Patterson reels utterly useless?

Sirius Glass · Sep 13, 2015

Rick A said:
Make sure the ratchet balls are loose, not stuck. If you haven't used it in a while they may be jambed, may also be from not cleaning properly. Never expose the reels to PhotoFlo, it leaves a sticky residue.

Rick A said:
There are many threads on the subject of "why can't I load film on my plastic reels". They all come down to the same conclusion, cleanliness and keep them away from PhotoFlo.

RalphLambrecht said:
plastic reels, no matter what brand, only work right if they are absolutely dry;the tiniest bit of moisture in the tracks and the film will stick to it

photo flow never bothered me

Ian Grant said:
Reels need to also be clean, every time you unload them a trace of gelatin builds up on them from the film, a good wash in biological washing powder. I'm using Paterson reels I've had for 40+ years with no issues. A dishwasher tablet will work equally as well.

Ian

cliveh said:
Never had a problem with Paterson reels and as already said they should be bone dry before use.

Plastic reels must be completely clean and dry. The ball bearings must be completely clean. I have not had problems with plastic reels and use Jobo plastic reels. If I am not using the Jobo processor, I use Hewes stainless steel reels.

pdeeh · Sep 13, 2015

R.Gould said:
Typo should read ''so called'' patterson reel problems, as far as I am concerned the problem does not exist snd never has, use a pencil

Hehe

removed account4 · Sep 13, 2015

R.Gould said:
Typo should read ''so called'' patterson reel problems, as far as I am concerned the problem does not exist snd never has, use a pencil

pencil lead ( graphite ) is a wonderful lubricant.
i had ot take apart an old pencil sharpener
and when i put it all back together i rubbed pencil lead all over
the gears so they wouldn't bind up ...
100 pencils sharpened later all that graphite dust has done it for me !

==

i have yankee reels ( sort of like paterson but not )
i always found loading plastic reels to be a pain,
loading metal ones can be a pain too ...
YMMV

frank · Sep 13, 2015

Use whatever works for you. Toe-may-toe / toe-mah-toe

Xmas · Sep 14, 2015

I've had a Patterson reel for near 50 years without a problem yet.

Mr_Flibble · Sep 14, 2015

For the first time in about 3 years I had trouble spooling a roll of 35mm film onto Paterson reels. It was a roll of Rollei Superpan 200 from the latest batch. Now, it might be due to the film being very thin or the reels being dirty, I don't know.
Gave all the reels a good wash and scrub-down with a brush and some detergent.
The next rolls of 70mm film cut down to 127 format and a roll of 35mm went on just fine.

Marvin said:
Good reading as I just got a 2 reel Paterson tank. I am considering the 4x5 Paterson tank, as I am venturing into 4x5.

I love my Paterson Orbital tank. Easy to use and economical. They can be a bit hard to find and are somewhat pricey these days.
I use it to develop 4 sheets of 4x5 negatives in one go. I've added a pattern of self-adhesive rubber 'feet' to the bottom of the tank and did not bother to remove the 2 fins on the lid. Using 175ml of developer gives me a high enough level to fully submerge the sheets and low enough to prevent nightmare lines from developing where the developer sloshes against the fins.

sidewind · Sep 14, 2015

Like RobC said, too bad Patterson and Jobo isn't compatibel, I have 4 new 15xx reels I simply can't get a film into, no it is not because I didn't snip here and cut there, even an exposed film in broad daylight wont go in, so the reels and a 15xx tank, is just collecting dust. I have succeded in gluing a Jobo magnet at the bottom of a Patterson tank, and wet or dry, I'm happy spooling and developing film in my Patterson.

RobC · Sep 14, 2015

sidewind said:
Like RobC said, too bad Patterson and Jobo isn't compatibel, I have 4 new 15xx reels I simply can't get a film into, no it is not because I didn't snip here and cut there, even an exposed film in broad daylight wont go in, so the reels and a 15xx tank, is just collecting dust. I have succeded in gluing a Jobo magnet at the bottom of a Patterson tank, and wet or dry, I'm happy spooling and developing film in my Patterson.

I believe Hewes make stainless reels which will fit a Jobo or Paterson tank to order (with correct size hole down middle).
Phone or email them to check.

http://www.hewes.co.uk/

Arctic amateur · Sep 14, 2015

I find that polyester-based films are more difficult to spool on plastic reels than acetate-based ones. I haven't tried the pencil trick, I'd be worried about introducting a lot of fine dust into my tank.

Pioneer · Sep 14, 2015

The only film I have ever had any problem getting to load into my plastic reels (I use Paterson, Jobo, and AP) is Adox CMS 20 as it is very thin. Usually just a bit of patience, without trying to force anything, usually gets the job done. If it gets to hard then I remove the film, disassemble and brush the reel grooves out (especially the inner grooves), and try again. That has never failed to work so far.

I use Photo Flo. I clean my reels with a stiff brush in plain water every ten or so times of use. I do not try to load film into wet reels (a sure recipe for disaster.)

I fought with a metal reel setup once and after 30 minutes I tossed it in the waste can and immediately returned to my plastic reels with no further aggravation. If they work for you

I may have to give the pencil trick a try just for the fun of it.

Sirius Glass · Sep 14, 2015

Arctic amateur said:
I find that polyester-based films are more difficult to spool on plastic reels than acetate-based ones. I haven't tried the pencil trick, I'd be worried about introducting a lot of fine dust into my tank.

The pencil works, note that there is no graphite dust since a thin layer of graphite is rubbed into the base of the track.

