homemade 70mm loader

StoneNYC · Feb 18, 2013

gorbas said:
Stone NYC, I like your processing tank! Brilliant! I'm going "ghetto" route, with processing in open SS dish in the dark.
I think, since capacity of my reel is 100", that wires on it are thicker and easier to load? While loading I'm keeping reel vertically and keep spinning the reel with film slightly squeezed so it can enter space between wires.

Yes that's how I do it but without my fingers touching the film, I think this time I will use my fingers as a guide and see if this helps.

StoneNYC · Feb 18, 2013

This is the top fully closed just to show you guys

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

polyglot · Feb 18, 2013

Final couple of scans: Dead Link Removed have that extended-red marble-glow like you get from SFX. And red filtered clouds do about what you'd expect.

gorbas · Feb 18, 2013

Stone, you are official Winner of GORBAS darkroom engineering award for 2013! Absolutely BRILLIANT lid design! What material did you use? Do you have to use tape to seal it? Is Jobo lid reusable or it's now permanent part of new lid?

StoneNYC · Feb 18, 2013

gorbas said:
Stone, you are official Winner of GORBAS darkroom engineering award for 2013! Absolutely BRILLIANT lid design! What material did you use? Do you have to use tape to seal it? Is Jobo lid reusable or it's now permanent part of new lid?

Lol thanks.

Ok so I bought a cheap SS pan with a glass lid from the store, broke the glass so only the metal rim was used (the rim had a rubber ring around it so I thought it would be good for preventing leaks) then I took a black pail (like a small plastic garbage can) who's bottom just fit inside the ring, cut off the wall of the pail and put the bottom if the pail inside the ring. I then glued that with some super glue followed by industrial sealer glue.

Then I cut a hole in the pail bottom to fit the JOBO, measured how deep it went then drilled holes in the side and bottom if the JOBO (but at the far edges) so light won't go in but chemicals can drain in and out.

Then I glued the JOBO inside the pail lid same glue process making sure the holes in the side were as close to the edge of the pail lid as possible (for optimum draining). Then it wasn't draining to my satisfaction so I took a candle, turned the lid upside down, and melted wax inside until I had it perfectly level with the drain holes. (Don't do this if you want to process C-41 or E-6 as higher temps may melt the wax).

Then I took gaffers tape and covered the outside of the pail lid just in case since the black plastic wasn't super thick.

That's it really.

I usually process at night. Once I did during the day with this and ended up with some light streaks at the edge images so it's not perfect. If I did it again I would have used a Paterson tank instead. I'll probably add light baffles to the holes to prevent that daytime stray light. But it's not so bad just doing it at night is fine with me.

The hardest part is processing, it takes exactly 2L if chemistry, hand inversion is a pain and I'm strong but still hurts my wrists by the end.

I hope I didn't miss anything... Oh to be sure the lid doesn't come off I tape the lid with gaffers tape around the edges each time before processing since the weight of the liquid when I invert it is heavy, then when I'm done I just take that off and throw it away.

The only thing that leaks is the JOBO lid, but I've never had a good JOBO that's why I canibalized it for the experiment but now wish I used a Paterson...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

polyglot · Feb 18, 2013

Adorama have listed an Alden 70 on eBay, 360593015903 and it's not at silly-money yet. I'd buy it except the shipping to AU makes it not worth it; might be good for one of you guys.

munz6869 · Feb 18, 2013

that's very similar to my one! Works very well.

Marc!

StoneNYC · Feb 18, 2013

polyglot said:
Adorama have listed an Alden 70 on eBay, 360593015903 and it's not at silly-money yet. I'd buy it except the shipping to AU makes it not worth it; might be good for one of you guys.

why did you say that!!! grrr don't tell people! I already am following it... now I have APUG competition... blah... lol, I'm only partially kidding about not posting but at the same time it is a little frustrating as I really want that and saw it as well...

polyglot · Feb 18, 2013

Hey at least I'm not bidding against you!

StoneNYC · Feb 18, 2013

polyglot said:
Hey at least I'm not bidding against you!

Isn't that because you don't need one... lol, I don't have a dark room or any room that doesn't have some kind of stray light coming in, and living at my parents they won't let me put up any kind of elaborate window coverings etc, and even at night there's always light from other houses and cars passing, it's a nightmare LOL. BUT yes that's true... I've only got 16 other bidders against me right now... only... LOL

gorbas · Feb 19, 2013

Well, I will stay with my grip head and long 3/8 screw! It works for me (for now)!

