read where they were harder to clean and became sketchy over time.

After reading all this I am glad that I started out and still use Paterson ratcheting plastic reels. One only has to stick the film on the end and ratchet it on. "If it is difficult and takes a lot of practice then it must be better" seems to be the mantra concerning steel reels.

I personally think it is "what works" for the person using it.

Each system has its pros/cons.

I like SS reels, but I also know that it is hard to learn and for some, plastic is the way to go.

Same like a manual transmission car, I can drive one, but I would much rather the simplicity of an automatic, especially in heavy traffic.

Same with shooting a camera in M mode. I do it, but not exclusively, I also use PSA. Which one I use depends on the shoot.

I learned Nikor reels from my grandfather, not long before I inherited most of his darkroom equipment,

and quickly got used to using it. That was about 50 years ago.

More recently, I was using plastic reels for 116 and 127, but gave up when I found SS reels in those sizes.

The plastic 116 tank I have is designed for either outside-in or inside-out loading. There is a (sliding) metal

hook on the inside, such that you can hood the film and wind in the same as a metal reel.

(It goes down to 35mm, but I have enough tanks in other sizes.)

The one size that I have film for, but not reel the size for, is 122, where I have two rolls.

A few years ago, I was trying to load a plastic 127 reel on a warm day in a changing bag.

At first it didn't go in right, so I took the film out and started again. Each time, the humidity

increased in the bag, and it got harder to get in. Mostly I do them at night when it is

cooler, but just that one convinced me to buy a 127 metal reel.

After reading all this I am glad that I started out and still use Paterson ratcheting plastic reels. One only has to stick the film on the end and ratchet it on. "If it is difficult and takes a lot of practice then it must be better" seems to be the mantra concerning steel reels.

I'm sure you're careful with all of the details of using plastic reels and tanks and get good results every time, but many of my students get the first roll to come out perfectly with plastic reels and then the gremlins start--using reels that aren't completely dry, forgetting the tube that makes the tank lightproof, leaving the reel on the upper detente when they are only developing one reel in a two reel tank, etc. In my experience with a lot of students, almost everyone learns the stainless steel reels fairly quickly and then they get good results for the rest of the semester. I spend a lot of time in class before we develop film for the first time working with individual students to make sure that they can load film properly, and they almost always do. It also saves some money on chemistry--11 oz. for a plastic reel for one roll of 35 mm film vs. 8 oz. for stainless steel. Over hundreds of students that adds up.

David Vestal's take on loading metal reels

As for me, it's nothing at all like getting back on the bicycle-- it's more like getting back on the horse after a fall.

Every time I load the thing, I seem to have to learn to do it all over again..:(

Why does fig. 5 seem to indicate emulsion out where 6 and 7 are emulsion in?

Is film to be curved concave or convex to outer reel?

It looks like the film spool is flipped over between 5 and 6.

Why does fig. 5 seem to indicate emulsion out where 6 and 7 are emulsion in?

Is film to be curved concave or convex to outer reel?

Ask David Vestal I guess.

I also suppose that the attaching to the core of the reel is not with the emulsion out except at the first while attaching, then it is bent back.

Can it fit and work inside a plastic tank? Thank you. Alice.

Probably not.

Most plastic tanks depend on a black plastic core, or tube to maintain their light-tightness. The central core is usually too big to fit a stainless reel over.

I really don't see the problem with loading 35mm film onto any reel. The film's small width and high stiffness make it quite difficult to kink. A plastic reel has to be really dirty, damp or just plain badly-designed to be sticky. Early Paterson reels fall into the last category. The later nylon reels are slightly better.

OTOH Jobo reels have never given me much trouble. No stupid trapped ball-bearings, ratchet teeth or other impediment to the film gliding in. You just position a finger into the cutout provided, and prevent the film going in the wrong direction using that finger. Or with your thumbs on the very edge of the film as it enters the spiral.

It's a bit like marching; left, right, left, right, and each 'step' of the thumbs is another half-a-frame loaded.

SS reels likewise have good and bad designs. Sprocket claws in a 35mm reel are the best design. Everything else is crap by comparison. 120 reels can also have a spring clip that seems to have been fitted backwards. Sell such reels on, and stick with ones that work!

P.S. one tip as an afterthought. Always prepare the film for loading. Remove it completely from the cassette and spool, or free it from its backing paper. Any excess weight or encumbrance is going to make loading the reel a lot more difficult.

I use to process my own film when I was 8(!) - but I loaded it a darkroom. I just find it a bit difficult with changing bags. Thank you. Alice.

I didn't start until I was 9!

To continue the discussion, I had the Yankee II tank, which has the above mentioned two thumbs

method for loading. I was 10 when I started with the Nikor tank.

