plastic or steel 35mm reels? tank?

BetterSense · Jan 15, 2009

I don't develop film yet but I'm thinking about getting into it. I notice that there are plastic and steel tanks as well as plastic and steel reels. Which is better, the plastic or the steel?

JBrunner · Jan 16, 2009

Elvis or the Beatles?

David A. Goldfarb · Jan 16, 2009

Stainless steel.

Now which is better, Canon or Nikon?

KenS · Jan 16, 2009

stainless...

Kindermann 500 ml tank with 2 Hewes reels

Ken

JBrunner · Jan 16, 2009

David A. Goldfarb said:
Stainless steel.

Now which is better, Canon or Nikon?

Nikon.

Hewes.

All else is pretenders.

JMC1969 · Jan 16, 2009

Stainless uses less chemicals if you are dumping. Just don't drop them.

mgb74 · Jan 16, 2009

In case you haven't gleaned from the comments above, there's a great deal of personal preference involved.

By in large, you use the same brand reels and tanks if plastic, SS is more interchangeable. I'm not aware of using plastic reels with SS tanks and or SS reels with plastic tanks.

Here's my take:
plastic reels are generally easier to load (a big plus if you're beginning)
SS reels can be loaded if wet (in case you're developing one roll after another)
SS tanks generally use slightly less chemical

Starting out, I'd recommend plastic.

waileong · Jan 16, 2009

There's personal preferences, there's also characteristics of plastic vs steel. Do some online search and you'll find the strengths and weaknesses of each, then decide.

JMC1969 · Jan 16, 2009

Yeah loading plastic reels while they are wet, is a head ache. I actually had someone bring me film that was wet itself (as an art project) and i needed to load it on plastic reels. There is a way to do it, but you will need a 5 gallon bucket. Load it under water, it works, I've done a couple of times.

Colin Corneau · Jan 16, 2009

You gotta pick one. So you might as well go with what will work well a year or ten down the line.

Get s.s.

Take a roll of exposed film, and practice loading it on in the light. Get good at it. It'll come, don't worry.

Now do it with your eyes closed, a few times.

Then wonder what all the fuss was about. 8^)

jmcd · Jan 16, 2009

I prefer stainless reels. Many brands are fine, Hewes are great.

Kindermann tops are fantastic because they pour fast. I use them on stainless tanks.

Alex Bishop-Thorpe · Jan 16, 2009

I prefer stainless, but I have both, because my SS reels and tanks are pretty worse for wear.
It's up to personal choice. I'd take whichever are more readily available, they both require some practice to get used to.

Tim Gray · Jan 16, 2009

I like stainless. If you get stainless, get the Hewes reels for 35mm. They make life so much easier. I use the generic steel tanks from freestyle/B&H with the black tops.

The first reel I ever loaded was stainless and I had zero problems doing it. Just bow the film ever so slightly and it guides right in.

On the other hand, if you get used to plastic, you are one step up if you end up using a roller base, Jobo, or Phototherm to do your development. I don't know if metal tanks/reels work as well there.

archphoto · Jan 16, 2009

I prefer SS because of the above and they are easier to clean if needed.
I never had any resudue with SS, in plasic a couple of times.

Peter

VaryaV · Jan 16, 2009

Stainless..... for some reason I don't get along with plastic.....

Mark_S · Jan 16, 2009

I use both - if I am processing by hand, I use SS for 35mm. Hewes are head and shoulders above the rest, much easier to load, and they don't seem to go out of alignment. Some older SS reels that have been dropped or bent are impossible to load. I can finish processing one roll on a SS reel, and immediately load another roll onto the same reel. If I have one or 2 rolls, I use the SS and develop by hand.

If I am going to be processing a lot of film, I use plastic reels that fit in my Jobo Processor. Impossible to load when wet, but relatively easy when dry.

Practice with a dummy roll in the daylight. It will make it all much easier.

eskyone · Jan 16, 2009

I have both and would not consider using the plastic again unless I had no other choice.

fschifano · Jan 16, 2009

I have both and I prefer to use the plastic ones. It's just easier, and you know what? The film comes out looking the same. SS is fine if you like. I just don't see any great advantage to them for most tasks.

Plastic tanks transfer less heat than SS tanks, and this is handy if you don't use a water bath for temperature control. Yes, plastic reels are a bitch to load if they're wet. But when they're dry they are a treat, especially for 120 film. Oh, and did I mention that they're inexpensive? You can get a tank and two reels for the cost of one Hewe's reel.

Akki14 · Jan 16, 2009

Buy lots of plastic reels and keep them in a safe, dry place, then you won't have the loading when wet problem. I use the paterson tanks because that's what I've always used and I have an "if it's not broken, why fix it" policy towards these things.

pgomena · Jan 16, 2009

Go with stainless. Once you learn to load the reel, it becomes an automatic, unconscious act. I've never had trouble with steel reels. I once owned plastic and had problem with air bubbles. Yes, my fault, but I've never had a similar problem with steel.

Peter Gomena

Dave in Kansas · Jan 16, 2009

If I may add my 2 cents... I started out years ago with the plastic reels and tank. During warm/hot humid weather the film could be really difficult to snake onto the plastic reels, especially when I used a film changing bag. Out of frustration one night, I smashed my first plastic reel and tank. Nothing like ruining a roll of film because you can't get it onto the reel. I wasn't set up to do tray developing at the time.

I then got a Patterson tank and it was much better, but still found the film would want to occasionally jam or lock up before I got it loaded all the way, even when I trimmed the sharp corners off the leading edge of the film. They just seemed to sometimes snag on the reel spokes - not always, just sometimes.

After practicing with a test roll of film a few times using a stainless steel reel, I determined it was better for me.

removed account4 · Jan 16, 2009

i have both, but use stainless more often.
a friend told me once that plastic is better
mainly because your hands will warm up the chemistry
in a stainless tank between the time you start and the time you stop.

while that might be true, i just find it easier to use metal reels, and
only use plastic when i am in a pinch ...

Phillip P. Dimor · Jan 16, 2009

I'd start with a plastic tank and reel. They are easier to load and less likely to give you problems in the beginning. Patterson reels and tanks are good.

You don't need a changing bag. After all these years, I hate changing bags.
I just find a dark room/closet and load it in there. Much easier.

I no longer own plastic tanks or reels and I find stainless steel to be easier to use (kindermann and hewes reels) but there's a learning curve. The plastic reels work fine, especially until you get the hang of things.

Loading cheap stainless steel reels is hard, especially if they are bent. The clips are all wrong, in the wrong spot, missing, etc. Kindermann's are excellent, and there is a 35mm kindermann film loader that makes it extremely simple to load.

DragonHrt · Jan 16, 2009

I like plastic. If you drop a SS reel there bent and never get them to work right again. I have 30 year old Paterson reels and tanks and they work just fine. Also with SS tanks it takes much longer to dump out developer when you develop 3 or more rolls of film you start getting uneven development.

df cardwell · Jan 16, 2009

Steel

Hewes reels, Kinderman tank and lid.

Better in every way.

plastic or steel 35mm reels? tank?

BetterSense

JBrunner

Moderator

David A. Goldfarb

Moderator

KenS

JBrunner

Moderator

JMC1969

mgb74

waileong

JMC1969

Colin Corneau

jmcd

Alex Bishop-Thorpe

Tim Gray

archphoto

VaryaV

Mark_S

eskyone

fschifano

Akki14

pgomena

Dave in Kansas

removed account4

Phillip P. Dimor

DragonHrt

df cardwell

plastic or steel 35mm reels? tank?

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency