Like others have said. Practice and pencil trick is what made the difference. Now I can load 2 x 120 rolls on single reel. I've no issues with photo flow. I just make sure I rinse the reels well in hot water.
Difficulty loading 120 film onto plastic reels (and being a bit of a baby about it)
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I always remove the film then seesaw the film in a bowl of photo flow separately, never have problems with the reels.
This is easy to do with 120, much more difficult with long, tangle-prone 35mm....
One can just twist open a plastic reel with film, turn it over and let the film fall into a container with final rinse.
So, one has to distinguish whether this procedure or doing the final rinse with the film still on the reels, twisting them open and taking up the film from the lower reel is running less chance to scratch the emulsion.
So, one has to distinguish whether this procedure or doing the final rinse with the film still on the reels, twisting them open and taking up the film from the lower reel is running less chance to scratch the emulsion.
I've had good luck with Paterson reels. Mine are so old, over thirty years, that they must be the genuine article. As others have said the reels must be absolutely clean and dry. I run mine disassembled through the dishwasher, top rack, and then blast them with a hair dryer just before use. So far, no problems.... BTW, for whatever reason my past mojo for loading 35mm on SS reels has deserted me. So I do 35mm on the Paterson also.
I do find that the lid can be difficult to unscrew sometimes. I wonder if just the tiniest smear of silicone grease on the threads would help. The stuff used for O rings in faucets doesn't seem to migrate at hot water heater temperatures. Any thoughts out there?
I do find that the lid can be difficult to unscrew sometimes. I wonder if just the tiniest smear of silicone grease on the threads would help. The stuff used for O rings in faucets doesn't seem to migrate at hot water heater temperatures. Any thoughts out there?
OP
OP
Just an update, I purchased a Hewes SS reel and have been practicing...already feels a LOT easier to me than the plastic reels. My takeaway, which is likely frustrating to others in its ambiguousness, but hopefully offers a ray of hope is this - there are different solutions and there is no such thing as the right solution. There is only the right solution for you. The upside is that, if one way isn't working, you have plenty of other options and you will settle on something that works for you.
The other thing here (and this is really talking to myself (as opposed to directing this at any of you personally)) is that I have to separate the craft of photography from the art. Everyone wants to be great at the "art" part, but a smaller number seem to want to work in the trenches at the "craft" part. There are no shortcuts - if there were, everyone would know them and take them and we'd all be named Adams, Weston, Penn, Avedon, etc.
The other thing here (and this is really talking to myself (as opposed to directing this at any of you personally)) is that I have to separate the craft of photography from the art. Everyone wants to be great at the "art" part, but a smaller number seem to want to work in the trenches at the "craft" part. There are no shortcuts - if there were, everyone would know them and take them and we'd all be named Adams, Weston, Penn, Avedon, etc.
To repeat the old vaudeville joke, an old woman asks a passerby in NYC how to get to Carnegie Hall. She is told "Practice, practice, practice."
Glad that you are on your way to solving your problem.
Ah, I thought my difficulty with loading the reel was lack of practice. Didnt quite think that not having a dry reel was an issue.
Should also try SS reels now!
Should also try SS reels now!
I wonder if the photo flo problem is using too much. My dishwasher, as do many, has a rinse aid dispenser, which adds a measured amount of a surface tension reducer to help prevent drying spots on dishes. Sounds a lot like photo flo, doesn't it? I'm not sure I'd use the dishwasher product instead of photo flo, though!
You really don't need to use much Photo-Flo, just enough to break the surface tension of the water. This amounts to 3-4 drops per 250 ml. Using too much causes a greasy scum on film. The problem is caused by the anti-foaming agent that is part of the product.
The surfactant used is Triton X-100 which when used alone causes no problems.
When used in excess the anti-foaming chemical leaves a greasy/waxy deposit that increases the amount of friction when using plastic reels. The problem is worse if tap water is used to mix the Photo-Flo. Contaminated reels can be cleaned by soaking overnight in a 1% sodium carbonate solution. A tooth brush is good to clean the grooves.
I only use a bit of Photo Flo, around .5ml, in my opinion if it starts foaming, I'm using too much...I still get few bubbles, but not ridiculous amounts like in some of the youtube vids I've seen around.
I use warm water and dump about twice to clean out photo flo. I don't use plastic though. You guys should really ditch the plastic as the OP did - they're 90% trouble.
OP
OP
FWIW, this was my logic (should any other newcomers find themselves in a similar situation, which would appear to be a fairly common occurrence) - because I didn't have significant experience with either SS or plastic and it was clear that there are people who have success with both, I just went for the one that seemed like it would be more trouble-free overall. Plastic reels getting warped, photoflo issues, having to use the pencil trick, making sure they are bone dry and even then having to use a hairdryer to get them to work...that seemed like a pretty long list of potential problem spots for me. For SS, the only significant risk seemed to be bending the reel, which just seemed simpler overall to me. Add in that you are using less chemistry, and this seemed like the right decision for me at this time.
But, as I said earlier, everyone seems to have success their own way. Seems like a bit of a Pepsi/Coke, Ford/Chevy, Mac/PC type of thing - it's just about finding what works for you (although if your answer is anything other than Coke, Ford and Mac, I will simply assume you are a communist that hates America
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