I always hold the reel with my fingertips and turn it as gently as I can.
I’m thinking about the pitch dark small warehouse which belongs to the building where I work and I might use it as a loading area....
I always hold the reel with my fingertips and turn it as gently as I can.The humidity is in the air! Plus, when your hands are in the changing bag, that adds humidity as well.
Changing bags and I have never got along well.
If you have a room you can make dark (even if only at night), then it is a good idea to load your tanks there, and then develop the film later when you can.
Just be sure to mark the tanks.
One further point - hold the reels gently, with your finger tips if possible. The harder you squeeze, the more likely you will cause the reels to bind.
The humidity is in the air! Plus, when your hands are in the changing bag, that adds humidity as well.
Changing bags and I have never got along well.
If you have a room you can make dark (even if only at night), then it is a good idea to load your tanks there, and then develop the film later when you can.
Just be sure to mark the tanks.
One further point - hold the reels gently, with your finger tips if possible. The harder you squeeze, the more likely you will cause the reels to bind.
I took out the bag and opened it to let the air move.+1000
It's the humidity in the changing bag. The longer you have your arms in there the worst it gets. Try developing in a cooler room with long sleeves on. I gave up on the bags especially in the summer months and use a light tight room instead - no more problems. Also store your bag open and inside out since the fabric isn't breathable.
Yes, I checked it when I had the first issue. I thought that one of the balls can’t move but no. Both are okay in all the reels.Make sure the ball bearings move freely. Your description sounds like the time I spent half an hour swearing at a reel only to discover one of the ball bearings was wedged in place and wouldn't move.
Do you have high humidity in Budapest? I doubt that's the case and that would be the only environment when in-bag humidity could cause a problem in such a short time of it being closed up. Everything is worth a try, but I will be surprised if this is your problem. Only saying this because I've loaded film in places that felt like inside a sauna and had no issues.I took out the bag and opened it to let the air move.
I also try it in a long sleeve shirt and will open the door of the room before I use the bag.
I give this a go first and if it won’t work I’ll check the room I know of and try this over there as well.
No, Budapest is not humid at least not in winter. The flat where I live also not as warm, I like it when it’s a bit colder so I don’t have to turn up the heating and also keep my head clearer.Do you have high humidity in Budapest? I doubt that's the case and that would be the only environment when in-bag humidity could cause a problem in such a short time of it being closed up. Everything is worth a try, but I will be surprised if this is your problem. Only saying this because I've loaded film in places that felt like inside a sauna and had no issues.
Critical to have it all dry, including hands. If you happened to be a person that naturally sweats more, might want to use lint free gloves to handle film (some will say that always should be used, but I'll leave that up to believers). The reason I do hair drier routine before film loading is to have the reels warmed up, which will automatically postpone, to say the least, any moisture build up.
Take a sharpened soft pencil, run it around the groves of the reel and load the film,
Hi everyone,
Lately I’ve issues loading 35mm film in Paterson tank system 4. I’ve loaded countless rolls without any problems and it’s the third roll I consider give it to a lab to do it for me. I just don’t know why I failed to succeed.
It’s just getting harder and harder to turn and then the film just stucks approx. half way and it spits out the film where the metal balls are.
As I have a one reel tank and a three reel tank version I could try it with different reels with no success. Everytime it was the same.
I use a large changing bag and I thought it might be the tight space which could twist the negs and it somehow causes this. But why now? Why not two months ago or a year ago? I’ve also done that I stood up so the bag was hanging from my arm and there was enough space inside the bag for the reel just like how I’d do in a darkroom. All the same, just stucks and that’s it.
I shaked the reel and checked the outer parts if the film would stuck somewhere so I could move it just by tapping it a bit but no.
Then where the strip begins I cut pieces out so it was rather a triangle then a rectangle shape so to avoid the possibility to stuck again because I thought that it might be the side of the strip. Nothing helped.
I tested it with developed negs and it was all fine. I put this already developed film in the changing bag to simulate the same situation and it was all fine. I’ve done it approx. 3-4 times without any probs.
The I tried it with the neg I’m about to develop and it was again no success.
Is there any difference between the developed and the just exposed neg that affects something? I mean the developed neg is fixed and there might be something different (I don’t know what) like the plastic strip becomes harder after it has been developed so it’s easier to load in the reel, but it doesn’t seem likely. Or I don’t know I’m just blindly guessing.
I’ve read on forums that if the reel is not completely dry it can produce this phenomena. But my reels are bone dry.
I’ve also heard that I should try running a sharp pencil around the groves of the reel and the graphite from the pencil lead ''greases'' the groves of the reel and film slides in very easily. I haven’t tried this.
