Loading Film into Steel Spirals

I did a little googling on photo.net and only found one veg answer,

so I'm asking it now. If there are threads devoted to this question,

please forward me to them for I cannot find them.

 

I started to take the plunge into self-developing B&W negatives. The

plan is to develop the negatives and scan the good pictures. I went

to the local camera store, bought a stainless steel tank (Omega? at

least it starts with an "O"), stainless steel reels (Omega?),

developer, 2 bottles of fixer (I mistakenly bought 2 bottles of fixer

instead of one bottle of fixer and one bottle of stop bath, but I

intend to take the extra bottle back), and a measuring pitcher.

 

When I got home, I excitedly grabbed a roll of Fuji 100 to practice

loading the reels. Everything I've read says to practice, practice,

practice. The problem is I cannot get farther than one rotation

before the film becomes stuck. I try and try, but it's like playing

billiards with a rope. Am I not handling the film right? Should

I, "Just Do It" and make it work?

 

I found a different technique which involves starting from the middle

of the reel and winding outward using touch and feel to load the

film. Will this also work?

 

Once I figure out this film loading, I need to start shoot the film

for development.

 

Thanks in advance.

Tom

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I found a different technique which involves starting from the middle of the reel and winding outward using touch and feel to load the film. Will this also work?</cite>

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This is the only way I've ever heard of loading steel reels, and I've

been doing them for over 25 years. That's what the clip at the

center is for. I know there are some plastic reels that are designed

to be loaded from the outside-in, but with steel reels, start

at the inside.

Yes,I think you were trying to load by pushing the film in from the outside. This will not work!

It's tricky enough doing it from the center out! Actually I think it can become a source of pride being able to load these quickly and easily.

If you REALLY want a challege try loading 220 film onto stainless steel reels without getting bend marks.

You have to load the stainless steel reel from the center out. You will never get it loaded from the outer part of the reel working your way in. Well, at least this is how I load the stainless steel reel. I also use plastic autoload reels. You might try them they are very easy to load.

 

Have a good one !

the key is to slightly bend the film at its edges to let it slide smoothly onto the reel.....

there should be 2 small clips on the either edge of the center hub of the reel, or a clip to attatch the film, once thats done, do the above technique...

Like Grant said, keep the edges bowed slightly to help it go on easier. I've found it also helps to lay the reel flat on the counter after you get it started, and "dial" it on while I bend the edges with the other hand.

I'm pretty new to developing my own and I've only had two mishaps, one my first roll (lost 5-7 frames throughout the roll) and the other my first roll of Ilford Pan F+ (very thick film, I felt, and lost the last three frames).

 

Here's how you do it:

 

Get the film leader out.

 

Get scissors, cut right across the film at the slight crease you will see just inside the leader. Then cut a little triangle off each corner of the edge of the remaining film.

 

Grab the reel with your left hand so that your middle finger can work the clib that is in the center (you should be able to pull the clip down to open it.

 

Have just enough film out of the canister to reach from the clip to 3/4 of an inch or so past the outer edge of the reel. Grab the canister with your right hand, with thumb and forefinger grabbing the edges of the film and bending it slightly. Shove the edge of the film deep in to the clip, making sure that the film is centered between the top and bottom of the reel. (The more symmetrical your triangles were cut off the film, the easier this will be).

 

When the clip has a good hold of the film, turn out the lights. (All the above can be done in daylight)

 

Then, with the reel in your left hand and film held same as before, start slowly turning the reel counter-clockwise as you bend the film coming out of the container. Keep going and going until the film is all the way out (It will seem like this is taking forever until you get the hang of it.)

 

When the film is already out, grab the scissors (which you thought to put in your back posket or some other easily accesible place in the dark before you turned the lights out!), and cut the film as close to the canister as you can get. At this point, you don't need to hold the canister as the film should be set well enough to support the weight of an empty canister. I usually set the scissors so I know the blades are resting on the lip of the canister where the film comes out, then slowly move off the lip and cut the film. If, like me, you always take advantage of the extra fram you can get at the end of a roll, you won't have much room between the lip and your last frame, so be careful.

 

Once the film is cut, make sure the edge of the film is aligned correctly in the reel as all the twisting from changing what your right hand is doing and cutting usually pulls the last two inches or so out of alignment, but just grab the very end of the film and resituate it in the reel.

 

Grab your tank and place the reel in (and your second reel if you are using a two-reel tank), and pop the light-tight cover on.

 

Turn on the lights and wipe the sweat from your brow, your film is properly loaded.

