Bulk Loading Film

[Allen Gilman]

How many of you bulk load film here? Pluses? Minuses? What exactly would I need to get set up and started? Any advice/comments appreciated - negative ones too.

 

[Goodyear]

Have been for a few months now.

I'm not 100% sure how great the cost savings are, although I'm sure I'm making some saving. For me the main advantage is I can load any length of roll (for some reason, I like to shoot in 18s or 20s).

Bulk loader (cheap off eBay), changing bag for putting the bulk roll into the loader, your long roll of your chosen emulsion, and some reloadable cassettes.

I wonder about cleanliness, but tbh I haven't noticed my negs from bulk load being any dirtier than the pre-loaded ones.

But there's plenty of people here with more experience than I.

 

[Allen Gilman]

Mark, why 18's or 20's? What's that about?

 

[BJ Bignell]

The only thing that bothers me about it is the fact that it's easy for the end of the roll to be exposed when loading, so your "one last shot" is often lost.

This topic has been dicsussed a few times already. Try searching for "bulk loading", you'll find a bunch of past experiences.

 

[oftheherd]

Mark, why 18's or 20's? What's that about?

I don't know about 18's, but does anybody remember when 20 and 36 were the two normal exposure lengths? In 1976 when returning from Korea, I bought a couple of 24 exposure rolls in Japan. The local photo store and their lab were astonished at that length.

I haven't rolled my own in over 20 years. I used to do it a lot. Especially for b/w. I found it to be convenient and it saved money. I was able to get empty canisters from the local Army craft shops. Fujifilm, at least then, did not crimp the canisters.

But all you need is a bulk loader which you should be able to get from eb*y (buyer beware), film canisters which you may have to buy also, but should be reusable many times, some bulk film, and a dark place to load them. You need to take reasonable care to keep the bulk loaders and canister felt traps clean, but that should be your only problem. You will quickly learn to cut a tapered leader for the film.

 

[Allen Gilman]

Thanks for the info so far guys. Not sure if I'm gonna do it yet. I've already got tons of film stocked in the fridge waiting to be souped (from as early as February from this year). So I don't get giggly over messing with film in a changing bag. Mmm...maybe after a beer tho.

 

[sockeyed]

I've got three bulk rollers going - with APX 100, HP4 (expired 10 years ago but still OK) and Tri-X. I love rolling my own because of the cost and flexibility. The only drawback I have is the one the BJ mentioned - losing the last frame on a roll. It seems a good excuse not to shoot until the very end.

 

[XAos]

Go ahead and shoot it, only if I'm starting something new, or I know it's important will I skip it because I think I'm near the end. The number of pulitzer prize winning shots that I lost because of the end of the roll are nill, and sometimes the "torn" look to the last frame before the exposed portion appears is a neat effect.