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processing issues with sprials

If you want to stay in misery and frustration, broken/cracked film (especially with roll film) I can only advise to use old and contaminated plastic reels or metal reels who have fallen on the ground and being mis-used.

Particular the loading of a reel is where 90% of self processing is going into a failure. I can hardly understand why people want to use old crap and leaking developer tanks. Horrible!
 
Why use Photo-flo in the tank? I use a spray bottle with mixed distilled water and photo-flo, just before leaving the film to dry at room temperature. Then you don't need to throw away the plastic rolls.
 
Robert,

I agree that you do not want to use old crap. But a dirty reel is hardly that.

I happily use reels that are many decades old. If they get dirty, i clean them. Don't need to do that often, since i give them a quick rinse everytime i use them, before i put them away. (Doesn't everybody?)
They don't look like new. But they never caused me any trouble either.

Wetting agent is perhaps the stuff that cleans of easiest. You don't even need to take a brush to the reel.
But i haven't tested that some other stuff may even be easier to clean off, so can't vouch for it.
 
I always use wetting agent or color stabilizer/final rinse in spiral tank. Due to Tetenal's instructions (and people who never even rinse their spirals), there's an internet legend that using color stabilizer would do something bad to your spirals, but it's not true. I've done hundreds of films like this.

Now the legend seems to go on to BW wetting agent also!

Of course you have to wash your spirals afterwards, but that's the case anyway! I use quick rinse with warm or hot water and never have any problems. Every now and then a gentle wipe with dish brush also helps. If you don't wash your spirals at all, you also accumulate gelatin in them little by little.

If you have neglected the normal care for a long time, then you might need to soak them in a stronger detergent and brush them a bit more thoroughly to clean them.

Please don't throw your spirals away, give them to someone who needs them . They can spend two or three minutes to clean them if you can't.
 
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Also, the small synthetic cloth changing bags are nasty. Get a big old rubber-coated cotton Burke and James, and you'll be much more comfortable.
 
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