I’ve also read that I should get a metal reel and problem is gone which seems okay and probably I will go with that if that’s true but still what is this? Why I succeeded so many times and what’s wrong now?
+1 to AP/Kaiser reels, available also from Fotoimpex. There is a video clip on that page to see.I stepped over to AP daylight tanks for two reasons. The reels have a larger and easier to feel mouth to slide your film in. The films do not stuck in the reels. Both things became a nuisance for me in Patterson tanks from about the last ten years. AP tanks are cheap too.
Do you have high humidity in Budapest? I doubt that's the case and that would be the only environment when in-bag humidity could cause a problem in such a short time of it being closed up
Changing bag is not same as plastic bag. I've used changing tent for abut 20 years now, so it's a different "arena" inside for sure, but when I'm on the go small changing bag is used with no issues. I'm not really nay saying to what you are bringing up, it is certainly possible.I believe what happens is that the material of the film bag doesn't breath at all and in a short time arms and hands produce enough humidity for the film to stick to plastic reels. Stick your hands in a plastic bag and they'll be wet in no time.
I've just started doing this and it really does make a difference! I've had film stick in the past to the point of crinking the odd negative, so I had to do something. Inconsistent, though. Hitherto I just used to lube the ball bearings with a soft pencil. I noticed after I washed my reel that graphite marks were still present. Do you need to do the pencil thing each time you use the reel or just every so-often? I used to use hot soapy water for washing my stuff afterwards and let the reels dry naturally on the window sill. Now I just use hot water.
Check the point doesn't break off and get stuck in the grooves too!
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I do it every so often, maybe every 4 or 5 films, I was taught this trick when I was just starting in photography, around 1960'by a friend of my family who was a pro photographer, I was moaning to him one day about my problems loading film, took me 3 or 4 attempts, and some film was being ruined, he showed me the pencil trick, also, if by any chance a film does get stuck, then a very sharp tap on the top of the reel will pretty much clear it, just the top or bottom half, not the whole reel,believe me it works every time
Richard
Regds,
R.
Yes the graphite sticks to the reel but this is what it has to do to be effective. I have never noticed any contamination on the film. I'd imagine that after a thorough washing some of the graphite at least may be washed off but as you say a quick "turn" with the pencil is all that is required. I have never had to wash my reels since I started with the pencilI noticed after I washed my reel that graphite marks were still present. Do you need to do the pencil thing each time you use the reel or just every so-often? I used to use hot soapy water for washing my stuff afterwards and let the reels dry naturally on the window sill. Now I just use hot water.
Check the point doesn't break off and get stuck in the grooves too!
--
Regds,
R.
It can happen in my case as well but then I’ve to move the film forward with my hands and for me it’s another possibility to make a mistake and I can touch the film or slightly crumple it or something.Actually it was the ball bearings that were jamming up after about two thirds of the 135 film had loaded. Once the balls had been removed with a pair of needle nosed pliers the film shot onto the reel without problems and has been the case ever since, you need to use your fingers to advance the film just like you do with Jobo reels. So I have four reels I use for B&W that have been gelded,
I’ve tried the whole process with three reels and all had done the exact same thing.Or get one of those AP reels form Fotoimpex or elsewhere, they fit Paterson tank. It's not lost money if you do get one.
Not sure if you tried warmed up reel, but a sudden change in outcome on same equipment has a cause. If you know your own handling is all the same, then it is either the reel or film misbehaving. But if film used is same as before, than it is the reel doing something different. There is no space shuttle involved here, if all else is same, reel is causing it.
AP reels from Fotoimpex are at a great price and with no tank needed to purchase. Their shipping should be flat 10 EUR to you and they have good prices on film/chemicals, just saying. Adox CHS 100 II is a great B&W film too.I’ve tried the whole process with three reels and all had done the exact same thing.
I succeeded in doing for more than a year now without any problems. I do not do anything else what I’ve done before. So I skip these reels.
You can’t buy just the AP reel without the tank here in Hungary and the whole stuff costs almost as much as a steel reel which also fits in a Paterson tank.
I don’t know if I want to sacrifice a film and do it in daylight because I then have to do it it the changing bag and the circumstance will change. When I’ve done it with already developed film all was fine, outside of the bag and inside of the bag.Sacrifice a roll of film, do it in daylight, track it down. I've had problems with binding as rolls got older and sloppier.
Now I pay attention to how parallel I hold the reels when winding...
Don't think bag is the problem. Don't you have developed film already? If you try it in daylight and it works, the chances of going in the bag where it won't are not good.I don’t know if I want to sacrifice a film and do it in daylight because I then have to do it it the changing bag and the circumstance will change. When I’ve done it with already developed film all was fine, outside of the bag and inside of the bag.
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