120 reel alternatives?

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thegman

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Hello,
I just lost a protracted battle with a Samigon reel and a roll of Ilford HP5+ (120).

I use Paterson tanks at the moment, and for the time being would like to stick with those, so I'm asking, what are my reel alternatives for 120?

Stainless steel?

Arista film apron?

Any ideas welcome, I'm only dealing with 120, no 220 or 35mm.

At the moment, I'm not looking for advice on how to use a Samigon, other than what sort of hammer to use when destroying it.

Thanks

Garry
 
Aren't they just the same as a Samigon but without the big 'lip', if that's the case, I've got one and had even less luck with it.
 
My experience with the Patterson reels has been to give them a hot soapy wash after
every use or the little balls tend to bind ( I've used old tooth brushes to give them a scrubbing on occasion) Peter
 
The thing is, the Samigon was fine with my sacrificed test roll, I did it a few times in daylight, then a few times with my eyes closed, all seemed well. But in the sweaty confines of the changing bag, it all went pretty wrong. To me those reels seem like a design begging to fail, and would like to investigate all the different options.
 
Are Freestyle's Arista Premium reels the same as the Samigon? I admit I'm all thumbs when it comes to rolling film, but the AP reels with 120 film is simple even for me. I tend to use Hewes reels for 35mm.
 
I've had pretty good luck with the Paterson reels, the little balls do need to be free to move about. But most of the time use stainless steel reels. The 120 reels are much much easier to load than 35mm because the spaces are quite a bit bigger.
 
I also use a changing bag and in the summer time I would sweat in direct proportion to my frustration. I took to putting a small fan in the end of the bag and voila, all was fine with the world, cheap and easy. Peter
 
Moisture is the enemy of plastic reels. I use metal ones instead, much easier to load 120 film in my opinion (and that isn't true about them for 220 film, by the way).
 
Well, I think I definitely need a tent rather than a bag, and it's summer in Australia right now, and it's gets pretty clammy in that bag.

Part of me wants to construct something myself, the short length of a 120 roll should be pretty easy to work with, it's just a matter of making something light tight. Before I go down that road though, I'd like to see if I can solve the problem with an off the shelf item.
 
_lou_ said:
Moisture is the enemy of plastic reels. I use metal ones instead, much easier to load 120 film in my opinion (and that isn't true about them for 220 film, by the way).
Click to expand...

I'm leaning towards giving one a go, which type do you use, and is that in a Paterson tank?
 
In 35 years of using Paterson reels I have lost less than a hand full of film either 35mm or 120...
I'm not that great at loading 35mm on SS reels but better with 120 on SS...
I use a tent style changing bag and that might help ease in the humidity build up on hot days...
I have a hard time understanding all the frustrating times people have with the Paterson reels...keep them clean and make sure they are dry before using them...
I also load two rolls of 120 film on a single reel...
 
I have 35mm and 120 stainless steel reels that work well with Paterson centre column thingies, made by Hewes. I tend to prefer my Kindermann tanks though, with regular Hewes reels.
 
Paterson reels are an irrefutable proof that God shoots digital.

I've found Hewes reels to be easy to use (though for 120 in particular, pretty much any steel reel will do), and standard steel tanks with a fast-filling lid much easier and leak-free to invert than the Paterson jobbies.
 
+1 about moisture and Patterson reels. They're all I've ever used and I have no problems with them as long as they're dry. A few times I've had to pull the stuck film out and start again, but I've never lost a roll yet. In sticky summer heat I always load under the aircon. I use an extra large change bag.
 
Try loading the 120 reels at night (completely dark and cooler) in the open rather than the changing bag. I also dry those reels in the oven at a low temp (after cleaning) to keep moisture from building up.

I have NEVER successfully loaded a 120 film on a Paterson reel.
 
I also use a handheld hair dryer for about 30 seconds on the plastic Arista Premium reels and my hands to get rid of any moisture, prior to starting. This seems to facilitate film loading in a changing bag. I can load 35mm film easily into Paterson reels, but for some reason, I cannot do as well with 120 film, so have switched to the Arista Premium reels for 120.
 
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