Changing bag causing great strife!

Mearns · Jan 8, 2008

So I've been just getting into developing my own and yesterday I lost 1 and a half films and then figured out it was somehow related to my changing bag.

See the problem is that it gets either too hot or too humid with my hands in there and it makes the film jam up really bad ..REALLY BAD! I thought it was my film and after an hour of trying and re-trying I decided to sacrifice one of the rolls because it was too sticky and wouldn't go onto the reel more than a few inches.

Pulling it out of the changing bag and trying the SAME film in the light where I could see what I was doing it went on first crack!

At first I thought it was my technique, so practiced practiced and practiced some more then tried my other roll that I had and the same thing happened! So I got someone who had developed their own film before (albeit not that often and never in a change bag) to do it for me and they said they couldn't do it and that using a bag was alot harder than the usual DARKROOM method they had used before.

I ended up quickly building a darkroom in my closet. too the bag and contents in there, removed everything from the bag in the dark and it rolled onto the reel first crack!

WHAT THE..

Anyone else have issues like this? I'm using 120 film and have several different reels that all performed similarly under the given conditions. Grrrrr

glbeas · Jan 8, 2008

Humidity is bad about making film stick in plastic reels. Thats one reason I love my steel reels.

david b · Jan 8, 2008

A changing tent is a much easier and better way of doing things.

MurrayMinchin · Jan 8, 2008

Mearns said:
Anyone else have issues like this?

Yes, but I have the answer.

1) Calm down, relax, lower your blood pressure.

2) Be at one with your peaceful inner analogue spirit.

3) Get naked.

4) Go outside and find a shady spot in your front yard.

5) Close your eyes and listen to the plants growing.

6) When calm, insert arms in changing bag.

7) Be at one with the film as it follows your concentric path to inner peace.

8) When done, run triumphantly (while still naked) around neighbourhood yelling, "It didn't get stuck this time! It wasn't even a little bit sticky!"

Murray

Kevin Caulfield · Jan 8, 2008

Murray, that is a funny answer, but it's true. You really do have to relax.

Mearns · Jan 8, 2008

interesting solution there murray. Developing prints wouldn't involve getting into a bath of developer naked with your prints would it? I hear that developer does funny stuff to your head

MurrayMinchin · Jan 8, 2008

Don't get me started about improving your enlargements

Murray

Toffle · Jan 8, 2008

That is what your loupe is for, Murray.

MurrayMinchin · Jan 9, 2008

Loupe...what's a loupe?

Murray, A.K.A Tripod

richard ide · Jan 9, 2008

Sirius Glass · Jan 9, 2008

You might consider a changing room bag or a changing tent which you give you more room in side to play with.

Steve

Matthew Gorringe · Jan 9, 2008

Hi Richard,
I've had the same problem as you and have learnt how to avoid it without becoming a naturist.

1. Load your films at night or early in the morning when it's cool. If you've just got out of bed you're unlikely to be perspiring much and should be relaxed.
2. Make sure your bag has as much air in it as possible before putting your arms into the tubes.
3. Touch the film as little as possible.
4. Get naked if you feel like it but stay indoors.

Some films are worse than others, I really only have serious problems with one film, all others from the same manufacturer are more or less okay. Good luck.

domaz · Jan 9, 2008

I had that problem when I started developing again a few months ago. The solution was to remember a tip I had learned long ago but forget- always cut two small diagnol notches at the beginning of the roll (one at each side of the leader). Otherwise things tend to get jammed on the reel fairly easily.

Tony Egan · Jan 9, 2008

Throw the bag away. I stopped using mine years ago. Find a place to make dark and use that space and peace will descend. As for using bags to load/unload sheet film, what a disaster!

