What if I decided to do something stupid and load my own 35mm film from bulk?

[steveyork]

Dear Tim,

You can load your 35mm film from a 400ft bulk roll WITHOUT using a bulk loader. I have followed this YouTube video and loaded many rolls of double-x from a 400ft Bulk film successfully. (That guy's English is far from perfect, but largely understandable.) Give it a try.

I once purchased some 400 feet bulk rolls of Orwo. A significant savings over the 100 feet rolls. What a PIA though, it took me three evenings in a stuffy, dark closet to load up IXMOO cassettes and finish the first bulk roll. Since then I've seen modified Bobinquick loaders where they were enlarged to take a 400 foot roll. For sale somewhere in Asia I believe. With the way film prices are heading, you may see a lot more people bulk loading.

 

[Freakscene]

I once purchased some 400 feet bulk rolls of Orwo. A significant savings over the 100 feet rolls. What a PIA though, it took me three evenings in a stuffy, dark closet to load up IXMOO cassettes and finish the first bulk roll. Since then I've seen modified Bobinquick loaders where they were enlarged to take a 400 foot roll. For sale somewhere in Asia I believe. With the way film prices are heading, you may see a lot more people bulk loading.

There are manual and automated loaders for 400 and 1000’ rolls here: Bulk-loading Supplies

The automated ones are expensive but daylight safe.

 

[steveyork]

There are manual and automated loaders for 400 and 1000’ rolls here: Bulk-loading Supplies

The automated ones are expensive but daylight safe.

There seems more 400' manual and electric bulk loaders on the market than just a few years ago. That tells you something. Midwest Film Co here in the States is selling a manual one which is similar the one I saw from a few years ago. Maybe I should look into how much Kodak sells their bulk 400 ft. rolls of XX ...

 

[enasniearth]

ive always shot tri-x in b&w

a 100' roll of it gives 17 36 exp rolls $200 / $11.76 a roll from bulk
some people say you get 18 rolls still more per roll cost
$8.99 factory rolled from freestyle
so actually more expensive in bulk load

other films there is quite a bit of savings
rollei 400 infrared for instance
is about $7.66 from bulk vs $13 pre rolled


I don't know why kodak tri-x in bulk is more expensive
ive bulk loaded in the past - back then kodak 100' rolls were a savings

 

[Cascadilla]

I only addressing title here.

Buying bw in individual cassettes is stupid if you intend to expose film for real.

Not as single roll to wear it for months to brag on internet how film shooter you are.

Here in the US it is cheaper to buy Kodak Tri-X in pre loaded 36 exposure cartridges than it is to buy 100' rolls and load it yourself.

 

[Freakscene]

There seems more 400' manual and electric bulk loaders on the market than just a few years ago. That tells you something. Midwest Film Co here in the States is selling a manual one which is similar the one I saw from a few years ago. Maybe I should look into how much Kodak sells their bulk 400 ft. rolls of XX ...

Kodak won’t sell you bulk XX at all anymore unless you are a funded cinematographer with a project.

 

[steveyork]

Here in the US it is cheaper to buy Kodak Tri-X in pre loaded 36 exposure cartridges than it is to buy 100' rolls and load it yourself.

Kodak won’t sell you bulk XX at all anymore unless you are a funded cinematographer with a project.

Do not understand Kodak -- why can't they sell bulk rolls of tri-x and tmax at savings over commercial loads, like most everyone else, and why not market bulk rolls of XX to amateur still photographers? Surely they would make money volume sales.

 

[Freakscene]

Do not understand Kodak -- why can't they sell bulk rolls of tri-x and tmax at savings over commercial loads, like most everyone else, and why not market bulk rolls of XX to amateur still photographers? Surely they would make money volume sales.

The XX sale of cine film I understand - cine film is different and has different qa/qc requirements. They don’t want sales of 400’ rolls of XX decreasing sales of camera film. That seems logical. Tri-X 100’ bulk rolls being more expensive than 20 135-36 rolls . . . that’s just baffling.

