Any quick and easy, effective way to keep the little ball bearing loose on Patterson

[nsurit]

Reels? The only problem I run into with these reels is the little ball bearing not moving freely. Any fixes other that using SS reels. Bill Barber

 

[jp498]

Rip it out. It's not really necessary to have the ball bearing.

 

[summicron1]

probably sticking up from water spot stuff buildup -- soak in vinegar to clean.

 

[MattKing]

Before loading each film I just poke each one loose (where necessary) with something small like a pen. It just takes a few seconds for each.

I also keep my reels quite clean.

 

[Bill Burk]

Hmmm,

Been a long time, but I always washed and then dried mine with a hair dryer.

 

[hdeyong]

I have a couple of reels left with the balls still in them, the rest have been removed. I only use them when I need all six reels at once, and then I make sure I clean them thoroughly with a toothbrush, hot water and detergent, Frankly, the next time I need all six reels, I'm going to pop the balls out of the last two. I find if the reels are clean and dry, the film slides on very easily without them. By and large, they're more bother than they're worth, IMO.

 

[Ian Grant]

I soak my reels in washing powder, you get a slight build up of gelatin on the reels which needs removing every so often depends on use how often I'm talking every few months with heavy use.

Ian

 

[David Allen]

I have never personally had this problem with Paterson reels. I have had colleagues who encountered this problem and in every case it was due to the reels not being thoroughly dry. In one particular instance this was despite the reels having been left unused for several weeks. In this case the problem was solved by giving the reels a strong shake after use and then repeating the following day.

Bests,

David
www.dsallen.de

 

[nsurit]

Having acquired my reels from several sources and in new to well used condition, I used the vinegar soak solution with a toothbrush, followed by a good soapy water soak and clean water rinse. All the little balls seem to be rolling properly. A couple of reels are not Patterson and have stainless ball bearings. That seems like a reasonable approach. Given that I'm a little compulsive about keeping stuff clean and the fact that I use only well filtered rainwater for processing, my hope is for not sticky reel future. Bill Barber

 

[Pixal8]

The original, clear, Paterson reels were difficult to load but the white ones are made from a self-lubricating plastic and work pretty well as long as they are perfectly dry.
The only major issue is caused by a few early Leicas which rolled the film onto the take-up spool emulsion out. This gave the film a reverse curl which made it impossible to load!
Have you tried cutting the leading edge of the film between the sprocket holes, not through them. Then trim off the leading corners just a touch at 45 degrees as this will stop them digging into the sides of the grooves so much.

 

[AgX]

It is not only early Leicas that wind the film emulsion out.

 

[mauro35]

I had another type of weird problem with Patterson´s reels, the metal balls, when handled with nitrile gloves, produce sparks of light because of statics I guess. Not very good when you are trying to load ISO 3200 film. I don´t use gloves anymore to load my reels.

 

[Tony Egan]

Score the balls lightly with a soft lead pencil. I use a 2B. Roll the pencil marks in with a finger tip. Some people say avoid putting the reels in wash aid but I do this then throw the reels into a bucket of hot water straight after pulling off the film. Then clean reels and balls with a tooth brush after hanging all the film and leave to air dry. If all else fails throw the reel in the bin! I did this last weekend with a particularly bothersome reel which has evaded all attempts at restitution. It wasn't a genuine Paterson - one of the cheaper imitations.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The original, clear, Paterson reels were difficult to load but the white ones are made from a self-lubricating plastic and work pretty well as long as they are perfectly dry.
The only major issue is caused by a few early Leicas which rolled the film onto the take-up spool emulsion out. This gave the film a reverse curl which made it impossible to load!
Have you tried cutting the leading edge of the film between the sprocket holes, not through them. Then trim off the leading corners just a touch at 45 degrees as this will stop them digging into the sides of the grooves so much.

that's excacvtly whatv I did!,and it worked well.

 

[GRHazelton]

Paterson reels

I run the reels through the dishwasher periodically. Helps remove any accumulated gelatin or other gunge, and the dishwasher's rinse aid helps them dry quickly and thoroughly. Oh yes, be sure to disassemble them before washing in any fashion, or water will be left in the "core" and show up when you don't want it!