Help Loading the Reel

[sooner]

Hi Folks,

I spent half an hour in a dark closet last night loading a roll of 120 TriX onto my plastic reel, and by the end I was so mad I almost chucked the whole roll. It was very curled and I just couldn't get it to load. It's one of those plastic reels that adjusts for 35mm or 120 film. Can you share any tips for "easy" load reels or techniques to make this easier? The last time my little struggle resulted in some scratched negative, to boot. Thanks. --John

 

[rxmd]

Dry hands and a changing bag.

I hate spooling 120. I try to go on about it slowly, lining up the roll and the spool next to each other and then spooling the backing paper off very slowly layer by layer. When the film begins, I tear off the backing paper; then I cut the corners of the film down two or three millimeters at an angle of 45°. (I always have a pair of scissors in the changing bag.) That makes spooling in the film a lot easier. Then I spool in the film, again quite slowly. Whenever the backing paper gets in the way, I also tear it off. I normally take about two to five minutes for a roll of 120.

What reels do you have? I have Paterson reels which I consider decent for this. I used to have AP reels, a clone of the Paterson, made from a soft plastic that was quite unpleasant to use.

Philipp

 

[pschauss]

Get a good quality stainless reel like a Hewes or Nikor (if you can find a used one). Then sacrifce a roll of 120 and practice with it in the daylight. If you must use a plastic reel, make certain that it is COMPLETELY dry and clean. I have not used a plastic reel for 120, but one suggestion that I have heard is to clip off a small piece of the corners of the leading edge of the film.

 

[titrisol]

I love the besseler/kalt plastic ones that have a big lip to load.
It is a lot easier if you "push" the film with your fingers at the beginning (the 1st 3/4 of a turn)

After that usually no problems..... except for some films with flimsy bases

 

[FallisPhoto]

I think those plastic "easy load" reels are only easy with 35mm. I'll second pschauss and recommend that you get a steel tank and reels for 120. Besides being easier to load (once you have learned how), it will use about 4 ounces less chemistry every time (steel reels and tanks are smaller).

 

[LeicaM3]

Hi Folks,

I spent half an hour in a dark closet last night loading a roll of 120 TriX onto my plastic reel, and by the end I was so mad I almost chucked the whole roll. It was very curled and I just couldn't get it to load. It's one of those plastic reels that adjusts for 35mm or 120 film. Can you share any tips for "easy" load reels or techniques to make this easier? The last time my little struggle resulted in some scratched negative, to boot. Thanks. --John

Get a Hewes or Nikkor steel reel. Plastic is harder, especially when whet or you have sweaty hands inside a moist changing bag 😱

Practice in daylight 10 times, eyes closed 10 times, in changing bag 10 times.
My 8 year old loaded a TriX 120 last night w/o prob on a Hewes (she uses a Yashica 124).

Good Luck.

 

[sooner]

Thanks for the tips. I use a Paterson tank, but not sure about the reel. It does have a lip or opening that is supposedly oversized to help feed the film in, but I just have a hell of a time with 120 film. I will try clipping the corners, but if anything last night I felt like the film was curling away from the edges of the reel meaning I needed wider film, not more narrow. I will also start to look for a used metal reel and tank for the 120. Why is it easier to load a metal reel, by the way?

 

[sauerwald]

When developing by hand, I use steel reels, and yes, 120 is harder to load than 35mm. Patience, and practice are the key. If using steel reels make sure that they are absolutely square - if dropped, especially the cheaper ones, they get tweaked and you will never manage to get the film to load properly.

Most of my film processing is done in a Jobo processor, where I have to use plastic reels. I find that clipping the corners of the leading edge helps, and keeping light pressure with my fingertips on the back of the film (non-emulsion side) while 'cranking' helps.

I believe that spooling film onto a wet plastic reel is about as difficult as juggling potato chips - make sure that the reel is completely dry before attempting to load it.

Sacrifice a roll of film and practice in the light, then practice in the dark, then practice some more.

 

[d_ross]

Hi I havnt read all the posts here, so sorry if this has already been said.

Loading 120 film can be easy, fold the end of the film your about to insert into the reel about a centimeter back from the end making a crease across it, this will make the film end rigid which makes loading really easy.

Hope that makes sense, it really does make it simple.

 

[bob cole]

Helping Load the Reel

Helping Load the Reel

Hi Folks,

I almost chucked the whole roll. It was very curled and I just couldn't get it to load. --John

__________________________________________________________

John, the best suggestion given here is to practice a few times in daylight [with film that's already exposed]...

It's been a long time since I've done it, but my darkroom had a Red Light to see by and I believe that's still the case...Get near the red light -- after you've practiced a few times in daylight-- and if your reel is ok you should be able to load it in a couple of minutes... Remember Robert Burns and the spider...

 

[FallisPhoto]

__________________________________________________________

John, the best suggestion given here is to practice a few times in daylight [with film that's already exposed]...

It's been a long time since I've done it, but my darkroom had a Red Light to see by and I believe that's still the case...Get near the red light -- after you've practiced a few times in daylight-- and if your reel is ok you should be able to load it in a couple of minutes... Remember Robert Burns and the spider...

Wow! That must have been a while ago. Film has to be loaded in total darkness. The red safelight is for making prints only.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Why is it easier to load a metal reel, by the way?

