Trouble with film stuck in reel

[bence8810]

Hello,

I have purchased a tank just like the below under a different brand name this past Christmas:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NJEX7E/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1394444928&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

It has worked fine ever since until last week when I had one 135 film getting stuck while reeling onto it inside the darkbag. As I had no choice I ended up forcing the film into it after the 3rd try of unfeeling the film and back. I thought it was a one off problem. Then this weekend I had 2 films to develop and I had both in the bag with 2 reels and both got stuck the same way. Again I forced them in as I couldn't do anything.

The films were Kodak TMAX100 36. It's the first time I used this film however I have used TMAX400 about 4-5 times now. I mainly develop 120 format but I gave done 135 in the past with good success.

I develop in TMAX developer.
I wash everything in warm water after I am done with development. I have no trouble with 120 films.

The total films developed in the tank are 29.

Should I be doing anything different? The way I cut the film perhaps? (Currently straight).
Or the way I wash the gear afterwards?

Or buy a different tank perhaps?

Thanks a lot
Ben

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[ruby.monkey]

Personally I'd suggest that you round-file the tank and reels, and invest in a set of Hewes steel reels and matching tank (the Kindermann unit is good); but if you wish to stick with your current set-up then rinsing the reels thoroughly in hot water and letting them dry completely should help. You could also run the reels through a dishwasher, although I doubt you've used them enough for crud to have built up in them.

 

[Keith]

Scrub the reels thoroughly with a brush being sure to get into the grooves where the film runs. Anything that builds up in there creates this problem in my experience. 🙂

 

[bence8810]

They seem clean to me, if there's anything built up it has got to be see through or white.

Thanks for the suggestions,
Ben

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[Sparrow]

yep, keep em clean and dry ... humidity can be problematic in changing-bags too

 

[blue4130]

It could be the way you cut film. If I cut through a sprocket hole and try to load, then it binds on the ball bearing. Two ways to fix this, cut between sprocket holes or take the ball bearings out of the reels. I took the balls out and have not had this problem since.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

The reels in the picture look like Paterson to me. I've used that style for a very long time and only had trouble when they're not dry, so I always put them in the airing cupboard once I've hung the film up.

 

[Scrambler]

I use the Paterson system - similar design. I have one genuine reel and one off-brand. The off-brand one binds on one side though both can be tough when wet.

I have take to scrubbing after each session of developing, using an old toothbrush in the grooves.

I suspect that some chemicals more than others cause the binding: it's certainly worse for me if I fotoflow.

It's not as bad with 120 because I only have one reel in the tank at a time, allowing the other to dry.

 

[Steve M.]

Are you using photo-flo? It will build up on the reels (you won't see it) and cause this problem, and it happens at about the point of usage that it occurred with you. Take an old, hard bristled toothbrush and use warm water and dish washing soap to really scrub the inside parts of the reels really well. I do this after every roll I develop. One other thing, it's easy to get into bad habits, as I did. When loading the reels w/ film, make sure you aren't accidentally pushing them toward each other w/ your hand. This will cause them to bind. And use just one reel to walk the film in. Don't use both of them. If this doesn't do it, and I'm almost positive that it will, you can buy just the reels. But whatever you do, always use the toothbrush and soapy warm water to thoroughly scrub the reels after every usage.

 

[oftheherd]

Reels when dropped may be slightly out of round. That doesn't sound like your problem since it seems intermitant. It sounds more to me like you aren't loading them properly. When you insert the film and turn the reel, after each time, I always do a slight push/pull, to ensure the film is properly inside the reel wires. If not, I back up and start again. The more you develop film, the less those problems should happen. More practice with a previously developed and uncut roll may help. It did me.

 

[grandallj]

I've sometimes had trouble with this and found that it was alleviated if I cut the film on a bias, which, of course, requires you to have the leader out where you can see it rather than cutting it in the changing bag. It doesn't have to be a long, angled cut, but just enough so that it isn't a sharp corner trying to push through the reel.

 

[_goodtimez]

I had repeated issues with plastic reels and never again when I used stainless steel reels. The stainless steel reels have no moving parts so nothing can go wrong.

 

[mgchan]

For me, I've never had a problem with loading 35mm film onto the Paterson reel, after cutting off the film's leader between the sprocket holes, and not through the sprocket holes. Feel with your finger to make sure you didn't leave a partial film sprocket. If you did, just re-cut across that corner until it's smooth. Even just a tiny bit of partial film sprocket left can jam the loading of the film.

 

[bence8810]

I've just successfully loaded two 135 cassettes into my two reels. While it didn't go exactly as smooth as the 120 would, I had no trouble getting them on.

See the below, this is what I used as per one of the posts above.

Cheers,
Ben





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[photo_fred]

Yes, round your corners on your film. I've always used Patterson reels and tanks when developing film and never had a problem. When used properly, it's one of the easiest ways to load film.They're pretty well self loading as long as you have no edges to catch the bearings.

 

[MrFujicaman]

Okay, I've owned Paterson tanks & reels since 1975. You must cut the film off between the sprocket holes-if you don't it WILL jam ! It also helps to cut the corners of the film at a 45 degree angle when you cut the leader off.

The reel must be bone dry-one drop of water and they jam.

I've found that they need to be scrubbed with Dawn dish soap and tooth brush every so often. For some reason Dawn seems to work best.

 

[bence8810]

Okay, I've owned Paterson tanks & reels since 1975. You must cut the film off between the sprocket holes-if you don't it WILL jam ! It also helps to cut the corners of the film at a 45 degree angle when you cut the leader off. The reel must be bone dry-one drop of water and they jam. I've found that they need to be scrubbed with Dawn dish soap and tooth brush every so often. For some reason Dawn seems to work best.

Posting back to this old thread...

I had no issues ever since and I do what the above post says. I clean the reels with a toothbrush and some soap and the jamming never returned. Of course the corners are always cut just in case.

Thanks once again,
Ben

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I had this happen to me, but with Patterson used tanks. I went back and realized that the source of the problem was my own technique: I was trying to spool the film a bit too fast. What I did in order to recover my confidence in my technique is simply go back and practice again... like I had not done it in years. I then learned the moments in which I get momentarily nervous and push or overpush the film, and learned to avoid them.

Now, it's happened to me a couple of times again, but since this was using Fuji rolls (and not my standard Agfa APX stuff), I blamed it on the canisters. Don't ask me, it works that way. I haven't had that problem again.

Just try practicing again. It worked for me, and I see you're analyzing all the possible variables involved.

BTW, invest in the Hewes reels, but don't replace what you have with them. Instead, add a Patterson set to your inventory. The Adorama stuff has a very sad reputation. I have the two kinds (plastic and metal), which allows me to develop single rolls (with the metal reels) or two at a time (with the plastic tanks).

 

[Vincent.G]

I am using Paterson tanks and reels. The plastic reels must be completely dry before they can be used again. This is the most important thing. It took me a couple of ruined rolls of film to figure it out many years ago.

I have tried to cut the film between the sprocket holes whenever I can but I couldn't it didn't jam in the reels either so nowadays, I just dont't bother anymore. For maintenance, I just rinse all my Paterson reels with just water all these years. They all work fine.

 

[maddoc]

As by the technical note from JOBO about their plastic reels (similar system) never drop the loaded reels into wetting agent solution. Use a different plastic container large enough to hold the developed film roll for the last step (wetting agent) and just put the film without reels into it. Since this is quite some hassle and the wet emulsion easily scratched I stopped using plastic reels and use stainless steel tanks now, LPL is cheap in Japan.