Sirius Glass · Sep 14, 2015

[h=2]Patterson reels utterly useless?[/h]No, if they had been they would have never stayed in business so long.

gijsbert · Sep 14, 2015

Ay, I had trouble getting 120 400TX on the reel last night too, I pushed my second reel through the arm hole of my changing bag but I had trouble on that one too. Fortunately it was a test roll and at least on the scan the buckling marks are not very visible.
Soaked and cleaned the reels in water, but still a bit of trouble today loading TMY-2 but I did manage to get it on the reel with tiny increments.
So then I soaked the reel in a bit of dishwasher detergent while I went out and cleaned with a toothbrush and voila tonight the next TMY-2 roll went on very smoothly. Oh, I did also cut the corners off the roll, just to be sure!

Thanks for the all advice!

Sirius Glass · Sep 15, 2015

gijsbert said:
Ay, I had trouble getting 120 400TX on the reel last night too, I pushed my second reel through the arm hole of my changing bag but I had trouble on that one too. Fortunately it was a test roll and at least on the scan the buckling marks are not very visible.
Soaked and cleaned the reels in water, but still a bit of trouble today loading TMY-2 but I did manage to get it on the reel with tiny increments.
So then I soaked the reel in a bit of dishwasher detergent while I went out and cleaned with a toothbrush and voila tonight the next TMY-2 roll went on very smoothly. Oh, I did also cut the corners off the roll, just to be sure!

Thanks for the all advice!

You really get what you pay for here.

zanxion72 · Sep 15, 2015

Also, heating the reels with a hairdryer just before loading the film works wonders. Some guy in here had suggested this. I took it as a joke, but after trying it once, I always do it before loading a film on my patterson reels.

Xmas · Sep 15, 2015

zanxion72 said:
Also, heating the reels with a hairdryer just before loading the film works wonders. Some guy in here had suggested this. I took it as a joke, but after trying it once, I always do it before loading a film on my patterson reels.

The reels need to be bone dry if you have high humidity 24 hours is not long enough and a hair dryer addresses this.

RalphLambrecht · Sep 15, 2015

Xmas said:
The reels need to be bone dry if you have high humidity 24 hours is not long enough and a hair dryer addresses this.

+1

ColColt · Sep 15, 2015

I've used those reels since 1978 and nary a problem. If somehow, and it happened once but I noticed, one of the bearings gets lost somehow that will give a problem if the other side has one. Both should but it pays to check each time.

Boscoe · Sep 16, 2015

Unfortunately I had done nearly everything you guys have suggested apart from using pencils! I've never had it completely trouble free with the Paterson reels but for the past couple of years it's been plain sailing. I've even reeled film onto soaking wet reels and they've been okay. In this instance though the reels were very dry as they hadn't been used in a couple of months. Before I used them I made sure the bearings were loose and everything moves nicely. I started off with the film cut straight but after the first fault with the reel I rounded the corners of the film. Still got stuck. I then tried the other reel with no improvement. Both times the film would get about half way and just seize. I even tried a third time with the bearings removed from the reel but still nothing. I've never used photoflo and after every time I use the reels and tank I wash them up with washing up liquid, rinse them thoroughly and then leave them to dry completely on the draining board. I was using Pan F 50 which has a normal thickness.

Sirius Glass · Sep 16, 2015

BradS · Sep 16, 2015

Boscoe said:
Unfortunately I had done nearly everything you guys have suggested apart from using pencils! I've never had it completely trouble free with the Paterson reels but for the past couple of years it's been plain sailing. I've even reeled film onto soaking wet reels and they've been okay. In this instance though the reels were very dry as they hadn't been used in a couple of months. Before I used them I made sure the bearings were loose and everything moves nicely. I started off with the film cut straight but after the first fault with the reel I rounded the corners of the film. Still got stuck. I then tried the other reel with no improvement. Both times the film would get about half way and just seize. I even tried a third time with the bearings removed from the reel but still nothing. I've never used photoflo and after every time I use the reels and tank I wash them up with washing up liquid, rinse them thoroughly and then leave them to dry completely on the draining board. I was using Pan F 50 which has a normal thickness.

I've been using Paterson plastic reels for over thirty years. They can be very frustrating at times but for me, they are better than anything else I've tried. I didn't read though all the prior posts so, please forgive me if this is redundant. In addition to all that you mention here, may I also suggest that you clean the reels with a tooth brush and baking soda periodically. I mix just enough water with a table spoon of baking soda to make a little paste. Scrub the spiral surfaces of the reels with the baking soda paste and a tooth brush. Rinse with clear water and let dry over night. Seems to help. I also keep the reels out of the PhotoFlo (but, I do not know whether this matters at all).

bobwysiwyg · Sep 16, 2015

Not to be too redundant, I've never had problems either. Caveats, usually shoot TMax (stiffer substrate?), never put photoflo in the development tank and rarely use 36 exposure rolls. Using 24 exposure rolls I usually don't need to ratchet the film onto the reels, simply keep sliding it in by the film edges, and keep the reels scrupulously clean and dry.

schyter · Sep 17, 2015

I highly recommend you remove the beads of steel; they are useless... and cause further friction. Mainly with the 135 format.

Xmas · Sep 17, 2015

The little balls need to be free to move when they can't cause further friction if the reels are upright. Never thought of trying any other position...

You can remove the balls but then you need to use both thumbs.

I've had two of mine for more than 55 year never bothered to clean one yet but always ensure they are bone dry and that 35mm film has no reverse curl...

RattyMouse · Sep 17, 2015

Rick A said:
There are many threads on the subject of "why can't I load film on my plastic reels". They all come down to the same conclusion, cleanliness and keep them away from PhotoFlo.

Odd. I have developed over 300 rolls of film using the same Paterson reels AND Photo Flo. Never a problem.

Patterson reels utterly useless?

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