Issues with loading film on plastic reels - with solution!

Huss · Jul 7, 2020

I have a few Arista plastic reels that I bought from freestyle photo. The first couple of 35mm rolls loaded perfectly. Just pulled the leader out of the canister, and fed the film into the reel until I had to cut the tail end off the canister.
Then mysteriously, I had the worst issues trying to load film. It kept on binding, resulting in kinked/damaged film. I then realized that it was dependent on what camera was used. Traditional cameras with manual film advance levers bend the film back against itself as it advances, i.e. it goes against the curve of the film that was created from being in the cassette.
Auto load cameras advance the film in the same direction of the film curve as it loads into the camera. So it maintains the original curve.
The solution was to pull the film entirely out of the cassette for the traditional wind cameras, and load it from the end of the film strip. Works perfectly. So Nikon F/F2/F3/FM etc need to have the film removed from the cassette and loaded from the end. Nikon F4/F5/F6/F75/N2000 etc - all the auto loaders - can just be loaded from the beginning of the film strip.

One exception - Leica R8/9. Manual advance but they load like an auto load camera!

Donald Qualls · Jul 8, 2020

My method is to cut the loading leader off square. If I wound back all the way into the cassette, I have to open the cassette first, and the cut is approximate -- but anything close works better than the leader. Never had a problem, though I'm using genuine Paterson reels.

BSP · Jul 8, 2020

Whenever I have the patience to wait a few days before developing my 35mm films, loading into my plastic wheels goes a lot smoother....

AgX · Jul 8, 2020

Huss said:
ITraditional cameras with manual film advance levers bend the film back against itself as it advances, i.e. it goes against the curve of the film that was created from being in the cassette.

At such cameras you find either winding principle.

grain elevator · Jul 8, 2020

I too just cut the leaders off, thought that was well known standard practice. No need to struggle with unwound film like you have when loading from the end. You also can use the leaders for fixing time tests and such.

R.Gould · Jul 8, 2020

Never had a problem with loading 120 or 35mm film into plastic reels, whether from manual wind cameras, auto wind cameras or any other type of wind, in 60 years of using plastic reels, I've said it before, just take a pencil with a sharp lead and run it around the groves and the film, whatever type, just slides in like a hot knife i butter

AgX · Jul 8, 2020

R.Gould said:
Never had a problem with loading 120 or 35mm film into plastic reels, ...

Jobo explicetely stated that one even could load their reels when wet.
But that referred to the series 1000 reels with their barbs. Long ago they changed that with the new series.

jay moussy · Jul 8, 2020

A poster on the forum had a interesting tip to load 120 on plastic reels: insert a thin cardboard "ramp" (film width x 2" long) up to the metal roller balls, then present your 120 film onto this ramp, ten remove when film is engaged.

I tried, film slipped right onto the Paterson reel.
It feels like it takes care of the film floppiness (in apprentice's hands!).

R.Gould · Jul 8, 2020

AgX said:
Jobo explicetely stated that one even could load their reels when wet.
But that referred to the series 1000 reels with their barbs. Long ago they changed that with the new series.

I only have 1 jobo reel, which I very rarely use, ever since Paterson tanks and reels came on the market I have used those, and never had any sort of problem, I never scrub them clean them, I soak my films in wetting agent, last rinse, and just leave them to dry, never did anything other than run a pencil around the groves, but never would try loading them when wet, which is why I have a lot of them, so that I always have dry reels,

Huss · Jul 9, 2020

grain elevator said:
I too just cut the leaders off, thought that was well known standard practice. No need to struggle with unwound film like you have when loading from the end. You also can use the leaders for fixing time tests and such.

I do cut the leaders off. And trim the edges so it is a nice V shape. Doesn't make any difference (the trimming part).
On these reels the film binds against itself if I don't do what I do now (film that came out of cameras that bend it against the grain).

I don't open the film cartridge, just pull it all out and cut it off the end. Since I've done this film loading has been super quick and easy.

ColdEye · Jul 9, 2020

For plastic reels (120) I just removed the ball bearing. A lot easier. For 35mm I use Hewes reel, easiest thing ever.

Randy Stewart · Jul 10, 2020

I've been at this for pore than 60 years. I have used a lot of different plastic reels. So long as they are clean and dry. I've never had a loading problem with them. I do cut off the roll leader so the film end is square. My results may relate to the fact that I've never used a reel with those silly ball bearings in the loading ramp. They are not necessary to the loading process Someone (probably Paterson) started using those bearings, and many other makers jumped on board. For B&W I use steel reels and tanks (old Nikors - better made IMO). For color, Unicolor reels (plastic) in a Unicolor Film Drum.

Huss · Jul 10, 2020

Randy Stewart said:
I've been at this for pore than 60 years. I have used a lot of different plastic reels. So long as they are clean and dry. I've never had a loading problem with them. I do cut off the roll leader so the film end is square. My results may relate to the fact that I've never used a reel with those silly ball bearings in the loading ramp. They are not necessary to the loading process Someone (probably Paterson) started using those bearings, and many other makers jumped on board. For B&W I use steel reels and tanks (old Nikors - better made IMO). For color, Unicolor reels (plastic) in a Unicolor Film Drum.

Possibly, the Arista reels have ball bearings.

bernard_L · Jul 10, 2020

I concur with the statement of Huss. (although, both styles of take-up exist even in manual advance cameras). And the observation of BSP goes in the same direction. But, I do not have the patience. So, I take out a few cm from the cassette, and slide it against an edge to restore the curvature in the "normal" direction.
And the other precautions: snip corners of leaders at 45°; make sure spirals are dry; wash them in a hot sodium carbonate (washing soda, pH-Plus) solution once a year.

radiant · Jul 10, 2020

Just a small tip: for 120-size film use AP reels which has better leader-wings for easier loading. Paterson reels are good for 135 film but quite much more difficult when using 120-film, especially curling film.

I have neither had any problems with loading film when the reels are dry. I usually load two 120-films on one reel, it is a bit stretch but even that works too.

Deleted member 88956 · Jul 10, 2020

I always warm the reels with hair dryer before loading, never had an issue no matter which way film is wound on in camera. For 120 I have just bought Keiser (AP I believe same thing) reels with large built in ramp, hell of a difference with thin film base used these days.

Issues with loading film on plastic reels - with solution!

Deleted member 88956

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