[clockradio]

I have some patterson plastic reels and tank, which I like for 35mm but loading 120 can sometimes be an exercise in patience. One positive aspect of plastic that I've found over steel is that it's easier to tell when the loading is going wrong because the ratcheting motion won't take in the film if it's off somewhere (generally).

I haven't tried 120 in steel, but I am considering it. I feel like it would be easier to clip it on to the bottom of the reel than trying to load it in to the top of a plastic reel. Any insights?

[B Grace]

I had pretty good luck with stainless reels. It seems you quickly gain the feel for clipping the end of the film into the reel and slowly turning it as you let the film slide through your fingers squeezing it slightly. It sure helps to practice with an old film before turning the lights off for the first time. Maybe having everything exactly where you expect it is the important part which helps improve the comfort factor.

[lithos]

By a roll of supermarket-brand el cheapo colour film to practice with first, with the lights on.

I like Paterson reels and tanks. I use a "System 2" tank, I think that's what it's called.

There're several types of plastic reels, though. Paterson reels are soft, flexible, and translucent. I assume they're made from thermoplastics (plastic that melts at high temperature, rather than burns.) They seem pretty durable, but since I just put mine back in the tank after they're done, I've yet to seriously abuse them. They seem a bit smoother than the other ones I've got for the other tank that are opaque, hard and not as flexible as the Patersons. I imagine these are made from thermoset plastic (burns at higher temps - not that any of this stuff is relevant to developing, but it's just how I think of them.)

I imagine the grey ones are less prone to buckling film, as they don't flex as much.

Still, what I find, is that removing 35mm film from the canister and rolling it on is a pain in the arse. The film curls too much for it to be easy to handle; keeps getting in the way. I leave the film with the leader out (about 30 turns of my ME Super's rewind handle; you can feel the film pop out of the take-up spool, though,) cut off a hand's length of the leader (the length of my hand be the about the same length as the distance between the canister and the take up spool; the more film you have on a Paterson or similar reel, the harder it is to wind on subsequent film,) into an arrow shape.

The pointed arrow leader is just easier to get started on a self-loading reel, like the Patersons. You get more control over the the film that's yet to be loaded if you wind with the emulsion out, I find, as you can trap it under your thumb, but there's a chance the leader'll dig into the reel and buckle it. Emulsion in, and it's easier, especially if you're winding from the canister (with neatly tidies up unwound film.) I have my left thumb under the film, keeping the canister straight, about 45 degrees behind where it enters the reel, and my right over the film, just before enters the spool.

Wind slowly. After a while, you'll get a feel for when the film is going to buckle, and can stop (and start the whole process again) and avoid any damage.

As usual, I make it sound far harder than it really is.

[Rustyoldbug]

I had a friend show me how to roll the film onto the stainless reels back in the 80's. When I decided to start getting into this again I stuck with what I know and picked up a few old Nikor tanks with dual 35mm stainless reels at a garage sale, and another dual reel tank on eBay for a few bucks.

The only thing I will mention is what I learned from my own "Homer Simpson" like mistake the first time I developed by myself. I practiced rolling a sacrificed 24 exposure roll of Kodak ultra for a while and it isn't as hard as people say. The issue was I had shot 36 exposure rolls of film and the reels in my tanks were for 24 exposure rolls. After cursing a bit I just had to cut each of the rolls of film around the 24 exposure point and roll the balance onto the 2nd reel of each tank.

[Ratmagiclady]

I use the Paterson tanks, mostly just because that's what I have and they've always been pretty abundant in the past. The trick with the wet-reel issues is: have more reels so you can turn over faster. (which reminds me to send an extra to photolady.)

Steel reels are superior if you're practiced at them, but not superior enough for me to worry about, is my usual thought on the matter. With some care, the Paterson reels work fine, but if you rush, you can kink your film. I like the big funnels on the Super System 4 tanks (the only ones I believe they have made for a long time at this point) both for the sake of being a little easier to deal with in the kitchen, and cause I can put the empty film canisters or spools in between the funnel and the outer lid, that way if a tank is loaded, I know exactly that something's in there, what it is, and how many of em. Also any notes I wrote on there.

[Nesster]

As I'm running out of my first "makes a gallon" developer, I'm reminded of the other advantage of steel tanks and reels - I believe they use less volume of liquid than the equivalent plastic ones. In the long run and going through a lot of film, that does start to add up.

I'm still leery of the steel reels however

[ChrisPlatt]

In my experience plastic reels are fine for 35mm, but they must be bone-dry when loading or they will jam.
Blow dry the reels, the inside of the changing bag and your hands beforehand if necessary.

Chris

[Ratmagiclady]

As I'm running out of my first "makes a gallon" developer, I'm reminded of the other advantage of steel tanks and reels - I believe they use less volume of liquid than the equivalent plastic ones. In the long run and going through a lot of film, that does start to add up.

I'm still leery of the steel reels however

There's that, I suppose. Though I'm not too concerned with the difference in chemistry use: at present, at least, the tendency is for me to do a lot of film in the same go, when I do it, (the digital is having the desired effect of keeping the film budget nice and manageable, (As well as occupying much of my attention as I get used to the computerized) so I'm more concerned with the storage longevity than that. Got some lovely chemistry that'll keep, though, especially with that very useful way of mixing up a bit of HC-110 at a time. )

What I probably should do is get a bulk loader and start making up a bunch of short test rolls: I've got all kinds of chemistry to play with, as well as some older cameras to test.

[stevebrot]

There's that, I suppose. Though I'm not too concerned with the difference in chemistry use: at present, at least, the tendency is for me to do a lot of film in the same go, when I do it, (the digital is having the desired effect of keeping the film budget nice and manageable, (As well as occupying much of my attention as I get used to the computerized) so I'm more concerned with the storage longevity than that. Got some lovely chemistry that'll keep, though, especially with that very useful way of mixing up a bit of HC-110 at a time. )

What I probably should do is get a bulk loader and start making up a bunch of short test rolls: I've got all kinds of chemistry to play with, as well as some older cameras to test.

That is why I was always partial to Edwal FG-7. You mix what you need, when you need it. The concentrate lasts a long time.

Steve

[ryan s]

My dad had some Omega 2x 35mm/1x 120 stainless tanks with stainless reels from the 70s sitting around. Messing with the tanks, I found the tops to leak a bit and also both pieces of the top were difficult to remove.

So I got a single-reel stainless tank with a plastic top. The plastic makes it sooo much easier to remove since you can actually grip it, which is a necessity when in the middle of development (obviously).

The metal reels are difficult to load...but...it is what it is. I messed up about 3 frames after my first loading but since then, it's easy to tell when you're not in the grooves. Well...being experienced and confident in the dark bag is always a positive

I've also purchased an all-plastic tank that will fit the stainless reels, so I could do 2 35mm rolls at once or 1 120 (wink wink)