 

[Godfrey]

...The darkroom developing time will not be an issue for me. I do all my developing in daylight tanks, the ARS-Imago Lab Box or my 35mm Lomography daylight tank!
I'm just some hobbyist goofball who wishes he could shoot 12 or even 20 exposure rolls again! 😉

It has been many years since I did bulk loading. My major reason to bulk load was that I could create 12-15 shot rolls, as I often find even 20-24 shot rolls too much to use up in a single session. And then I realized that it didn't matter enough to be worth the trouble for the amount of 35mm film I was consuming, so I switched to buying factory-loaded cassettes in enough bulk to get a discount.. If I waste a few frames at the end of the roll, it doesn't matter enough to worry about.

The other reason I would bulk load is to try out interesting films that are only available in bulk, but that fascination is long gone now: I'm more interested in the photos I want to make than in the specifics of a particular film's response curve. So I've reduced my film stocks to factory loaded stuff in slow and fast emulsions, and minimized my processing methodology to the bare-bones minimum. And it works, for me, as I concentrate more on the photographs than on the film and development.

Holiday Lights at Dusk - Santa Clara 2025
Minox 35GT-E + Fuji ACROS 100​

Short rolls is why I now tend to prefer shooting 6x4.5 and 6x6 cm on 120 film cameras. 😀

G

 

[Cascadilla]

It has been many years since I did bulk loading. My major reason to bulk load was that I could create 12-15 shot rolls, as I often find even 20-24 shot rolls too much to use up in a single session. And then I realized that it didn't matter enough to be worth the trouble for the amount of 35mm film I was consuming, so I switched to buying factory-loaded cassettes in enough bulk to get a discount.. If I waste a few frames at the end of the roll, it doesn't matter enough to worry about.

The other reason I would bulk load is to try out interesting films that are only available in bulk, but that fascination is long gone now: I'm more interested in the photos I want to make than in the specifics of a particular film's response curve. So I've reduced my film stocks to factory loaded stuff in slow and fast emulsions, and minimized my processing methodology to the bare-bones minimum. And it works, for me, as I concentrate more on the photographs than on the film and development.

Holiday Lights at Dusk - Santa Clara 2025
Minox 35GT-E + Fuji ACROS 100​

Short rolls is why I now tend to prefer shooting 6x4.5 and 6x6 cm on 120 film cameras. 😀

G

I absolutely agree about keeping the number of different films/developers to a minimum. For me, that was the way to know exactly how a particular film/developer combination performs under different conditions and get the best results possible. The way to get finer grain for me has been to use bigger film--120 and 4x5 when necessary. Usually, though, if the image is interesting enough, grain won't matter except to obsessive photographers.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Here in the US it is cheaper to buy Kodak Tri-X in pre loaded 36 exposure cartridges than it is to buy 100' rolls and load it yourself.

This film is not worth of money anyway.
These days Kentmere does it all 🙂

 

[Tim Murphy]

This film is not worth of money anyway.
These days Kentmere does it all 🙂

Dear Ko.Fe.

I would only buy Kentmere 100 and 400 anyway. It is still considerably less money to use it to load bulk compared to buying individual rolls. 10 rolls of 36 exposure 100 or 400 costs only a few dollars less than the same films in 100-foot rolls, as in $ 79.00 for pre-rolled vs $ 85.00 for 100 feet. I'd really like to stick to 12 to 15 or 18 exposure rolls for my use. If I could still buy 12 exposure rolls, I probably wouldn't consider bulk loading.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

 

[Cascadilla]

This film is not worth of money anyway.
These days Kentmere does it all 🙂

To each his own...

 

[ChrisPlatt]

If I could still buy 12 exposure rolls, I probably wouldn't consider bulk loading.

Same here.
12-exposure rolls are listed but always out of stock at Photo Warehouse.
Today I emailed them to ask if they ever plan to offer them again.

Chris

 

[valdas]

The AP Bobinquick loader is still readily available new too. I’ve never used one, but I’ve heard several people say it’s the best loader out there. But I use a Watson 66B that I got used for $10 and it works just fine.

You can use one loader with multiple film types, you just have to switch reels in the dark.

You should go for it, it really isn’t hard.

I am using this AP model and really love it.

