Watson 100 film loader with IXMOO trouble

[bence8810]

Hello,

Got this Watson 100 loader from an auction site and I am having trouble with my IXMOO's. Does anyone have this loader with some experience?

The problem I have is that the IXMOO will rotate in the loader as I wind the film on. The cassette should stay in place and only the core turning but something must be missing that would keep the IXMOO in place.

I read the manual that came with the loader and it said for using IXMOO's we need to remove the Safety shim. Have no clue what that means and there's nothing in the manual that points to the safety shim.

I also have the Watson 66B which loads IXMOO's great. As I use two different kinds of films, I wanted to have two loaders.

What I do now is I load the IXMOO's in the darkbag while the loader's trap is open and I hold the cassette with one finger to prevent it to move. It works but isn't great.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[bence8810]

Just bumping this thread - hoping that someone could shed some light on the above mentioned problem.

A little correction - the shim that I call a "Safety shim" is actually called a "Universal Shim" in the manual. Still - have re-read the manual and found no mention on where this must be at. It also says that for IXMOO I should remove the shim so the lack of it should be good news. Wonder if mine is still there somewhere to be removed.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[bence8810]

One last bump in case someone had any ideas.
Thanks
Ben

 

[nikon_sam]

The shim is the gray piece that the crank handle goes through inside...this should come out very easily...
One of my loaders came with it, they other didn't so I made one with thin cardboard paper...

 

[bence8810]

The shim is the gray piece that the crank handle goes through inside...this should come out very easily...
One of my loaders came with it, they other didn't so I made one with thin cardboard paper...

Thanks for that - I believe I don't have the shim in the loader then.
Since for the IXMOO the manual says to remove the shim - I guess I am doing ok in that department. However, the IXMOOs still rotate when turning the crank and this leaves me with scratched film...
I now only load with it in the darkbag while holding onto the canister to prevent it from turning.

I compared it with the Watson 66B which I also have and that has a much tighter compartment for the IXMOO which leaves it set and doesn't allow for any turning.

Have you ever loaded IXMOOs with the Watson 100?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Nokton48]

TomA loads his IXMOO's by stretching out his arms (about 36 exposures) and then winding it up. He dosen't use a bulk loader.

 

[newsgrunt]

when I load Ixmoo, I just use the core/spindle in the loader. After that's done, then I put them into the cassettes and cut the leader.

 

[nikon_sam]

Ben,

No, I've never loaded those types of cassettes...
Your problem explains why there's a shim...I never knew why it was needed...

 

[bence8810]

when I load Ixmoo, I just use the core/spindle in the loader. After that's done, then I put them into the cassettes and cut the leader.

Yes - this did cross my mind. If I did that I wouldn't need a Watson and could use any loader. The reason I went for the Watson(s) is that the IXMOO can be closed by turning a knob which is very useful.

If I only load the spindle I need to do this all in a darkbag. That part is ok as I am already doing it in the bag but the problem I have is putting the spindle back into the cassette and being able to pull the film through the opening. I guess with practice I could do it but since I have the Watson - I might as well use this feature of being able to load the IXMOO's right away.

As for the comments about loading the film by hand - I don't have a fully light tight darkroom so I need to resort to loaders / dark bags.

Ben

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Speaking with my collector's hat on and not as a user; the best loaders for old Leitz reloadable cassette are very elderly and were made at the same time as the Barnacks were.

What you might find useful and easy to find is the French "Sommor" daylight loader that came in two parts. One part held the bulk film and the other the reloadable cassette and was designed for them.

Because they come in two parts you will often see one half of them on ebay for a very low price. (A magazine alone and a Leitz AGRIF would also solve the problem if you had a darkroom. Or a piece of wooden dowel cut to imitate an AGRIF.)

Regards, David

PS In your shoes, I'd just buy another of the loader that you have that works and sell the odd one on ebay. No point in having two items that are slightly different when you can have two the same. It's like going from Windows 8 on a laptop to Windows 7 on a desktop and just as confusing at times.