My Experience with Stainless Steel

[Vlad Soare]

Hello everyone,

<br><br>

I recently got fed up with film sticking in my Paterson reels and wanted to try

a stainless steel reel and tank. I ordered the cheapest one from B&H, a no-name

designated as "General Brand": the smallest tank and a 35mm reel, but instead

they sent me a Kalt tank and reel; still no-name, but to a lesser degree :-). <br>

Upon removing the reel from the box I saw that it was crooked. I was very upset,

because I had previously read that if the reel is just a tiny bit bent then

loading the film on it would be impossible. And so it was: I could only load

half of the film, and then it would start slipping and falling back to the

previous track. I didn't give up, though. I straightened the reel as well as I

could, and now everything works fine.<br>

I don't know why so many people are scared by stainless steel reels. They do

indeed require some practice, but once you master the technique, everything

works as easily as with plastic reels. It took me about one hour to learn how to

do it, then I practiced for two more days before daring to try it for real. My

first film developed in the SS tank came out perfectly fine.<br>

So here is what I learned about stainless steel reels, plus a couple of questions:

<br><br>

1. It's true they don't work if they are bent, but on the other hand they are

easy to straighten. Don't get discouraged and throw a dropped reel into the

garbage can; the easier it gets bent, the easier it is to get it straight again.<br>

<br>

2. When you get at the end of the roll, try to determine by feel if the film has

got right up to the last groove, I mean if the reel is actually full up. If you

can feel that the last groove is empty then you've got a misload. This, of

course, only works with 36-exp. film.

<br><br>

3. My feeling is that with SS tanks you cannot wash the film as thoroughly as

you can with a Paterson tank, because you cannot force the water to flow along

the film in a controlled manner, like you can with a Paterson tank and hose.

Will this be a problem? Should I worry about it?

<br><br>

4. I've read that plastic lids tend to crack in time. Is this true? The lid is

made out of soft plastic, which is a little elastic. It doesn't seem to be the

kind of plastic that cracks or breaks. What makes them fail, and what should I

do to ensure mine won't?

<br><br>

Thank you.

[jonathan_walker]

Vlad, there's really nice SS reels and tanks (Omega, Kinderman, etc.) seeling cheaply on eBay. Just make sure they promise the reels are straight before you plunk down your money.

[ronald_moravec1]

Tried all over the years and stainless is best, Nikor brand with the stainless top. buy used only. Some of mine I have had for 45 years.

 

Today I would buy Kindermann.

 

I have 4 General brand ones I used to use for E6 processing with a lift rod in the dark, no lids. They are fine for that.

 

Yea, the tops can split. I grabbed one `cause it was first in line. Dropped the reel in, capped it. When the light went on, I saw the plastic top split split from the center to one edge. Most of the film was fogged.

 

You would not have had trouble with the plastic reels if you kept photoflow or color film stabilizer off them and washed them after each use. Ther is no way to clean them to new state with anything in your home.

 

The Patterson System four provide really nice agitation because of the open space in the top and you can pour in and out in daylight due to the way they fill bottom up.

 

With the stainless, best practice is to drop the loaded film reel into a prefilled tank. Do not pour developer thru the top. Use only enough to cover the reel, probably 8 oz. You want the empty space at the top. Agitation is 5/7 inversions in 5 sec. Don`t listen to those who claim great benefits with slow gentle agitation. The spent developer needs to be removed and agitation is how to do it. Contrast is best controlled by time/temp for most photography.

 

Buy the plastic a new reel and try again if you want. Don`t store the tank with the top stretched on. leave it off and loosely covering it so it is not stretched.

 

Washing is done with a one full reel in a double tank and an empty spacer reel. Fill 1/2 way only. Or use 5 oz in a single tank and invert. dump and refill with clean water. Do 10 inversions, fresh water, repeat with clean water six times. Then your film will be clean. You can always use a lift rod if you can find one or make one from a stainless rod.

 

Good luck

[nickr]

I find that the SS Hewes reels with the two prongs sticking up in the center are the easiest to

use. I buy plastic tops for my SS tanks because I feel that I can pour the chemicals in faster

than through the typical SS top. I don't have a darkroom so I can't fill the tank first and then

dunk the reel into it.

[ronald_moravec1]

You keep the loaded reel in a second tank or other light tight place, paper storage box, while you fill the tank.

