Bulk Loading....

[rover]

Ok, loaded my Alden today and a couple cassettes.

There is no way this thing is light tight. 🙄

At least that is the way it seems to me. Heck, I don't believe developing tanks are light tight either. We shall see.

Does anyone else have their doubts?

 

[eric]

When I was assistant, I had to carry 4x5's and 8x10 film to the lab in NYC. Only a few blocks away depending on which lab I go to. The boxes are tripled boxed. Sometimes, I pick up the film and the guy says, it was only doubled boxed (like a box of paper) and film always comes out fine. And these boxes are worn out bowing on the edges. Just goes to show, light won't bend 🙂
I have a couple of Alden loaders, no big seals or anything like that. Just 2 flat surfaces hitting each other.
You are worried about where the cover comes out to put the cassettes in right?

 

[XAos]

Just goes to show, light won't bend 🙂

Ironic coming from someone who's hobby is bending light aint it?

Actually, refraction aside water can "bend" light and it worried me to death when I started loading. I was worried that it would run all the way down the light trap in the tank and expose the bottom end of the reel but I've never seen any evidence of it. I even accidently opened the loading door of my watson with the gate open once. I threw away the first several feet of that roll, and can see one edge seems to have been exposed but I've never had any other problems from it.

It's good to be very cautious, but I've quit worrying about whether I ruined a roll or not after the fact and just process it anyway.

 

[eric]

Ironic coming from someone who's hobby is bending light aint it?
.

Oh yah, good point! Well I guess it won't bend so much if all the sides are black. I can be a superhero! The LightBender!

 

[ray_g]

Rover, as someone has suggested in a previous thread, try loading five frames or so first, and develop the film without exposing to see if there are any light leaks. I tried this on a recently acquired Telesar loader, and found streaking on the 2nd and 3rd frames, probably from the loading process (opening the door). I have since bought a second Alden from ebay and transfered the bulk roll.

 

[rover]

Well, I have light leaks, and I think it is the bulk loader. Starting on the edge, in some cases across the neg, light streaks every 6 frames or so. I am not too confident about the plastic cassettes, but with the spacing being 6 frames I don't see that it could be that. I wonder if I have the roll loaded correctly? This may have to wait until our next coffee Ray then you can show me the right way to do this.

 

[ray_g]

Hmmm, that was a brand new loader wasn't it? I still have to try out my 2nd alden to check for light leaks.