Loading Paterson plastic reels

A few weeks ago I asked a question about why I always had problems when winding my

films onto the reels. The films jammed and jumped out of the outside groove very, very

often, with the resulting crinkles, wasted time and aggravation.

 

Well, I think I found the reason: when winding, I had fallen into the habit of turning

my hands in opposite directions at the same time, instead of first turning the right hand,

and THEN turning the left hand towards it to "close the gap", and start over. Ever since I

started being careful with that, I didn't have one problem. So far.

 

This may seem like a trivial matter and an obvious cliché for experienced people, but I

thought I'd share it for the benefit of those who experience the same problem. Don't give

up the plastic reels yet (as I almost did) just watch those hands.

 

Live and learn.

I've used Paterson reels for twenty years. I fidn it helps to drop your thumbs below the entrance to the reel to flatten the film before it enters the spiral. This way the film doesn't jump out of the ratchet.

Yeah, I lost count on how many times I cursed those plastic reels. At first I had no idea that they had to be drie before use, so much frustration and anger. But you learn over time (and reading here).

 

I had the same problem as Bernard but I figured it out pretty fast, now loading goes like a charm.

I've heard some people remove the ball bearings and simply use their fingers to push the film forward as they're twisting the reels. Perhaps that should help. But making sure that the reels (and especially the bearings) are perfectly dry is absolutely necessary. The ball bearings in particular can retain moisture after the reel has dried.

Thanks for the tips. I've been having problems, too. I'll try twisting one hand at a time and I'll move my thumbs below the gate.

 

Robert

I had a lot of problem this summer I think higrometry was high in my lab . I've tried using an hair dryer to make the reels dry as possible and it works well.