[tom_murray2]

When we shot film we used Kinderman tanks. These came with semiautomatic loading jigs and we could train a newbie to load film in under a minute, as opposed to it taking months with handloaded SS reels, depending on the dexterity of the operator.

[peter_schauss1]

I will second the recommendation on the Hewes reels. The trickiest part of loading a stainless reel is getting the film centered and straight. The two prongs on the Hewes reels hook into the sprocket holes on the end of the film and solve both problems.

[hjoseph7]

"When we shot film we used Kinderman tanks."

 

When I first got into photography I tried but never mastered the art of loading film in stainless steel tanks, although I watched others load film in them in lesss than 20 seconds. Actually I never really got the hang of loading SS tanks until I switched to the plastic types. I got sick and tired of ruining entire rolls of film.

 

When I purchased my enlarger a few years ago, it came with 4 SS tanks. 2 MF, 1 MF with 2 reels and 1 35mm. I put them on the shelf for display purposes only.

 

Now I find out that they are Kinderman Tanks. The MF at reelss are really well made, plus there is a clip that you can use to attach the film. Loading MF film is a pain in the neck even with plastic reels so I might give the Kindermans a shot.

[conrad_hoffman]

I'm old fashioned- my tank has a stainless steel top. They tend to bleed a bit, but never crack or leak light. Here's what I've noticed over the years- the majority of complaints about film processing problems (unevenness around sprocket holes, general unevenness, spots) come from people using plastic reels and tanks. Sure, plastic can work fine, and you can still screw up with stainless, but IMO there's a trend that shouldn't be ignored. You can get a stainless tank and reel cleaner, you can dry it faster, and it doesn't pick up a static charge to attract dust. Go Stainless!

[jtk]

Conrad's right. Plastic reels are for wimps.

[pnance]

2. I often use 24 exp. There is about a 1/2" left.

 

3. I use a tube pressed in the middle of the reel to wash, this forces water to the bottom and of course it then washes up through the reels and out of the tank. I usually dump the water every minute or so also.

 

4. They do sell replacement plastic tops for the stainless tanks that use them.

[Vlad Soare]

Thanks, guys.<br>

For the time being I'm pleased with my no-name reel. Now, after a few days' practice, I can load it every time almost as fast as a plastic reel. <br>

What worries me is the uncertainty about the lid. I know they sell replacement lids, but I wouldn't like to replace it on a regular basis. At B&H they have tanks with stainless steel lids. Are these any good? I'm sure they will never crack or go bad in any way, but are they tight enough? Don't they leak? <br>

[Vlad Soare]

Sorry, I hadn't read Conrad's reply very carefully. So SS lids tend to leak... I wouldn't like that. <br>

I guess I'll use my tank as it is, and if the lid ever cracks I'll decide then what to do.<br>

Thanks.

[conrad_hoffman]

I might add that I only develop in a tray of water to prevent the temperature of the tank from changing. Thus, the tank is wet, my hand is wet from agitating it, and those few drops of seepage don't really mean much. I use an old dish pan like restaurants use to gather the dirty dishes, with about 3" of water in the bottom. If you measure the temperature of your developer when it goes into the tank, then when you pour it out, it will have changed far too much on a warm day and from the heat of your hand, to consider not using a water bath.

[rikp]

hi, maybe a bit off topic and stealing this thread, but i just bought a 2 reel kindermann tank for 35mm.

along with it came a film loading device, hand held.

does anyone know if i can find instructions for it somewhere? i've tried 4 films, but it all went crooked/wrong. I have enough film to practice with, but i just want to be sure i'm doing it the right way.

 

thanks very much

Rik

[rustys pics]

I have had a stainless Omega tank with plastic lid or over 20 years. I got it from a friend who probably had it for 10 years before I got it. I have never seen any cracking in the plastic lid. You'll be surprised how long they can last.

 

Some other advantages of the 2 35mm reel stainless steel tanks you may have overlooked:

They use less solution, so are more economical for one shot developers like Rodinal.

You can load the reels while they are damp. Try that with plastic....

They seem to maintain temp more efficiently than plastic.

As noted, they are easy to repair if the reel is dropped.

 

Learning to load them is like riding a bike. Difficult at first, but you never forget. Another way to make sure the film is loaded properly is to run your fingers around the outside of the reel after loading. If you feel the edges of the film sticking out of the sides, then likely you got it bunched up somewhere near there. You should only be able to feel the smooth edges of the stainless spirals if loaded properly.