StoneNYC · Feb 19, 2013

I was googling 70mm and found my own image from another 70mm thread haha, here's the image that shows the inside...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

gorbas · Feb 23, 2013

Stone, you really went to great lengths to make this happen! Congratulation again!
Guys, I just processed my last batch of 70mm film. This time everything was done in dark and I can report 0% film wasting on light leaks.
Now I feel sorry for wasted 12" of film leader. Well, it's life....
Next thing is to make nice sticker with reminder when to make one frame break for hanging wet film and for the end of 100" length.
Goran

StoneNYC · Feb 23, 2013

gorbas said:
Stone, you really went to great lengths to make this happen! Congratulation again!
Guys, I just processed my last batch of 70mm film. This time everything was done in dark and I can report 0% film wasting on light leaks.
Now I feel sorry for wasted 12" of film leader. Well, it's life....
Next thing is to make nice sticker with reminder when to make one frame break for hanging wet film and for the end of 100" length.
Goran

Just load the back in the dark bag, then you won't wast anything but an inch of film

gorbas · Feb 24, 2013

Hi Stone, I just tried it and it doesn't work. When you load Hasselblad 70mm back you have to wind from 0 until 1 and then you are able to release shutter and wind film again. Well, 4 frames, not bad for reel leader.

StoneNYC · Feb 24, 2013

gorbas said:
Hi Stone, I just tried it and it doesn't work. When you load Hasselblad 70mm back you have to wind from 0 until 1 and then you are able to release shutter and wind film again. Well, 4 frames, not bad for reel leader.

Oh sad.... as I recall my Mamiya RZ67 has an M mode which is fully manual, you can double expose, expose in between rolls (as in half cock the advance) etc. So I THINK I can do that with mine... I'll have to try it since I think the next roll I'm running through will be Tech Pan

gorbas · Feb 24, 2013

Well Stone, With Tech Pan, it's almost like running real leaf of gold thru your camera. You have to fill report card and tax return for every single frame of it. Hasselblad 70mm magazine is very, very similar to A12, just bigger. And with Hasselblad there is not easy double exposure unless you take magazine off and then wind the film and cock the shutter. On RZ, do you wind film with lever on magazine or with RZ crank on the body?

polyglot · Feb 24, 2013

So Stone, was it you left holding that massive stash of Tech Pan that got sold here a few times?

RZ has a lever on the side to disable double-exposure prevention. Move the lever to M and it'll let you fire anytime. Using RB backs (including the 70mm; they didn't make an RZ 70mm back) requires use of the M lever to fire because the RB/RZ adapter plate doesn't handle the interlocks correctly.

gorbas · Feb 24, 2013

Thank you Polyglot! I have used RB quite a lot but RZ just few times. Liked very much that huge winding lever on the side of both cameras.

StoneNYC · Feb 25, 2013

gorbas said:
Thank you Polyglot! I have used RB quite a lot but RZ just few times. Liked very much that huge winding lever on the side of both cameras.

What Polyglot said.

You're right it's like gold, I didn't get it from here (though discovered the person is a member on here) I met them on Instagram which is a phone app that is silly but photographers I've met there seem nice, it's a photo "feed" so it's not a community just a "follow me" system like twitter.

Anyway it was the best trade I've ever made. I had a 70mm Hassleblad back that I thought I would get a hassy someday, but it's just too expensive so I traded one 70mm back for FOUR 15 foot rolls of tech pan! (They might be 20 feet I think the base is thinner so the reels hold more but can't be sure till I run them through). Really nice guy, we plan to get together if he visits NY this year. He sent me a "surprise" which was two rolls of 120 Ilford SFX and two rolls of Kodak Ektachrome G100 just to be nice!

Like I said nice guy, and he's a marine or Air Force or something Military guy so he serves the country which just adds to his awesomeness, not to mention he is the only military guy still in service who shoots LF so they commission him for special military shoots of soldiers on LF! Pretty cool.

Anyway it was a good day when that came in the mail...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

StoneNYC · Mar 2, 2013

Good news I just had to share!

Im not bragging I'm just excited, I just got a 70mm bulk loader on eBay yay! It was a buy it now price of $140, not cheap but certainly one of the lowest prices I've seen.

actually didn't have the money and fortune would have I was visiting my father and he's heard me talk endlessly about 70mm and he said he would buy it as a gift for me. Great Dad! Now I have to make a print for him from a shot I get from the 70mm spooled from the bulk loader.

gorbas · Mar 2, 2013

Lucky you Stone! Good luck with it! Enjoy!

StoneNYC · Mar 2, 2013

gorbas said:
Lucky you Stone! Good luck with it! Enjoy!

I've actually never seen a bulk loader, but I'm wondering, can I also bulk load 116 or 616 spools? Given no backing paper? Theoretically that is... I haven't gotten mine in the mail yet so I still have yet to see it.

It seems easier than I imagined, I'm thinking seriously now about bulk loading 35mm canisters... hmmm...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

gorbas · Mar 2, 2013

No, Stone, I'm afraid you have to do 116 spools manually, by hand. I started bulk loading 35mm some 35 years ago and it's easy, as long as you have all supplies and darkroom or the bag.

StoneNYC · Mar 2, 2013

gorbas said:
No, Stone, I'm afraid you have to do 116 spools manually, by hand. I started bulk loading 35mm some 35 years ago and it's easy, as long as you have all supplies and darkroom or the bag.

I have a bag, and 100' spools are fairly cheap, the cans, I've heard bad things of some brands. The cheapest I've seen are .89¢ per canister, are they re-usable like the 70mm ones?

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

homemade 70mm loader

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