You start at the inside of a steel reel instead of the outside, and the reel is smaller. A tighter curve means less tendency for the film to curl inward and come out of the slots. The plastic reels have those little ball bearings tht grab sprocket holes and this makes it easy to load 35mm, but medium format film doesn't have those and the ball bearings do no good at all. you have to push it in by using a finger on the film as a brake when racheting (to keep the film from backing out of the reel). This can cause problems with some of the flimsier films, like Efke and T-Max, coming out of the track when you press on them. It is just easier for me to lay the film, one turn at a time, in a steel reel because the curve of the film around the coils prevents it from bending longitudinally, as I understand yours was doing.

 

[RandyB]

120 in a plastic reel

120 in a plastic reel

The plastic reels have those little ball bearings tht grab sprocket holes and this makes it easy to load 35mm, but medium format film doesn't have those and the ball bearings do no good at all. you have to push it in by using a finger on the film as a brake when racheting (to keep the film from backing out of the reel).

On the Paterson reels that I use the sprocket holes have nothing to do with the ball bearings catching the film, if you look closely you will see that the channel that the bb is in is actually very slightly wedge shaped, and in each half the direction of the wedge is reversed of the other thereby making an efficient ratcheting loader of the film. The channels and bb's must be clean in order to work properly, scrubbing with a toothbrush and Dawn does wonders. Check yours, if the BB's are stuck it makes loading very difficult. Really curly film is a real pain but nipping the corners helps, you don't have to nip much just 2-3 mm, enough to knock off the sharp corner so it doesn't snag on the cross beam in the spirals. Some Photogs swear by the SS reels, I applaud them but I loathe them for 120, it is just a matter of what you get used to. Plastic reels do have to be dry to load easily. One thing that I have noticed about my oldest reels (35 yrs) is they have shrank a bit, the 120 film is about 2mm wider than the reel, I have to cup the film slightly when pulling it thur past the ball bearings and then I keep my thumbs on the tabs at the sprial inlet as I ratchet in order for the film to stay in the spiral. The Quoted poster is correct about one thing on reels that DON"T have the ball bearings (you have to push it in by using a finger on the film as a brake when racheting (to keep the film from backing out of the reel) In this case, it is a must that the reel be absoutely dry. I have Jobo reels without the BB's that are impossible (at least for me) to load 120 on. As the other posters have said "practice makes perfect". RandyB

 

[sooner]

Thanks for the tips and the explanation about the metal reels, I'm going to start looking for some cheap metal reels on Evay. I'm willing to try a new system rather than face another struggle like last time!

 

[Graham Line]

Wonder if anyone still manufactures the clear plastic ribbons with fluted edges that looked like a piece of dried lasagna noodle?
They were easy -- lay out the ribbon, lay the 120 film (minus paper backing) on it, roll the whole thing up and put it in the tank.
The last newspaper I worked at that did any volume of 120 did it in a deep tank, by inspection . . .

... don't look for cheap metal reels. you'll still be frustrated. Find some Hewes or old Nikors. I avoid used reels because someone has usually dropped them.

 

[LeicaM3]

Wonder if anyone still manufactures the clear plastic ribbons with fluted edges that looked like a piece of dried lasagna noodle?

Sure. Here it is.

Kodak aprons was the name.

 

[Graham Line]

That's the one. Used to come in 120 size as well.

 

[bob cole]

Help Loading the Reel

Wow! That must have been a while ago. Film has to be loaded in total darkness. The red safelight is for making prints only.

Maybe I was mistaken about saying I used a red safelight to load film on the reel but it was at least 50 years ago in Mexico and I was using Kodak Panatomic-25 film to shoot bullfights with an old Leica and an Elmar 3.5...
sorry...

 

[LeicaM3]

That's the one. Used to come in 120 size as well.

Still does. Check their website.

 

[FallisPhoto]

On the Paterson reels that I use the sprocket holes have nothing to do with the ball bearings catching the film, if you look closely you will see that the channel that the bb is in is actually very slightly wedge shaped, and in each half the direction of the wedge is reversed of the other thereby making an efficient ratcheting loader of the film. The channels and bb's must be clean in order to work properly, scrubbing with a toothbrush and Dawn does wonders. Check yours, if the BB's are stuck it makes loading very difficult. Really curly film is a real pain but nipping the corners helps, you don't have to nip much just 2-3 mm, enough to knock off the sharp corner so it doesn't snag on the cross beam in the spirals. Some Photogs swear by the SS reels, I applaud them but I loathe them for 120, it is just a matter of what you get used to. Plastic reels do have to be dry to load easily. One thing that I have noticed about my oldest reels (35 yrs) is they have shrank a bit, the 120 film is about 2mm wider than the reel, I have to cup the film slightly when pulling it thur past the ball bearings and then I keep my thumbs on the tabs at the sprial inlet as I ratchet in order for the film to stay in the spiral. The Quoted poster is correct about one thing on reels that DON"T have the ball bearings (you have to push it in by using a finger on the film as a brake when racheting (to keep the film from backing out of the reel) In this case, it is a must that the reel be absoutely dry. I have Jobo reels without the BB's that are impossible (at least for me) to load 120 on. As the other posters have said "practice makes perfect". RandyB

The wedge-shaped slots are shaped that way so that the bearing can let go of the sprocket holes when you twist the reel the other way. You only want them to catch when the film is being fed into the reel; otherwise they would pull it back out. It has nothing to do with traction due to friction. I'm sorry, but trying to get traction on a ball bearing (bearings are used to reduce friction) just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Seems to me that's just basic physics.