Loading Hewes Stainless Reels-?

I got sick of film getting stuck in clean Paterson reels and jamming and kinking my film and I found a Hewes Reel and bought a tank. I notice that when I load these, if I don't engage the first two sprockets on the prongs, the leader touches the next winding of film. How do I load these and prevent that/>

Thanks

are those 35mm reels? If yes you can (before loading film in darkness or changing bag) retrieve film leader from 35mm cassette, trim it using scissors, engage sprockets on the beginning of the leader (you will have to pull more leader, just enough to engage sprockets, but it was exposed anyway while loading film into camera). Now in darkness or in changing bag (without opening the cassette) load the film, cut the end of the film (you can use cassette opening as a guide). This is how I was doing it with hewes reels.

You stick the film past the two prongs, the leader of the film going into the core of the reel. Let the prong engage in two sprockets that allows for enough film to stay in the core of the reel, but without sticking out the other side.

Then spool the film up. The two prongs are there to make sure your film is perfectly aligned before you spool the rest of the film onto the reel. When I first got the Hewes reels for 35mm I thought it was difficult the first time, but once I figured out exactly how to load them, they are almost fool proof (because not even I screw up with them ).

Bend the film slightly into an arc while loading--I learned this at the US Army photo school.

Thanks, I already knew the bending trick, I'm just having difficulty keeping the film aligned and without too much film sticking outside

Hmm... I try to hook the sprocket holes near the end ( the first or second sprocket hole ) but reading Thomas' post made me realize you could push more into the core and hook it further along... that would probably be easier. I'll try that next time.

Getting the alignment straight is the main thing, and the sprocket holes make it easy with 135, but I always fumble a little with 120 clip to make sure it is really straight and sometimes that can cause "oyster shell" crescents on the last frame, although that hasn't happened to me for quit a while now ( why did I go and type that... really asking for it! )

try practicing in the light. helps to see it then to feel it.
just my 0.02

Yeah, I gotta say that Hewes reels are my favorite - once you get the hang of them they are cake to load. Try practicing in the light a few times - hook the film on the last sprocket holes you can engage and then load normally, giving the film a kind of convex shape. It should go on pretty easily if you just get the last two sprockets engaged.

I cut the leader off in the changing bag. I kind of feel where it ends, snip it off, then load the reel with the first two holes.

As mentioned, practice in the daylight with some unusable film. As for my $0.02 worth: I hold the reel in my left hand (film in my right) with my index finger located at the prongs. This serves two purposes: (1) it makes sure I am holding the reel in the correct direction, and (2) the left index finger is used to receive and guide the film onto the prongs. Using the index finger on my left hand, I find it easy to hook the leader onto any of the perforations I want.

As for cutting the leader off, I borrowed a technique from my hairdresser (used to be called a barber!). After removing the film from the cassette, hold the leader between your index finger and middle finger with enough of the film protruding above your fingers so as to include the narrower portion and a bit (sorry, I don't know the technical term for this part of the film). Using scissors and these fingers as a guide, cut the leader above your fingers. I'm amazed at how consistent and square my cuts have become. However, with Hewes reels the leader doesn't need to be square or between the perforations.

I retrieve the leader in the daylight, I cut it off in the daylight too. Easy and less steps to do in the changing bag.
I have LPL reels which also have 2 prongs like Hewes, great quality and super easy to load compared to my paterson reels.
Like others have said, waste 1 roll to practice in the daylight. It will be easy after that.

Tips from my thousands of 35mm days.

Don't wind your leaders all the way back into the canisters at the end of the roll. Learn to stop winding as soon as it disengages from the take-up reel. Many cameras that automatically rewind at the end of the roll via motor can be set to leave the leader out. Get in the habit of just creasing the leader over when you take it out so you know which rolls are shot. We used to wear rock climbers chalk bags on out belts and just stuff the shot rolls into them. When we got back to the paper, the film bag was all we needed to take inside.

Learn to tear off the leaders by hand. It's not hard at all and it's faster, simpler and requires one less tool in the dark. They don't need to be perfectly straight.

Mount one of those 35mm "openers" where you load reels. Or use reusable film canisters. If you're using reusables, just hold it with the extended portion of the reel pointing down grip the outer canister and bang it on the table. The end that pops off will wind up right in your palm. If you're using disposables, it's an option to not open them at all. Just tear off the leader and load it from the canister right onto the reel.

Ignore the prongs on the reel. Make the arc, feed the end into the center of the reel and start rolling it onto the reel. It just takes practice.

We could load 12 reels into the Wing Lynch at a time. Someone coming back from a big event like an NFL game would grab a volunteer, divvy up the film and we'd race in the dark. We could load 12 rolls pretty darned fast.

Get a practice roll and practice with yout eyes closed.

NedL, I wouldn't push more into the core; the tip of the film rubs on the inner most spiral

GarageBoy said:

NedL, I wouldn't push more into the core; the tip of the film rubs on the inner most spiral

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Which if I understood correctly was what this post was all about in the first place! Okay, and this also fits with if it ain't broke don't fix it. Thanks.

Not the smoothest canister opening ever, it usually comes off in a second or two.
But you get the idea.

http://youtu.be/6d5KDNpWcz0

jstraw said:

Tips from my thousands of 35mm days.

Learn to tear off the leaders by hand. It's not hard at all and it's faster, simpler and requires one less tool in the dark. They don't need to be perfectly straight.

Click to expand...

IN my film editing days it was de rigeur and the image of a show off to be able to snap film one handed. The trick is to concentrate force on the sprocket hole but it's hard to describe. Rolling a long strip of film onto a core or bobbin one handed? Piece of cake.

Ross Chambers said:

IN my film editing days it was de rigeur and the image of a show off to be able to snap film one handed. The trick is to concentrate force on the sprocket hole but it's hard to describe. Rolling a long strip of film onto a core or bobbin one handed? Piece of cake.

Click to expand...

Yeah...but rolling film onto the reel one handed requires counter space not everyone has.

If you don't know the drill, picture "walking the dog" with a yo-yo but kind of in reverse.

jstraw said:

Yeah...but rolling film onto the reel one handed requires counter space not everyone has.

If you don't know the drill, picture "walking the dog" with a yo-yo but kind of in reverse.

Click to expand...

I'm just being a boastful Smart Alec there, it's not really applicable to 35mm still film in a canister. I did work for a short time with a guy who had worked with George Lucas in the cutting room and said that he was a champ at all the silly games film editors and their assistants used to play with FILM (not pixels) Heaven knows what they do to unwind, so to speak, in their digital suites now.

GarageBoy said:

...I notice that when I load these, if I don't engage the first two sprockets on the prongs, the leader touches the next winding of film. How do I load these and prevent that/>

Thanks

Click to expand...

We have up to 75 beginning students and 50 advanced students every semester rolling film onto Hewes reels. We have never worried about the leader touching the next winding. Does not affect anything since that first winding is all leader.

Vaughn said:

We have up to 75 beginning students and 50 advanced students every semester rolling film onto Hewes reels. We have never worried about the leader touching the next winding. Does not affect anything since that first winding is all leader.

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Exactly so. This is why it's never occurred to me to think about it. You can't really put enough film into the core to have this become an issue. Worrying about the prongs is to develop a knack that you don't need. Same goes for reels with a spring clip, like my 120 reels.