 

FYI, I practiced this over and over again with the same roll of film for a few days while watching TV before I did it for reel (pun intended). I just wouldn't cut the film at the end and would instead roll it back up in the canister, cutting away the starting edge of the film every 2-3 times because the clip really destroys the edge.

 

Have a blast! I have been doing what you plan on doing in scanning my film rather than trditional enlargement, at least until I get the last few items I need for traditional printing, and it has been awesome. VERY rewarding when your negs look sweet and you know you were responsible for everything from the exposure through development...

Oh, and I bend the film with my right hand by using the creases behind the first knuckle on my thumb, and the second knuckle on my index finger. If you use your fingertips, when the film shifts a little, you will lose your grip.

 

Also, if you feel the film edges through the top or bottom of the reel and can move them by pressing on them, roll the film back in to the canister (you can leave it in the clip if you want), turn the lights back on and get settled and start again with the lights out.

 

If you can't puch the film through the stainless steel, your film is properly loaded.

 

Don't forget, while it's dark, you can always roll the film back in to the canister and start over. No need to panic...

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! And here I was trying to load it from the outside in. I was wondering what that center clip was for. I was following the instructions from the Ilford site and assume that plastic and steel reels were loaded the same.

I use plastic reels which are called ULTRA. These have very wide flanges which make loading a breeze compared to Paterson reels. Also I have a couple of NOVA devices which hold the reel and let the 120 or 35mm film come out parallel to the reel. I found these in a shop in Dexter, MI. Otherwise, they might be available in England.

 

Ultra reels were distributed by Besseler for a while but I have not seen them lately. Lucky for me, I have 6 of these untra reels and 2 Nova devices. So I am really fortunate that I stocked up!

 

If anyone see either, you should give them a try!

You wait. Lex will explain it all anyway.

After you get used to loading steel reels, it goes quickly and smoothly. The downside comes when you get a bent reel. Don't drop your reels! It will almost always bend them just enough to make loading either a pain or impossible. Sometimes you will get a new reel that is bent brand-new out of the box. These are usually the lower priced reels but it could happen to any brand.

Not all reels have the clip in the middle.

The original Nikkor reels don't. With these you just insert the film end into the center and stard winding.

Been doing Nikor reels for 45 years. I have a few with clips to hold the film in the center. I can`t make these work. Licky they were free, actually loaned for past 30 years.

 

People says the Hewes are todays best.

the clips...you can forget them. it is easier just to make sure the film is flat and straight at the center. then just wind it on. the only time i ever got crimping in the film was when i used those clips!

hey there...i've just made the jump from plastic to steel reels and won't go back...i can develop 8 rolls with the same amount of chemistry it took me to develop 4!

 

one thing i wish someone told me when i first made the switch is that the reel goes in one direction...so if you're fighting the film every centimeter of the way, flip the reel around and try it the other way...

I learned to load steel reels in 1967 and never bothered with plastic reels (I hated the quirky Patersons that worked sporadically) until a few years ago, a friend of mine forced me to use a loaner Jobo tank and reels. Since that day, I've never gone back to steel reels. The Jobo plastic reels are the easiest reels to load; a genuine "better mousetrap", but the design is the most ingenious I've seen.

yea, the clip ones suck.....the ones with the sprocket latches rule! :P

"The Jobo plastic reels are the easiest reels to load; a genuine "better mousetrap",..."

 

and they take more than one format too

I've never had good experiences with plastic reels. I find that they start binding about 2/3

into the roll.

 

Another tip is to run your thumb along the outside of the metal reel. If you can feel the

edge of the film sticking out, you know you've got a misfeed and you need to unwind

back to that point and rewind.

"hank boneroneo , sep 03, 2004; 04:21 p.m.

 

You wait. Lex will explain it all anyway."

 

==========================================

 

Hah! Nope, not this time, Hank. Everyone else has already done just fine without my usual long-winded posts.

 

All I can suggest is practice with the lights on and practice more with the lights off.

 

Practice the way you'll be loading in the dark - if you'll be standing in the dark, don't practice sitting down, and vice versa. It changes the way everything feels.

While your fingers are crimping the film slightly while loading it into stainless steel reels, occasionally nudge the film back towards the reel several times. If it doesn't freely move backwards and forwards, you've got a misfeed. Simply take out a section of the film, perform the nudge test again, and keep doing that until the film once again freely moves backwards and forwards and then continue loading it. Works flawlessly for me every time!

Wow, great advice for such a simple task. I developed my first reel of film this past weekend. I had a few mis-aligned spots in the reel that didn't develop. I'll have to preform the nudge test Terry suggested. I also only used 300ml of developer that was suggested in the Ilford instructions when my tank required 450ml, so only half of the film was correctly developed.

 

Thanks again for the great advice.