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Rolling my own 35mm

hvandam2

Member
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Joined
Dec 15, 2008
Messages
41
Location
Broomfield C
Format
Multi Format
Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about buying my film in the 100 foot rolls and spooling it. Anyone have experience with this? It seems to be an economical way of doing things after purchasing the winder.

Thanks in advance!
 
I do this and it is economical. I've found that after the first roll or 2 though that the winder left scratches. I've decided to just roll them by hand from now on without the winder. Very economical if you leave out getting the winder!
 
Hello Howard of Dutch Descent Rolling your own is certainly worth it. You had better do a search here on Apug and you'll find lots of discussions and answers.

Go for it

Hans
 
If you have a good bulk loader for 30,5m/100ft it will not leave scratches. Same is valid for the cassettes you're using. You can re-use a few times. But spooling by hand in the darkroom is also possible.
The biggest advantage is a variable number of negatives. The financial advantage is limited and depending on brand/type of film.
 
I agree with all of the above. When I first started bulk loading, I was losing the last couple of frames on each roll because of the exposed portion of film that forms the end of one roll, and the beginning of the next. I now only open the loader in the dark (despite them being daylight loaders!), and that particular problem has gone away!

I've found Discount Films Direct to be a good source for bulk film - often a few quid cheaper than elsewhere. Expiry dates are about the same as elsewhere IMHO. Don't know if they ship internationally though.

Just a thought!
 
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Thanks all, both of my sons are doing some B&W as well, so this is the way to go
 
Rolling your own

My firm recollection is that some films are not well-suited to rolling your own. Those would be films that have very stiff backing materials. If I'm not mistaken, Velvia and also probably Provia are not suitable for this reason.
 
Yesterday I bought four cans of Fuji B&W film so I'll be self loading for a long time. Not bad for £80.
 
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Hi Jim, Digitaltruth.co.uk has a special offering right now.
 
It depends on the film if it's cheaper. There can be a real savings involved with some films. I always load 36, and I never use a bulk loader.
 
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I always bulk load, in this country regular rolls are hideously expensive. Considering some of that re-branded Tri-x next time, it's going to be half the price again...
 
mablo said:
Hi Jim, Digitaltruth.co.uk has a special offering right now.
Click to expand...

Mablo - thanks for that.... just ordered 2 cans of the legacypro 100.

Not used this film before, so really lookin' forward to getting out and shooting some. Unfortunately, I'm moving house next weekend, so will be tied up with that for 2-3 weeks, but... when the new d/room is up and running, it gives me (another) new project to leap into straight away!!

Is it true that this is rebranded Acros 100?
 
How do you cope with not letting dust settle on the film while bulk loading by hand?
Click to expand...

The bulk roll stays in the bag on my lap. The film only traverses a couple feet of air between the bulk roll and the little roll.
 
I found that a bulk loader can be fast, and accurate. And I only get scratches on the film if I crank the loader too fast; craning slowly insures no scratches, and the bulk loader allows very accurate frame counts. In the USA I think the cheapest place for bulk B&W Kodak is FreeStylePhoto.biz. They rebrand Kodak Plus-X, and Tri-X: Arista Premium ISO 100 & 400 respectively.
 
roll you own

fore those of you who, roll without a bulk loader, please explain how you do it....thank you
 
In the USA I think the cheapest place for bulk B&W Kodak is FreeStylePhoto.biz. They rebrand Kodak Plus-X, and Tri-X: Arista Premium ISO 100 & 400 respectively.
Click to expand...

That's true, but realize that the Arista Premium bulk rolls are not significantly cheaper than buying the pre-rolled cartridges. It amounts to an 11% savings over buying the infinitely more convenient, reliable, and easier 135-36 rolls. And you get lots of free 35mm protective canisters in the deal. Remember there is a cost in using the re loadable cartridges and bulk loaders too. Not to mention time.

Buying bulk Kodak TMY is a 44% savings over buying it in cartridges. Now that is something worth your time over. Bulk LegacyPro 100 is a 33% savings.

fore those of you who, roll without a bulk loader, please explain how you do it....thank you
Click to expand...
My system is unrefined and possibly not worth following. But what I do is put pieces of masking tape on 18 35mm spools and set them on the counter. I lay the reloadable cartridges and caps nearby. I open the bulk film can and take out the black bag. I set the bulk film can aside. I reach in the bag, takeoff the rubber band or tape. Then I set it, still in the bag, on my lap while I sit on my chair. I pull the free end out of the bag and tape it (the proper way) to a 35mm spool. Then I insert the spool into a reloadable cartridges and put the cap on. Then I use a homemade crank that I made out of a piece of dowel rod to wind the film into the reloadable cartridge. It takes 30 full turns for 36 exposures, if I remember correctly. I figured this out by counting how many it took to wind on a commercial roll. Then I tear the film off with my fingernails and repeat for all the cartridges. The bulk spool spins inside the black bag. For the most part the film is protected from dust and stray light because it's either in the bulk bag, or in a cartridge.
 
BetterSense.....thanks for your reply
 
FWIW, If you are tempted to bulk load any color films make sure you have a lab that will take them to process. Back in the 70s here in Texas a disgruntled employee fed a "hand loaded" cart (with bad stuff in it ) through the processing machinery at Fox Photo in San Antonio - at the time (I believe) the second largest processor in the US after KODAK.
Ruined thousands of rolls of customer film and the company's reputation forever.
Although I've never looked very hard, I've never found a lab that would take bulk loaded color.
 
I send lots of E-6 35mm to Samy's camera. They even send me my cartridges back.
 
You can minimize the danger of scratches by using a bulk loader like the Watson which does not have a felt light trap. Then you only have to make sure that the felt light traps on your cartridges are clean. The Watson will fog the last two frames on your roll so you will need to compensate by adding the appropriate number and by paying close attention to your camera's film counter.
 

I've started rolling my own with a Watson just recently. What I have done is cut the leader close to the light trap, tape it to the reel, then in the dark, I pull it out the last few cm's, attach it to the crank and close it up. Thus far, I have reduced the fogging (& you only need spend limited time in the dark).
 

There are other advantages other then cost though, I've loaded rolls as short as 6exp, for shooting where you need to shoot using Zone system methodologies. You know that a bulk roll is all the same lot/emulsion, although a brick is usually all the same, there are often no guarantees.

In the moderate to distant future, it may be the only way to go, spooling off MP rolls.
 
cpnp said:
fore those of you who, roll without a bulk loader, please explain how you do it....thank you
Click to expand...

I use my bathroom, since with a towel over the window it's completely dark. From here I found the measurements for 24 exposure films. I then measured the lengths from the ceiling (which is low) and taped a piece of plastic at 119cm (24exp.) In the dark I take the roll out and put the end up to the ceiling, then roll it down to the plastic I taped on the wall. Then I cut the film, and roll it onto the spool by hand. It can be done quickly: about 1 minute per roll.

I've never had any scratches, nor light leaks.
 
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