Bulk rolling

Bulk rolling

  • Lloyds

    Votes: 7 20.6%

  • Watson

    Votes: 27 79.4%
  • Total voters
    34
S

shaaktiman

Guest
I just found a great older Lloyd roller for $10 on the bay to compliment my newer plastic Watson. (Ebay is really the place to get all those expensive-when-new but cheaper-than-cheap-when-used accessories.)

I am sorta new to bulk rolling and wanted to absorb any advice or preferences anyone has. What wins here? Lloyd's or Watson?

Also, I'm curious if you prefer metal or plastic cassettes and how many times you reuse them before tossing? I throw mine out once they have had 5 rolls run through them but I suspect that will get me into trouble one day.
 
I've got a Lloyd, Alden, Watson and a little German Loader with a name that slips my mind at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I got it here on RFF. I'm partial to the Watson, just because that's the type I started bulk loading with, way, way back in the '70s. The ONLY things that would cause me to have negative preferences would be loaders that aren't light tight or scratch my film. Otherwise, if it loads and locks up tightly, it's fine by me.

By-the-way, if anybody out there has decided that bulk loading is NOT for them:bang: , I'm always ready to provide a good home for the recently dispossessed.:angel:

As far as cassettes, I started off with metal, both the kind you buy for bulk and reusing Ilford cans; the tops popped right off. Since I've taken photography up again, I've a number of plastic cans that came with used loaders. They're ok, but I make sure I put a small bit of tape on the pop off end; just in case...:eek:

Cheers
 
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I bought both plastic and metal cassettes at the time I picked up my used loaders. The only used ones available at the time were Watson, so I got two. I haven't paid much attention to the number of times I re-use cassettes, I haven't seen any scratching or other signs of failure. I also keep them all in a jumble in a drawer, so I don't know how many times any single one is used. I've never had a cap pop off a metal cassette. In fact, once there is film in them, they seem rather secure.
 
I have both and prefer the Lloyd's because it is simpler. I do try to remember to count though, and also tape the door closed. All that clicking and the lever on the watson just gets in the way.

I prefer the pop top metal cassettes and use them till I see some light leaks or the tops get sloppy, This is a lot longer than 5 reloads. I buy them as a group of 10 or so load them as a group and when I think I have trouble replace them as a group. White tape to identify B&W film. Blue tape to identify E6. The tape shows up nicely through the window of my Contax G.
 
I've used only the Watson for about thirty years now and have never worn one out nor encountered any type of problem with one.

Metal cassettes only, and I keep track and discard them after four uses. By doing so I've never had a scratched negative, and they're so cheap, why not toss them after four? With the metal ones - which I buy from freestyle - I've never had a cap pop off. I buy the non-DX coded ones, as none of my 35mm cameras can read a DX code anyway.

Buying film in 100 foot rolls and bulk loading reduces one's cost per roll to about 55 cents US (slightly more or less, depending on what you pay for the film, and how many frames you load into a cassette).

I hope I've answered your questions, although my answers are in terms of what I do and what works for me.

Ted
 
For 35mm film I have been bulk loading for longer than I care to think about; when I use a loader it would be one of my two Watsons: an earlier bakelite one by Burke & James, and a later "common" one. I mainly use old reloadable metal cassettes as films were sold up to the eighties until they switched to non-reloadables; with care they can last for decades as mine are still perfectly useable and light-tight.

The problem with using daylight loader is that the last frame always tend to get half fogged (yes I am a cheapskate!), so lately I have been doing it the old way: cutting film in 1.64m lengths, hand-roll them onto the spoolls and put them into cassettes in total darkness.

Knowing the tremendous mark-up on films here in Australia, it makes sense to me to carry on bulk-loading and I always keep an eye on discounted stocks of 30m rolls. There again, I am mainly a b/w worker, when the job demand colour then there's not much point in reloading, the lab would not return my reloadable cassettes anyway!
 
I have two Watson-style loaders. One is an actual Watson which cost £5, the other is a Restem (Ithink they were later known as Computrol) which cost £3 from a market stall. I use metal cassettes as the plastic ones I can get here always seem to leak a bit around the lip (gives a slight v-shaped fog on the rebate, but annoying). I throw them after about 5 uses. I usually load 35 frames to shoot 30 which contacts on 10x8 paper in the sleeve. I'd do it by hand but my darkroom is a long way from film-safe.
 
I use a Watson bulk loader and empty cassettes from the lab. I use them once and chuck them away. I've never got a scratched negative yet.
 
I recently started doing this and I use a Watson loader with metal cassettes. After I load the cassettes I use black electrical tape around the metal caps so the dont pop off of leak light as a precaution. Ive had no issues yet.
 
I have a Lloyd and a Watson. I prefer the Lloyd. It was my first loader, it's much simpler and doesn't feel like a toy asking to break apart.

I use plastic cassettes.
 
ALDEN bulk loaders are the best in my opinion, built like a tank, easy to use.

Old Watsons may be good, but the new Watson I purchased before I got the Alden simply ... oh how shall I put this diplomatically ... sucked :)

(no experience with Lloyds)

good luck
 
How come Alden isn't in this poll? Lots of people here seem to have them. I have two of them and they are great - pretty old and made of bakelite as far as I can tell. They work really well and cost $10-15 on eBay.
 
re: cassettes ...

I used to buy the plastic cassettes from BH. They were poorly made, albeit cheap.

Now, I just go to my local 1-hour photo place, and ask for their discarded film cartridges, then use masking tape on the tail end to attach the bulk film. Use until the felt looks like it is getting bad, then toss.
 
I do the same as Tom, but I notice that my used canister haul from my local Motophoto is very slightly smaller each time I go.
 
I only use concentrics, Kiev, Contax, F(2), Zorki2-5, Leitz N or M, and Watsons.

Some need a felt doughnut ring, to stop them rattling but none seem to leak.

Just to bait Mark(in L), I got both mine for £2-50 in a shop 'just round the corner' from where he lives...

Noel
 
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Xmas said:
I only use concentrics, Kiev, Contax, F(2), Zorki2-5, Leitz N or M, and Watsons.

Some need a felt doughnut ring, to stop them rattling but none seem to leak.

Just to bait Mark(in L), I got both mine for £2-50 in a shop 'just round the corner' from where he lives...

Noel
Click to expand...

Bait taken, Noel :mad: :p
 
I used to use a Lloyd until it fell out of the refridgerator and cracked - now I use an Arista brand from freestyle and I love it. I also use metal reusable cartridges and have not had any problems (yet) - but they do wear out... and the felt sometimes gets dirty/gritty, so eventually they need to be replaced. It would be nice to have a couple of more bulk rollers so I could have a variety of films. One step at a time, I suppoe.
 
Mark

I live in Malvern.

Lorrells (spelling?) Luton has a cardboard box, when I buy things, I think they top it up. They have other 2nd user darkroom bits. They wanted to sell me a really nice view camera which I could not get into my Mx-5.

Luton is pretty near for you on Sat pm...

There is a 2nd cam shop in Luton not been their for aeons though.

I may make up a cap for the hood, if I did could you try it for clearance? If I make one i can make 2. Dont want to lose the origional. I might buy a lens to go with the hood. The origional cap is positvely locked but that would not stop me from losing it and I've taken to securing things positively which is why I need to make copies (to avoid drilling holes in origionals).

Noel
 
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