Deckled Edge · Jan 9, 2008

Tony, Sirius, and David are quite right. Dump the bag. Get a small Harrison pup tent. The new ones are a little pricey, as they are tremendously over-engineered and far superior to other film changing tents. They spring up on fee-bay frequently.

declark · Jan 9, 2008

I never bothered with any of those changing bags because of the issues I have heard. I just use a bathroom with no windows. The only limitation I had was that I had to wait until after dark and all lights in the hall and neighboring rooms were out. Simple solution was $10 worth of very black opaque fabric (velvety like) and hot glue gunned this onto a piece of PVC pipe. Two finishing nails above the top of the door jambs allows me to hang the pipe and draped cloth across the light leaking door cracks and block out light quite effectively now. I just roll it up on the pipe when done. Piece of cake.

rmolson · Jan 9, 2008

changing bag

Changing bag

I can sympathize with the humidity problem. I have had to face the same thing on occasion What I found was the bag itself was getting in the way and creating some of the problem. I scrounged around and found a box that wold fit,open one side and set it up in the bag so as to form a mini tent.( this is not new by the way) That gave a little more air to my hands and reels and less moisture.

Ralf · Jan 9, 2008

Same happened to me. After numerous 35mm films I got nervous with the first 120 and after a few failed tries that bag got more and more warm and humid. When this happens, forget it. Let things (and yourself) cool down. If you are careful and the bag is of good quality you can remove your arms one by one without harming the film. Once I even put the film into the dev tank just to be sure.

And as the others have said before: If possible, don't use the bag but instead do it naked in a darkroom. It's way easier.

JBrunner · Jan 9, 2008

Steel reels. Any moisture when loading plastic is a disaster.

Vaughn · Jan 9, 2008

Make your changing bag into a tent by inserting a large piece of plastic sheeting (slightly wider than your bag) into your bag. It will bow upward, creating a nice space to work in.

Vaughn

I was using a changing bag in the lobby of the hotel at the Grand Canyon and one of the bell-boys was sent over to see what I was doing. I was tempted to tell him that I was a drug addict and just wanted a little privacy while I shot up -- but I was having a heck of a time finding a vein.

Alden · Jan 9, 2008

MurrayMinchin said:
Yes, but I have the answer.

1) Calm down, relax, lower your blood pressure.

2) Be at one with your peaceful inner analogue spirit.

3) Get naked.

4) Go outside and find a shady spot in your front yard.

5) Close your eyes and listen to the plants growing.

6) When calm, insert arms in changing bag.

7) Be at one with the film as it follows your concentric path to inner peace.

8) When done, run triumphantly (while still naked) around neighbourhood yelling, "It didn't get stuck this time! It wasn't even a little bit sticky!"

Murray

I want the Murry Minchin show back on TV, and I want it now!!

Mearns · Jan 9, 2008

All good advice. Thanks everyone. I'm definitely curious about these steel reels now.

Curt · Jan 9, 2008

Yes, but I have the answer.

1) Calm down, relax, lower your blood pressure.

2) Be at one with your peaceful inner analogue spirit.

3) Get naked.

4) Go outside and find a shady spot in your front yard.

5) Close your eyes and listen to the plants growing.

6) When calm, insert arms in changing bag.

7) Be at one with the film as it follows your concentric path to inner peace.

8) When done, run triumphantly (while still naked) around neighbourhood yelling, "It didn't get stuck this time! It wasn't even a little bit sticky!"

Could you post a picture?

I mastered the bag years ago and it can be frustrating to say the least, now I use the Changing Room tent and it's a joy and worth every cent.

...and you can wear clothes...

Curt

MurrayMinchin · Jan 10, 2008

Sorry Alden, my show got bumped by Three's Company and they haven't asked me back since. No can do for pictures either Curt. The snow's four feet deep so there wouldn't be much to see anyways...

Murray

Phillip P. Dimor · Jan 10, 2008

This is one of the reasons I went with stainless too.. I had just seen the best negs ever, with half moon creases, missing emulsion that had been scraped off only to be redeposited elsewhere on the emulsion. I smashed the reel to bits.

I don't use a changing bag, I use a dark closet or darkened room. Much easier.
Get the Hewes reels. Find a nice used Kindermann tank.. You will more than likely be happier.
I had 15 generic 120 reels, sold them all to buy two Hewes reels and I never looked back.

Changing bag causing great strife!

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Changing bag causing great strife!

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