Tips on Loading 120 rolls onto patterson reels

[usagisakana]

So i developed a 120 roll of acros the other day, the actual developing was easy, but man, I have not been so frustrated in a long time when it came to loading the reels. I am unsure whether it's that my reels are worn (second hand ones, most of them the ball bearings are stuck, but i've been using the one with ball bearings that move freely), or that I am doing it wrong technique wise.. I am loading in a dark bag, and I find usually that about halfway on to the reel the film will stop feeding, and is buckled in some place.. I am doing my best to keep the film level and feeding it on slowly. I cut the corners at the front a little to stop it from sticking.. yet it still jams, which ruined half the negs on the roll from uneven development due to creases. Am I doing something wrong? are my reels worn out? is there an easier way?

any help would be appreciated, and will probably increase my life expectancy!

thanks,
Andrew

 

[Keith]

I wouldn't be cutting the corners at the leading edge for a start ... that in itself could be causing your problem. A square edge will keep the film in the grooves much better than a beveled one as the film travels onto the spiral. Try giving the reel a good scrub with a non abarasive cleaner and soft but firm brush ... I use a product called Gumption ... similar to Jiff but less agressive! I reckon 120 films are hard to load as they seem to come off the spool with a lot of 'snap' to them. Now and then I will strip the backing from the negative and put it in a dry developing tank for an hour or so to de-tension it slightly.

I hate change bags and never came to grips with them ... oh yes ... breathe slowly and regularly! 😛

 

[titrisol]

The only thing I learned was to "pull" the film past the ball-locks to start feeding.
Maybe pull the leader 3/4 to 1 turn and then start with the back-and-forth movement to keep reeling it in

I have only seldom have problems. maybe a $1 Arista sacrifical roll would be worth it

 

[Peter A (NYC)]

Practice with a dud film a few times, in the light and then in the dark.

 

[oftheherd]

Alll good suggestions above.

I haven't used a changing bag for anything in years. But my recollection is that keeping the bag open the way I wanted it gave me just one more thing to worry about. It can be done of course, but is just one more thing to learn. Perhaps trying in a dark room for a while would help.

Believe it or not, I have come to prefer metal reels to plastic ones. Part of that is of course that they dry easier. But I just seem more comfortable with them. Perhaps because they were the first I learned to use.

 

[Bob Michaels]

The only thing I learned was to "pull" the film past the ball-locks to start feeding.
Maybe pull the leader 3/4 to 1 turn and then start with the back-and-forth movement to keep reeling it in

I have only seldom have problems. maybe a $1 Arista sacrifical roll would be worth it

"pulling" film past the balls is also what I do. It works.

I also cut the slightest of bevel on the leading edge of the film. What I cut off is maybe 1-2 mm, no more.

I have some Paterson reels that are only 3-4 years old and I have some ancient stained ones. They all seem to work well.

I frequently load 3 120 reels and put them in a Paterson 5 reel tank inside a changing bag. I just work slowly and consistently and always get done before the humidity inside the bag gets high.

I think the suggestion of loading a sacrificial roll of the film in the daylight is a good one.

 

[oscroft]

You probably already know it, but make sure the reel is absolutely bone dry.

 

[Silva Lining]

All good suggestions above. One other thing I have found is that there is often some 'play' in the two sections of the reel. I have found that keeping the two sections of the reel tightly together help to stop the film slipping off.

I do find 120 film much more fiddly than 135 though...

 

[Sparrow]

I’m not sure I should but I occasionally put mine in the dish-washer, they come out squeaky clean, however I never really had problems loading them before doing that.
This is soft water area do the people with high mineral content water supplies have more problems?

 

[Joao]

You probably already know it, but make sure the reel is absolutely bone dry.

As said in a previous post, the reels must also be very clean. To dry them I use an hair-dryer for one or two minutes on the plastic reels, just before placing them and the film inside the changing bag. Things usually run smoothly then.
And I second the opinion of cuting no more than 2 mm in each corner.
Good luck
Joao

 

[Niall Bell]

The key to this, as stated earlier in thread, is to ensure that the reel is completely dry. Also, pulling film past the ball-bearings helps.

I find that I'm unable to load 120film in a dark-bag without the film jamming. I put this down to the humidity in the bag increasing through the presence of my hands and so providing sufficient moisture to jam the reels.

I can manage to load 120 film perfectly well in the darkroom.

And no, I don't have particularly sweaty hands!

 

[Terao]

You may find things easier with AP reels. Unlike the Patersons they are very easy to start the film on because they have a flat platform in front of the ball-bearing gate so its easy to get the film flat. I also pull the film past the bearings. One thing I have noticed is that sometimes the film can catch on its first circuit around the reel as it passes the loading point - a little downward pressure helps avoid that. Less of an issue with 120 as you don't wind it the wrong way on the takeup spool like some cameras do, meaning the curl is in the right direction.

One other thing I find when loading 120 is that its important to keep the unloaded film slack and don't let the roll get too close to the loading gate. Difficult to explain but I hold the left side of the reel static in my left hand, rock the spindle with the right thumb, and hold the roll of unloaded film on the little finger of my right hand. I like to keep 3-4cm of film loose from the reel and having the unloaded roll on my pinky helps.

 

[usagisakana]

I can get it to feed on fine, i pull it past the ball bearings as others have suggested. it just seems to jam halfway on.. I guess having more space than the cramped dark bag would be good, but in my current situation i have no access to a darkroom.

I just assumed I should cut the corners, as that's what I do with 35mm and it definitely helps with that. I guess the extra flex in MF might make it unnecessary, or at least i won't cut the corners as much as I did. I usually dry the reels with a hairdryer before using them. Guess I'll just keep practicing

 

[williams473]

One other trick I use with 120 (or 220) is to leave the spool taped to the film while you wind it onto the reel. If you move the reel with your right hand, make a sort of slot with your left index and middle fingers, and draw the film onto the reel through these two fingers, applying slight tension. This plus the gravity of the spool keeps everything straight, and my film runs right on every time. When you feel the spool draw up to your two fingers, either pull it or cut it off, and crank the last couple of inches on. This wouldn't work in a changing bag though, because it involves standing up and allowing the film to dangle. I load my film in a bathroom with no windows, at night. Any totally dark room is better than a bag in my opinion.

Anyone else find when you're working in total darkness it's easier to concentrate with your eyes closed? It shouldn't matter but I always close my eyes. Weird huh?😉

 

[shadowfox]

A similar discussion with a link to a very useful video (first post):

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55143

 

[spyder2000]

Maybe this will help:

As you load the reels, pull the two halves apart slightly as you twist them. The detent in the reel is deep enough that you won't casually separate the halves and there willa tad more space between them for the film.

On really thin stock, I leave the tape on the film itself, folding it over to make a much heavier support. In the old paper tape days this was risky due to thickness and film touching but with the plastic tape used now you shouldn't have that issue.