Loading film onto reels

[sumo_kun]

Hi, I have only developed one roll of film in my life and I sort of found a

shortcut to load 135 film onto a stainless reel... I think.

 

I have read in most guides on the net that you put all the pieces in the

changing bag seperately and load from there, fumbling in the dark trying to get

the film sprocket holes to hook onto the reel. Well, I tried this approach

first believing it was the only way and it ended up being a complete mess... I

ripped a few of the holes and I nearly had a heart attack thinking I destroyed

the roll. So I wound up the film and then took it out of the bag and thought to

myself, if I can load it in a camera in daylight, then why not load the first

part of the film onto the reel in daylight too? So I cleaned up my mess on the

end of the roll and then I hooked it on nicely and put everything back in the

bag for the winding process. Long story short, it all worked smoothly and I got

a decent first roll!

 

So, my advice is to load the film onto the hooks in daylight (use a film

retriever to get the leader out) and then use the darkroom/changing bag to wind

the film on.

 

I have never read about this being done so I thought I'd share it with

everyone. If this is already common knowledge then please excuse me!

[j. salty]

My SS Nikkor reels don't have clips, just a slot and they work fine..... :)

[mikeseb]

Just goes to show you--whatever works, works. You run some risk of scratching the film if

you're dragging it past the felt-covered slot in the cassette as you wind it onto your film reel.

 

I'm lazier than you--I've always used either Paterson or Jobo plastic reels (heresy!) so I don't

have to worry about hooks! :)

[carbon_dragon]

The stainless reels are harder to use than the plastic ones, but they tend to work when wet (which the plastic ones don't) and you can have smaller tanks to use less chemicals.

 

I find that the clip isn't really the problem. It's the winding initially so that it starts feeding not in ever wider tracks instead of ending up with multiple loops in the same track. I sacrificed a roll of film and when I'm about to use it, I practice with the sacrificed roll in daylight while watching TV again and again till I can do it by muscle memory.

 

Or you can skip all that and just use the plastic reels. You just (in the dark) feed the leader to the outside lips of the reel and then rock the two sides of the reel back and forth to feed the film deeper and deeper in the reel. I find after the reels get old, it gets hard to load a 36 exposure roll in, but that generally only happens after a couple of years of use.

 

Lots of people learned with the stainless steel like you're doing, but it's something of a rite of passage because it takes a lot of practice for most people.

[randall ellis]

My experience is the opposite of the previous post. I prefer stainless reels to plastic, which I find too fiddly to use. Chuk, just remember that if you do any 120, don't use your method as there is no leader on a 120 roll.

 

Also, many more modern cameras will allow you to leave the leader out when rewinding. Check the manual for that option if the camera does the rewind itself. If you rewind, stop winding when you hear the film disengage from the take up spool. It will sound like a faint *snap*.

 

- Randy

[leicaglow]

I like stainless reels too. Also, most SS tanks use less chemistry than plastic tanks and may be a bit more economical. Buy a 36 exposure roll you can trash, and just practice. In time it gets easier

[sumo_kun]

I started with SS reels because I thought they were a lot simpler both in design and operation. I'm not really too hot on automation since I find that most of the time it takes just as long learning how to use it as it does practicing doing it the old fashioned way.

I wound a small part of the film on to the reel to get started before putting it into the changing bag and it turned out fine. You lose frame 00and half of frame 0 from fogging but I guess that's normal anyway!

 

I was thinking about 120 film and reading the instructions that came with my reel, it seems like you need to clip the end into the center of the reel? This seems maybe a little harder than 135. I use 120 a lot so I guess I just need to sacrifice a roll and practice! Or try with a Holga roll first!

[j. salty]

I'm sure it's recommended clipping the 120 film to the SS reel, but it was too much of a hassle trying to do it in a change bag so I started loading the 120 reel much like I do with the 35mm, just ignoring the clip and putting the end of the film in a slot and winding it.

[User_502260]

The older Nikor SS reels have a space and no clip. For 35mm size film it can be difficult to get the film into the clip if your fingers are too big. I have all types of tanks and reels but I prefer SS. I had 105mm wide Kodak Imagelink microfilm cut down to 120 size by Film For Classics. The base is so thin I can't load it into SS or Paterson type reels. The answer? A film apron/tank combination fron Freestyle. The Hewes type 35mm reels are a good compromise between the clip and the empty space of the early Nikor reels.

[golden]

I use a stainless reel, kinderman. it has a slot then almost like a sharp pin that holds it in place as you wind it on. I have a plastic reel too, but that tank that holds it can not be inverted, I have much better results with my stainless tank and reel.

[marshall1]

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I get excellent results with the old film aprons. I have a couple vintage Kodacraft aprons and just got a couple Arista for about $1.00. 35mm and 120 develops evenly and it's a cinch to load.

 

Actually I wish I could adapt them for 4x5 use too :)

 

-Marshall