Hewes 35mm Paterson length

[Gabriel Aszalos]

I just received my order of 35mm stainless steel Hewes reels for my universal Paterson tank. I was a bit concerned about the unreliability of the Paterson reels so I wanted to try these famous ones out. They seem great. I think I like them. They are fairly easy to load, and if something goes wrong, I can at least blame it on my dexterity, as opposed to the Paterson ones were they just decide whether to jam or not based on the day of the calendar. But this is not what the post is about.

When I practice with a spare film I have, it seem that the film rolls onto the reel but not entirely. I think that if I had a film that was longer by 10-20cm it would be hanging out. This doesn't happen in the Paterson reel. I'm a bit concerned about using these reels because of this reason - the film that is hanging out at the end, could be touching the film on the bottom and blocking development...

Does anyone have experience with these 35mm Hewes reels for Paterson tanks and can maybe share some advice or tips? I'm hesitant to use them as they are...

 

[Gabriel Aszalos]

I just checked and it's possible to load 158cm of film onto the reel. Everything over 158cm will not be in between the rails (?) anymore.

 

[Rick A]

I've never had an issue of excess film length with my Hewes reels, 36 exposure rolls just fit if loaded properly.

 

[Gabriel Aszalos]

But are you using the Paterson ones? I think they are different due to the larger 1” core.

 

[Rick A]

No, I have some older Hewes reels that fit standard stainless tanks.

 

[MattKing]

I've never encountered any Hewes reels that would work in Paterson tanks.
Jobo tanks - yes, but not Paterson.
A 135-136 film length is about 163 cm.
The Hewes website doesn't supply any details, or even any indication that they make reels for Paterson tanks.
Could these be a UK| only product, or a special order product?

 

[Gabriel Aszalos]

I've never encountered any Hewes reels that would work in Paterson tanks.
Jobo tanks - yes, but not Paterson.
A 135-136 film length is about 163 cm.
The Hewes website doesn't supply any details, or even any indication that they make reels for Paterson tanks.
Could these be a UK| only product, or a special order product?

They do. I spoke to Nigel Hall (owner of Hewes) directly and he mailed them to me in Romania. They aren't on their website but they exist on other websites, for example: https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/film...l_1_core_for_paterson_tanks_35mm/29198_p.html. But don't buy it there, it's a rip off. Buy directly from Hewes for £21.55.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have had this happen and I just wrap the end of the film around the outside of the reel.

 

[MattKing]

They do. I spoke to Nigel Hall (owner of Hewes) directly and he mailed them to me in Romania. They aren't on their website but they exist on other websites, for example: https://www.speedgraphic.co.uk/film...l_1_core_for_paterson_tanks_35mm/29198_p.html. But don't buy it there, it's a rip off. Buy directly from Hewes for £21.55.

Fascinating.
Have you asked Mr. Hall directly about the film length?

 

[Arvee]

I have had this happen and I just wrap the end of the film around the outside of the reel.

+1

 

[grain elevator]

158 cm is more than 39 frames even if spacing is generous; should be plenty if you cut off a bit of the leader. Unless you have some sort of evil plan that involves a lot of black film.

 

[Pentode]

Fascinating.

Fascinating, indeed! I never knew such a thing existed.

 

[darkroommike]

The "excess" length of the stock Paterson reels is there to accommodate 220 film not for over long 35mm loads. With the exception of thin base films like Tech Pan and the Ilford HP-5 "Winder" films (both discontinued) it's not possible to stuff more than about 40 frames into a standard reloadable cartridge. The hewes Paterson reel has both a larger core and a larger diameter than a standard Hewes 35mm reel so it's a wash, I also have some large diameter Hewes reels for an old King Concept Enterprise that have that same features.