reloadable cassettes

bill h · Jul 2, 2016

TheRook said:
Why would plastic cassettes make you feel uncomfortable? The film certainly doesn't care what its housing is made of, as long as it properly shields it from light.

The film seem to be indifferent, just nostalgic I guess. Always thought the plastic was inferior.

mklw1954 · Jul 2, 2016

I use the Ultrafine metal cassettes and have loaded each of them 4-5 times. They seem flimsy but I've never had one that leaked or a problem with the caps staying on. I also read somewhere they should be used 5 times so I'll get to find out about that soon.

I also use plastic cassettes (unknown brand as someone sold a lot of 100 new ones without a brand name on them); no problem with them either but I don't feel as confident about the screw-on cap so I apply a small piece of scotch tape, about 1/4" long, to the cap and body and have had no problems.

I use a Rocket-Air blower to clean the felt, blowing outward from inside the cassette with the cap(s) off, and have never had any film scratches.

pbromaghin · Jul 3, 2016

mklw1954 said:
I use a Rocket-Air blower to clean the felt, blowing outward from inside the cassette with the cap(s) off, and have never had any film scratches.

Thank you for the great tip!

ciniframe · Jul 3, 2016

I've stopped buying bulk in 35mm because, for most films, the savings just are not there. Unless you have a real deal on some bulk film or you prefer custom or short loads I'm curious why folks still load from bulk. I do load 16mm into Minolta cassettes and slit and load 9.2mm into Minox cassettes. But those examples are of necessity, Minolta 16 no longer available and Minox 8x11 available but breathtakingly expensive.

narsuitus · Jul 3, 2016

ciniframe said:
...I'm curious why folks still load from bulk.

I prefer to roll my own 35mm film cartridges because I prefer using the metal felt-less Nikon AM-1 cassettes in my Nikon F2 35mm SLR.

Film Case by Narsuitus, on Flickr

MattKing · Jul 3, 2016

ciniframe said:
Unless you have a real deal on some bulk film or you prefer custom or short loads I'm curious why folks still load from bulk.

I definitely prefer having the ability to load custom lengths. I also like how compact unopened 100 foot loads are in the refrigerator/freezer.

CMoore · Jul 3, 2016

ciniframe said:
I've stopped buying bulk in 35mm because, for most films, the savings just are not there. Unless you have a real deal on some bulk film or you prefer custom or short loads I'm curious why folks still load from bulk. I do load 16mm into Minolta cassettes and slit and load 9.2mm into Minox cassettes. But those examples are of necessity, Minolta 16 no longer available and Minox 8x11 available but breathtakingly expensive.

I have plenty of time, so no loss there.
Regards cost...to be honest, i have not done the math. How many frames do "you" lose with each roll you make.?
Seems like you would still come out ahead pretty far.....but maybe not.?
You guys that do roll your own, what is the real savings.?
Thank You

Kawaiithulhu · Jul 3, 2016

Bulk isn't the bargain it used to be, I totally agree.

However it seems more common to find expired bulk rolls to buy and certainly easier than finding 18 individual boxes. Loading a short roll lets you get the exposure tested, then you now have 17 more to go of the same batch, which almost never happens with individual cartridges.

And it's a very compact way to store that many rolls, vs individual boxes.

It's just another tool in the chest to take advantage of if the situation arises that you find a deal, which I also totally agree with.

blockend · Jul 4, 2016

In the UK bulk loaded black and white film is around half the price of the ready loaded equivalent, depending on brand. Colour negative isn't worth loading, IMO.

I currently get through approx 4 x rolls of B&W and 5 x colour neg in a typical week, so costs add up. I process my own mono and C41 which keeps prices down.

Agulliver · Jul 4, 2016

Why do I bulk load? Because there is a cost saving with B&W film.

I'm currently running two bulk loaders, one with Fomapan 100 and one with Ilford HP5+
I tend to roll 36 exposure cassettes but it's nice to know I can make one with any length I wish. I can get 9 or 10 36 exposure films from a 50 foot (17 metre) roll. At £23 for the Fomapan and £36 for the HP5+ that is a saving or around 50% on over the counter prices and at least 1/3 on buying individual films online.

I also find it quite fun. It doesn't take long, nor does it take up much space. the cost savings please she who must be obeyed as she knows ceasing B&W photography is not negotiable. Any savings that I can make keep her happy, and allows me to buy more film Additionally I tend to have about 6-8 cassettes available for use at any one time, as I am not someone who practices photography every day. The bulk loaders actually take up less space than having 20-40 rolls around.

I find with a Watson or similar, I lose 2-3 frames at the end of a roll. But the advantage is that machine seems really well made and solid as a rock, and has a frame counter. The Lloyds style ("The Daylight") I lose about 1/2 to one frame at the end, and the lack of a frame counter isn't really a problem if I am honest.

I am also an occasional bidder on auctions for outdated B&W film, and even more occasionally colour. Although I like to support the remaining manufacturers by buying new film, this can be a very cheap way to obtain more film.

Ricardo Miranda · Jul 4, 2016

blockend said:
I currently get through approx 4 x rolls of B&W and 5 x colour neg in a typical week, so costs add up. I process my own mono and C41 which keeps prices down.

Ah, here is a man going after my heart!
4-5 rolls of B&W here with 1-2 colour neg thrown in.

Agulliver said:
I tend to roll 36 exposure cassettes but it's nice to know I can make one with any length I wish. I can get 9 or 10 36 exposure films from a 50 foot (17 metre) roll. At £23 for the Fomapan and £36 for the HP5+ that is a saving or around 50% on over the counter prices and at least 1/3 on buying individual films online.

I normally buy the 100 feet cans, but the price is about the same for Fomapan per feet regardless if you buy the 17m or the 30.5m versions.
BTW, 17m is more like 55.7 feet.

faberryman · Jul 4, 2016

A 100ft roll of Delta 400 from B&H costs $64.95 and yields twenty 36 exposure rolls. Those same twenty rolls purchased individually costs $149.80.

Juan Paller · Feb 13, 2017

Where can I purchase a bulk load of 35mm film cartridges (with or without DX coding)? I know there are some shops that sell them, but I want to know, who supplies the shops and buy directly from them at wholesale prices.

nsurit · Feb 13, 2017

I have an old Asahi Pentax re-useble cassette that was built to be reused rather than discarded. It has its own plastic case. Built with precision for I'm guessing a life time of use. They would be cost prohibitive today, but wouldn't it be nice to have a couple dozen of these?

pbromaghin · Feb 13, 2017

Juan Paller said:
Where can I purchase a bulk load of 35mm film cartridges (with or without DX coding)? I know there are some shops that sell them, but I want to know, who supplies the shops and buy directly from them at wholesale prices.

B&H has them for $1.25 each. Free shipping for over $50.

Gerald C Koch · Feb 13, 2017

Some films are only available as bulk rolls. If you want to use any of them you have to roll your own.

Eric Rose · Feb 13, 2017

canvassy said:
FreeStyle has Arista brand reloadable cassettes, in both metal and plastic. I've been eyeing them myself, has anyone used them before?

Ya buy $5 worth of cassettes and then they charge you $49 in shipping. At least to Canada anyway.

I use old Ilford cassettes, reloadable metal and plastic ones as well. In all cases I put black electrical tape around both ends to insure they don't come apart or leak some dark out. The one thing you have to check on a periodic basis are the felt traps. Sometimes they begin to come apart and leave little fibres on the film as it comes out. Nasty blobs on the neg after development I must say. Looks like wiggly logs.

reloadable cassettes

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