If you have a large enough bag, inserting a cardboard box, open to where your hands reach through, can help.
Thanks, Sirius. I saw this on the internet and some reviews mentioned that the position of the arms on either side worked for some and not for others. Do you have personal experience with this item?Need a larger dark bag? I use this one even for 4"x5" film.
Photoflex Changing Room | Freestyle Photo & Imaging
The Photoflex Changing Room is an upgrade from the traditional dark bag.This double walled, light-tight changing bag includes an internal frame that provides plenty of room to work and an internal, removable "trash bag" for film wrappers, boxes, and canisters!…
www.freestylephoto.biz
If my 15 to 18 year old students can easily manage two rolls per tank in a changing bag, so can you.Some of our changing bags, are tiny cheap things from China, too!
If I'm being honest, there are a lot of things I could do at 15-18 that I can't do now.. But, you're correct. I could also put a small box inside the bag to provide some structure.
I can hang a cargo blanket I have over the door. Shouldn't that work?
And that is a great idea! That is what I used to do before I had my own darkroom. Worked a treat! Just make sure you give the inside of the change bag a wipe with a damp cloth or tac rag.
Good point. Over here all doors at rooms have flanges, thus only a slit at a the floor may be cared for. Lay a towel at it.
In case your door has no flanges you may have to hang a blanketin front of it, but this would necessaties some means to hold it. Maybe duct tape attached to the frame. Or dark tape all around (costly over time). If the door leads to another room, light level may be low already. Or make kind of flanges yourself.
For the above reason I never thought about such... Now I have to inform on American doors.
I use a Paterson changing bag with no issues when I am loading short 12-exposure 35mm rolls onto Hewes reels which goes very quickly.
Loading 120 film onto Paterson plastic reels in the changing bag was another matter. Unless I was very lucky and the film started correctly right away my hands would sweat enough to practically guarantee creases in the negatives. My first solution was to wear the nitrile gloves I was going to put on anyway for handling chemicals. The long term solution has been to use AP/Samigon reels for the Paterson tank. They load as quickly and easily at the Hewes 35mm reels.
If you have a large enough bag, inserting a cardboard box, open to where your hands reach through, can help.
View attachment 306546
I use a changing box when I need to change film in one of my pinhole cameras in the field. It should work fine in your home as well, and cheap. Details:
I need alternatives to a darkroom. I’ll be developing b&w 135 film. I heard the bags are confining and the arms very tight. I’d rather have more room I think, but I’m not sure what to get.
As for the film developing itself, Is there a good source of information on the process and equipment and chemicals needed? I’ll read the sticky threads here as well.
Thank you for your help!
I 'gave up' on using a dark bag some 20-odd years ago .. i saw Iford's' 'advertt' for a 'changing box' (at a price that was well and truly "outside' the money I was willing to 'fork out' from my pension incme)... so I decided to build my own (based on their 'design.) I have to admit it IS a LOT better than a 'dark bag' (as long as you are 'at home' while so doing. it does NOT, however, fold down and fit into you hip pocket (unfortunately 8-(.
Ken
I 'gave up' on using a dark bag some 20-odd years ago .. i saw Iford's' 'advertt' for a 'changing box' .
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