Bulk loading - overfilled 35mm cassettes?

[a._valerio]

So my bulk loader got messed up, and I found out that a bunch of rolls got

loaded with waaaay too many frames. The way I found out, was to run the film

through the camera with the lens cap on.

 

Now, I've got rolls with 41, 45, 47, and in at least one case, even 48+

(possibly more) frames. They seem to fit onto the take-up spool in the camera

just barely. In a camera with a metal rewind shaft, I'm not too concerned

about the extra tension. I'm sort of worried about scratches, and I'm not sure

how I'm going to fit the rolls onto my Patterson plastic reels. Someone

mentioned letting several frames hang off the reel (the purists will cringe at

this).

 

So I'm wondering if I can get away with using the shorter of these rolls (45

usable frames or 51 counting the front leader ad the last two blank frames

that were exposed to light while taping in the loader.

 

There was a thread the other day about doing this intentionally by an

underwater photographer who wanted to avoid having to resurface to change

film. But in this case, the counter of my loader has become highly inaccurate

and at least a bit erratic. If it matters, it's an Alden model 74.

[michaelging]

I just always counted clicks as I loaded. Too many exposures might have a tendency to scratch the film as it is compressed against each other, but I do not think it will be a problem. If you are loading them on reels and developing them yourself, just divide them in half.

[a._valerio]

30 clicks on the lodaer gave between 40 and 46 usable frames on the rolls I did.

[ted_wellendorf]

My Patterson reels hold 43 frames. I load that many as you loose about 6 frames per cassette for the leader and trailer. 43 frames gives the least waste per bulk roll for me.

[craig_shearman1]

Something's messed up on your loader. On any loader I ever used one click equaled one frame. But I believe it was also one turn equaled one click, so you could simply count turns going forward if that's the case. With the rolls you have, to start with, don't shoot more than 36 frames on them. Stop at that point and rewind, ignoring the extra frames. Then when you go into the darkroom, load the reel and cut off whatever doesn't fit. Since the first frames are on the outside of the rewound spool, what you're loading onto the reel is what you've shot. The unshot frames at the end of the roll end up on the outside of the reel you're loading, so what you're cutting off is the blank frames.

[James G. Dainis]

<I>"The way I found out, was to run the film through the camera with the lens cap on."</I><P>

 

So you have unexposed films of from 41 to 48 frames. The leaders are still sticking out of the casettes so why not just cut off the excess before loading the film into the camera?

[a._valerio]

I suppose I could trim a foot or so off of each roll. But by the time I do that On all of them, I will probably have wasted 10 feet of film...the equivalent of several rolls.