mervynyan
Mervyn Yan
Why stay with metal reel if it doesn't work for you? Get a plastice reel, once snap on, keep turning the roll you are done. It will take maybe 10ml more solutions but I never have problem.
Need metal reel technique help
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semrich
Well-known
Another vote for Hewes reels both 135 and 120.
zauhar
Veteran
I will say again that the Samigon reels are miles above the Paterson. So long as they are completely dry, I have no issues getting the film loaded. With the Paterson, I have gotten to the point that I can always get the film on, but usually with a little struggle.
Don't know the make of my one steel reel (I took over a fellow's dark room equipment to get started), but it has two lousy prongs to engage the film sprocket, they are a little too big and almost impossible, even with the lights on.
Randy
sepiareverb
genius and moron
Metal reels, once mastered and properly cared for are vastly superior to plastic. They can be loaded when wet and wet film can be loaded onto a reel should that be needed (ever drop a film as it comes out of the photoflo?) I recently had to use a plastic reel as I had no 127 metal reels. An exercise in frustration.
Hewes 35 reels are certainly the best, well worth the extra price as they are far more reliable to load. The teeth insure the film is on correctly from the start, the main problem one has with metal reels. I've never used the clip with the standard metal reels (Nikkor/Kinderman/Samigon) but rather have let the clip be a means of locating where the film should go into the center of the reel. The space just outboard from the clip is where I always inserted the film.
Then all it takes is a slight pressure on the film between thumb and a finger to keep the film slightly cupped (like is is when dry- shiny side up), and the index finger of the hand holding the reel to hold the loaded film in place while the reel is turned. Sounds more complicated than it is.
There is a good video on YouTube about loading a Hewes reel.
The only thing to worry about with metal reels is keeping them true, so no dropping them. They are a precision piece of equipment, and the cheaper the metal reel the more reliably one has problems with it.
Hewes 35 reels are certainly the best, well worth the extra price as they are far more reliable to load. The teeth insure the film is on correctly from the start, the main problem one has with metal reels. I've never used the clip with the standard metal reels (Nikkor/Kinderman/Samigon) but rather have let the clip be a means of locating where the film should go into the center of the reel. The space just outboard from the clip is where I always inserted the film.
Then all it takes is a slight pressure on the film between thumb and a finger to keep the film slightly cupped (like is is when dry- shiny side up), and the index finger of the hand holding the reel to hold the loaded film in place while the reel is turned. Sounds more complicated than it is.
There is a good video on YouTube about loading a Hewes reel.
The only thing to worry about with metal reels is keeping them true, so no dropping them. They are a precision piece of equipment, and the cheaper the metal reel the more reliably one has problems with it.