I didn't start until I was 9!

 

To continue the discussion, I had the Yankee II tank, which has the above mentioned two thumbs

method for loading. I was 10 when I started with the Nikor tank.

Yes, I was 8 years old when I first signed up on here(2006!) I was doing photography at school (where I learned to develop film) and was encouraged by my teacher to upload my photos. Alice.

P.S. That's the thing with photography - it puts years on you!

I use to process my own film when I was 8(!) - but I loaded it a darkroom. I just find it a bit difficult with changing bags. Thank you. Alice.

As long as the changing bag has enough room, it really isn't too much different than doing it in a darkroom.

Just do not use anything sharp in a bag, or you could have a hole in the bag.

I use a childrens round tip scissors. But I normally tear the film with my nails, easy once you learn the trick of folding the film first.

And a can opener without a sharp point, to open the film cartridge.

It just takes a bit of practice. Since you did it before, it shouldn't be hard for you.

Or you could get a film leader retriever. Works well except on short roll. I can usually retrieve as low as 15 exposures. Less I dig out my Swiss Army Knife and use the bottle opener attachment.

In high school, the Swiss Army knife was my constant companion. Always had it with me in the darkroom for opening crimped commercial film cartridges, because the bottle openers were constantly missing. Today, I'm not sure what the schools policies are for carrying knives.

In 1936 you could have bought one of these:

Back then it cost about $9 in U.S. currency, and for only 20 times that amount you could have had a Leica IIIa with f/2 Summar, or a 645 Exacta reflex with f/2 Biotar.

I'm pretty sure that you'd also have got fairly patchy development from that tank. And loading it might not have been the relaxed and carefree experience promised by its makers.

(By the way, V. P. sized film stands for 'Vest Pocket' and even I'm not old enough to remember when that was in common use.)

In 1936 you could have bought one of these:

[ATTACH=full]1335363[/ATTACH]

Back then it cost about $9 in U.S. currency, and for only 20 times that amount you could have had a Leica IIIa with f/2 Summar, or a 645 Exacta reflex with f/2 Biotar.

 

I'm pretty sure that you'd also have got fairly patchy development from that tank. And loading it might not have been the relaxed and carefree experience promised by its makers.

 

(By the way, V. P. sized film stands for 'Vest Pocket' and even I'm not old enough to remember when that was in common use.)

I want one.

The Daylight Tank that Really is a Daylight Tank - The Film Photography Project

There are a fair number of daylight loading tanks from some years ago.

I suspect the Kodak one is easier to find.

I remember an article about the Brooks one (see above link) in Popular Science many years ago.

I hadn't thought until now why they recommend monobath for it (also in the same article).

Since the chemistry might get in, and out, of different parts of the roll at different times,

using a monobath avoids the timing problems that would otherwise occur.

It seems to me that Diafine should also work.

For extra nostalgia, maybe this one: 'Model 'B' 2' developing tank by Eastman Kodak Company

The Kodak one looks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/KODAK-DAY-LOAD-BAKALITE-TANK-MAGAZINES/dp/B076PP1YRR

All could be fun at least once.

A bit late, but here are the instructions for the Sommor bulk film loader.....

Two types of Sommor film loaders exist: the oldest one with a rotating wheel on the film cassette holder, which can close and open Leica or Contax cartridges for filling, and a later type without the rotating wheel, which is suitable only for standard (Agfa) cartridge.

The Sommor is a bit difficult to handle because it consists of two separate parts, the bulk film holder and the cartridge holder with a crank which two parts at loading are pressed together. The advantage, however, is that the bulk film holders were sold separately and that meant that you could have several bulk film holders for different types or speeds of film.

The Sommor bulk film loader was already mentioned in 1937 for use with Leica and Contax gear, but it was sold far into the sixties or seventies of the last century. They can be found occasionally on auction sites. The instructions as shown came with a loader for standard cartridges, hence the crossed out sections referring to the "universal" type.

On 3/28/2020 at 4:07 AM, rodeo_joe1 said:

Probably not.

Most plastic tanks depend on a black plastic core, or tube to maintain their light-tightness. The central core is usually too big to fit a stainless reel over.

That is for the new plastic tanks.  (That is, newer than I am.)

The older ones used a plastic apron to keep the film from touching.

And then a metal weight disk to keep it from floating.

Then ones I knew were actually Kodak, unlike tanks with reels that I know.

In high school, I had one of those for 116, when I didn't have a 116 tank.

(I now have both plastic reel and metal reel for 116.)

And, finally after wondering for many years, now have a real Nikor 122 tank and reel.

It even has the loading guide.