Cleaning Plastic Reels

[kully]

Hallo,

My plastic reels are getting rather gunky, I can feel more resistance when loading thicker based films.

I was wondering what I might do to clean them, I've tried soaking them in Fairy - it didn't do much...

I normally put them straight on the top of the radiator after use to dry them as quickly as possible, so they're not left wet for long.

Cheers,
kully

 

[MartinP]

Every couple of months, I soak mine in warm water for half an hour then scrub them with a nail brush (one that is reserved for reels, of course).

Previously I also used an equipment-cleaner product, but I haven't seen any of that around for years. Perhaps an acidic cleaner, such as stop-bath, would be better than the alkaline washing-up liquid. (Remembering that you can wear rubber gloves during the scrubbing of course).

It is possible that the 'stickiness' is caused by wetting agent remnants, so I always try to rinse the reels very well - plus taking the precaution of using only the newest reels for 120
🙂

 

[MichaelM7]

How many films have you approximately put through them?
I used mine for 50+ and did not have a problem. I normally rinse them with very hot water after use and let them drie at the air. From time to time I have to move the small balls with a screwdriver, but then thats it.

 

[Murray Kelly]

In the olden days (!) i was known to use the shoe brush with whatever wax was on it to give the spiral a bit of a scrub when dismantled so as to let the film run in more freely.

Being insoluble it never affected the process.

Murray

 

[jan normandale]

I was taught to always wash the entire "developing kit" in mild soapy water immediately after I finished. The reels and tank I use were given to me by the previous owner who had followed that regimine for 10 years with that set of reels and tank.

I'd suggest taking the spools apart and then giving them a detergent soak and wash. Then rinse in clear water , finally take the spools and shake all excess water off the spool and leave to dry in a rack.

Try it a couple of times and you should probably get the residue off and the spools working for you again.

Good luck

 

[Roger Hicks]

Much like Martin, except that I use an old (out -of-commission) toothbrush.

I also take my films off plastic and put them on stainless before dropping them in wetting solution before drying. I don't know if this is a good idea or a meaningless ritual picked up from more 'knowledgeable' photographers, but it's little enough hassle that I don't really care.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Desert Shooter]

I have finally deduced that it is the photo flo residue drying on the reels that causes them to become difficult to load. After a normal developing cycle including photo flo, and the film is humg to dry, I use a nail brush under running water to scrub the disassembled reel and them put it into the dish washer to be washed along with the next batch of dishes. Doing it this was makes the plastic reels load as if new. If you need the reels before the next dishwasher cycle, just dry them, they'll still load easily.

 

[nikon_sam]

I develop, stop, fix, rinse and photo-flo with the film on the reels...when I'm done I rinse all parts with hot water (sometimes use a soft brush to clean off) after that I dry the whole kit with a towel, reassemble the tank but leave the top off but resting upside down on the tank...I will leave this for at least a day before using again (I have other tanks if needed)
This is the way I've done it for the last 30 years...

 

[kully]

Micheal M7, this is only 20-25 rolls per month for about 18-19 months.

Thanks for all the responses, it does seem as though it probably is the wetting agent. During an idle moment this morning I managed to clean one of the reels with my bosun's knife of a thumbnail, but it's too time-consuming for each of them.

I'll try it with a toothbrush this evening, I can't try the dishwasher - I am the dishwasher 🙂

 

[charjohncarter]

I wish you wouldn't bring up this kind of stuff. Now, I have something else to worry about.

 

[BigSteveG]

Dish soap and warm water do the trick for me.

 

[kaiyen]

I actualyl put mine in the dishwasher every 6 months or so...

 

[rlouzan]

To get rid of gunk:

Every now and then leave "your plastic tank and film reals" overnight in a household bleach solution.

1 part bleach + 1 part water

 

[richiedcruz]

The only thing I do is let the reels soak overnight, before rinsing them off and letting them air dry.

 

[williams473]

I seperate the reels to take off the processed film, and then throw the halves back into into the tank. I dump the photoflo (or whatever wetting agent) and I just flush the tank for a good minute with hot running water, I've been using the same reels for years with no problems, so I figure water is pretty much the simplest and most effective way to clean them, but the key is doing it right after processing. I also do this for all my graduates and anything used to measure or mix chemistry, and the plastic on these looks fine.

I have used reels that I received from other people or found at yard sales that have had a history of not being cleaned, and I usually can't get them clean no matter what I do. Patterson reels are cheap enough that I treat them like a mafia don treats a rat - one betrayal and it's over - trashed! 🙂