IXMOO - best bulk film daylight loader ?

[mcfingon]

Now there's a radical idea. I have always cut a standard short leader when loading bulk film from habit. My unmodified M2 loads happily without any sort of leader as you say. Never thought of doing that. I haven't got a quick-loader to test. Just make yourself a dummy roll with a short bit of film and try. It seems possible.

 

[mcfingon]

I have always used the short bit of cut off leader to test the fix each time, so I know when that needs replacing.

 

[maddoc]

Thanks for that !! I need to try this, the only easy way to handle 400ft canisters I guess.

State of the art:

sommor1 by Jean-Yves, on Flickr

Sommor loader with bodged 400' 35mm film magazine. Easy to make, easy to use, minimal film wastage, and no need for a changing bag. Works with IXMOO, Shirley Wellard Universal, and normal reloadable cassettes.

The Sommor has a proper film magazine but that holds only about 30' of film.

 

[ChrisLivsey]

Regarding cutting leaders - do you feel it is really necessary to cut leaders at all?

No leaders for M2/Bessa/ Nikon rangefinders but yes for the Barnacks, Using the long leader of the ABLON adds to the pleasure of using those as they were meant to be.

 

[Fraser]

All my film is 400ft rolls so like Tom I don't use a loader just out-stretched arms method in the dark that is always about a 36exp!

 

[menos]

Guys, I have now everything lined up nicely - cleaned a handful of IXMOOs, checked out the ABLON and tried that tongue cutting and securing in the IXMOO, an Alden 74 bulk loader is in the mail on it's way to Shanghai, …

The only thing I am missing now is … film.
Bulk film from the sources here in China costs me the same as buying ready to use cassettes of the same stock.

Is it safe to ship 30ft rolls of TX400 or HP5+ (which I intend to push up to ISO1600 and develop in D-76) by international parcel or will the x-ray scanners ruin that film on it's way to me?

 

[mcfingon]

I've ordered film (Delta 100) from the US to be delivered to Australia and been unable to detect any fog. I believe it would take a number of passes before any fog was seen. There was a thread on this topic in RFF some time ago for people taking films when traveling. I think you'll be fine with unexpired and unexposed film and only a couple of passes through scanners as you'd expect in US and Aus. I expect the scanners in China are similar as they probably make the scanner bits anyway...