 

[Bolo Kukus]

There's nothing particularly difficult about bulk loading film. I mean, if I can do it, then anybody can.

If you buy a secondhand loader, check it carefully for light leaks. I was caught out on this, and lost most of a bulk roll of Panatomic-X. This was especially painful as it was at the end of the Panatomic-X manufacturing, so late 1980s.

Since then I've bulk loaded all my films in a darkened room. Not quite pitch dark, but very dim light. Call me superstitious, but...

Another wise tip (learned the hard way, again from a bad experience). Check the felts on your cassettes. Ideally, a recycled film cassette should be used only 4-6t imes, but this can get expensive. The generic brand cassettes seem to last longer.

Enjoy the experience. You'll save $$$ on film costs, in this expensive-everything era this can quickly add up to big time savings.

 

[steveyork]

There's nothing particularly difficult about bulk loading film. I mean, if I can do it, then anybody can.

If you buy a secondhand loader, check it carefully for light leaks. I was caught out on this, and lost most of a bulk roll of Panatomic-X. This was especially painful as it was at the end of the Panatomic-X manufacturing, so late 1980s.

Since then I've bulk loaded all my films in a darkened room. Not quite pitch dark, but very dim light. Call me superstitious, but...

Another wise tip (learned the hard way, again from a bad experience). Check the felts on your cassettes. Ideally, a recycled film cassette should be used only 4-6t imes, but this can get expensive. The generic brand cassettes seem to last longer.

Enjoy the experience. You'll save $$$ on film costs, in this expensive-everything era this can quickly add up to big time savings.

With the generic film cassettes, either snap on or screw on, it is a good idea to use a piece of tape to help remove dust and other scratching debris from the felts of the cassettes before each use. I mostly use IXMOO's now, acquired before they got so pricey.

 

[pshinkaw]

I’m 73 and I’ve been bulkloading 35mm film since I was 11 years old. Early on I used my Dad’s Lloyds loader. I bought my own loaders since the 70’s. I have almost one of each kind and brand (7 total). They are inexpensive enough that I can one load one for each kind of film I want to use. I’ve never had scratches from loaders, but I have had scratches from bad cassettes. Good ones are hard to find and very old. Some lessons I've learned:

1. Label everything!

2. If you are using a changing bag, get a big one. Also cover the changing bag with a dark cloth. One pinhole, misaligned zipper, or loose sleeve hole can fog 100 feet or more of film.

3. The Alden type loaders use more film because of the longer path from dark slide to cassette mouth. Still good though, just be aware that the last two exposures on a roll are blacked out.

4. I don’t like plastic reloadable cassettes. I’ve had problems with static attracting dust and dirt. I prefer used metal snap caps. I recently found a sealed case of Ansco 500 slide film on Ebay. It came to about 75 cents a cassette.

5. I don’t like to use non-reusable cassettes by taping film to the stub. The tape joint is too easy to misalign.

 

[kiemchacsu]

Dear Board,

I'm not sure I am asking this question in the proper spot, but I imagine it can be moved if needed.

Suppose I wanted to load my own 35mm film. What will I need to do it?

I know I'll need a film loader to hold a 100ft roll. Currently, it appears that there is only one left that is easily available, and that is the Lloyds bulk film loader. Does anyone use this model? If so, can you post a modest review?

Are there any used bulk loaders that I should consider?

Am I wrong to assume that if I want to shoot 100 and 400 film that easiest way to load would be to have 2 film loaders? Is it even possible to easily keep 2 cans of film and switch them out as needed?

I know I'll need 35mm cassettes. There are both one-time and reusable cassettes available new. Are there any particular brands that you recommend using, or to avoid?

I do have a changing bag, so that part is covered.

What other items or accessories are need to the job properly that I may not be considering?

Thanks in advance.

Tim Murphy

Harrisburg PA 🙂

1/ LLoyds is good, been using it more than 15 years, thoudsands of rolls (disclaimer: I bulk load to resell)
2/ Sure 2 loaders are more convenient
3/ I am lucky enough to have film cassettes from lab, works amazing.
4/ Some reccomends Alden 74, it;s a good one also, better built than the Lloyds but you waste more film on that.