Which Bulk Film Loader?

I used to own a Watson bulk film loader -- sold it years ago when I downsized some. It worked, but I never really cared for it. It was barely beyond being an out-and-out piece of junk, tbh.

I've got a bulk roll of film that's been sitting in my freezer for too long, besides I'd like to try another emulsion or two, so the loader will definitely get some use this time.

I've been checking out film loaders on eBay and I see where there are a couple of other brands that use the same design as the Watson, but they appear, at least, to be better made. Boes and Alen were two brands I found. And then there's the Lloyd, which I find kind of cute -- and nicely compact.

So those of you who have had perhaps some experience with more than one type, I'd be interested in your feedback. Or if the type you're familiar with isn't a Watson, I'd be interested in your feedback as well.

I like the Aldens. I probably have a few extras of various brands, that I could part with. I have used Watsons before and they worked fine for me.

Do you have enough cartridges to load the whole roll? I ask because when I started shooting in 1970 and loading from bulk I just sat in the darkroom, opened the bulk roll, and would stretch out my arms, not quite all the way, cut off that piece, tape it to the core and roll it up and stick it in the cart. Never used a bulk loader until much later, Of course Kodak Snap Caps were 10 for a dollar and I could afford to have enough to load the whole 100 ft. at a time. Ah, life was simple. As to bulk loaders, I've got one, think it's a Alden. The same layout as that cheap Watson but better made and fitted. I also had one of those Watsons and I agree with your assessment 100%.

I had the use of a Watson ages ago, it wasn't mine I just borrowed it to bulk load the whole 30m of film onto re-loadable cassettes in one sitting. Nice enough unit. I have also used a couple of other units of similar design, probably identical but with a different name on the outside.

What did float my boat though, was the first time I used a Kaiser bulk film loader. The ease and the ability to load very cleanly. The unit has a film gate which is opened by inserting the wind key. The counter can be set to a few frames before zero, then watched for the amount of frames you wish to load.

I'm not sure if kaiser came up with this design, but there are a myriad of virtually duplicate versions out there at a extremely reduced price compared to the Kaiser unit. I have four of these units, one of which is a Kaiser, the others are for all practical purposes identical to the Kaiser, but their price is about 30% of the Kaiser.

The film dial itself is very handy in letting you know just how far you are through a 30m roll of film.

Mick.

Freestyle sells a version of that Kaiser loader. https://www.freestylephoto.biz/27326-Arista-35mm-Bulk-Film-Loader-Bobinquick-Junior
The major downside of the Lloyd loader is that it uses a felt light trap, so they are a bit vulnerable to getting dirty and causing scratches.

I have three different ones right now - two in operation.
The Watson style ones don't have felt in the gate, so they are less likely to scratch film.
The Kaiser type looks great.
I have a Lloyd (or is it Lloyds?) type that has the felt film gate, but offers a shorter path between that gate and the 35mm cassette - less "trailer" waste at the end of the roll.
FWIW, my Lloyd loader hasn't actually scratched any of my film.

I have the same Kaiser style loaders that Mick Fagan has and I have never had a problem with them. One is Hansa brand and the other is Konica branded, but otherwise identical.

I’ve been pretty happy with my Alden ($20 ebay purchase). The only hassle is remembering to lock/unlock the gate as you work. Only took me scratching one roll to avoid making that mistake again!

My brother-in-law just purchased the same one (also from the ‘bay) and he likes his as well.

Ultimately, I suspect they’re all fine and whichever one you’re used to will get the job done.

It is gamble. I have three, The best one is no name from Spain.

I have a couple Alden 74's and I think they work great. No complaints. That said, they are the only bulk loaders I have ever owned or used.

Just used a Loyd after using a Watson for a while. I gave an extra turn or two for good luck at the end. Now my cans have 40+ exposures on them...live and learn.

Over the years I have accumulated three of the type similar to Mick Fagan's Kaiser. Mine are branded Computrol, LPL and Konica. All with slight variations on the film counter arrangement. They have all been easy to use with no felt light trap and I can't say that any of them have given me any problem with scratching on films. A few miscellaneous cameras I have encountered have had sticky film rollers or bits sticking to the pressure plate which have given me issues with scratches.

For reloadable cassettes I have a load of plastic cassettes, about 30 years old now, which have never been a problem over many uses. My prized cassettes are the Ilford metal cassettes from the 80's which are strongly made and the end caps lock on well. I haven't tried splicing film to used cassettes from a mini lab. Not many mini labs left around here these days.

I was given a Watson, it's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it does what it is supposed to and has served me well over the past 20 odd years.

I too learned the hard way to open the "gate" before winding - realised after hearing the nasty scraping sound as I wound off the first roll - haven't done since.

I've been toying with getting one like MIck posted - I like the fact that it is more compact, along with some of the other features, just need to find one that fits my "like but, don't really need" budget.

I’m yet to discover the “goings on” in the darkroom when I’m not there - somehow the number of Watson 100 bulk loaders has increased to 7 units! Only 3 of which actually hold my Ilford film types. I find this style of loader easy to use without issues arising while loading cassettes.

Do the Keiser type allow for Leica FILCA cassetes? That’s why I’m using a Watson right now, it has a plastic t tab you remove to allow the cassette to fit.

Jezus, on eBay the Kaiser type loaders are listed for 150$, and the AP loader 200$

The only issue I have with the Watson and similar loaders is that I lose the last 2 frames on the roll. Not so bad IF you're aware of that as you shoot the roll. I think with the Lloyds type, it's just one frame.

Of course you can avoid that by starting in the dark, but that kind of eliminates the point of a bulk film loader.

mgb74 said:

The only issue I have with the Watson and similar loaders is that I lose the last 2 frames on the roll. Not so bad IF you're aware of that as you shoot the roll. I think with the Lloyds type, it's just one frame.
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The loss at the end is due to the film counter mechanism of the Watson 100.
VERY irritating when a GOOD shot is at the end of the roll, where it was exposed.

My brother's Lloyd's did not have a film counter, so did not loose the extra frame at the end.
You counted the number of turns on the handle, to determine how much film you loaded.

ac12 said:

The loss at the end is due to the film counter mechanism of the Watson 100.
VERY irritating when a GOOD shot is at the end of the roll, where it was exposed.

My brother's Lloyd's did not have a film counter, so did not loose the extra frame at the end.
You counted the number of turns on the handle, to determine how much film you loaded.

Click to expand...

No, the counter isn't the issue. When the light baffle is closed, it takes about 2-2.5 frames worth of film - now fully exposed to light - to attach to spool and then to insert the cassette into it's place with the wind crank.

With an auto advance body, it's easy to continue taking photos until the very end of the roll. Thereby losing 1 or 2 exposed frames.

I'm partial to the "Watson" 100, same loader has been labeled a lot of different names. The older "66" etc. with the removable door is a pain, you almost need 3 hands to run the thing. BTW you could arrange a small lamp on a foot switch, tape the film on the spool then take the foot off the switch and continue in the dark until you have the loading door closed and the "gate" open. Then you won't have that exposed frame and a half at the spool end of your rolls. I just load my rolls a little long and remember to shoot just the correct number of shots.

Chuckwade87 said:

Jezus, on eBay the Kaiser type loaders are listed for 150$, and the AP loader 200$

Click to expand...

***I said something like Holy something too. But they're "only" $80 @ Freestyle.
I've used Watsons in the past, didn't like the counter so just count turns of the crank. still work too.

My Nikon F cassettes work fine in a Watson.

I load in the dark now (no lost frames at the end) but for years used a Lloyd--for hundreds of rolls--with no scratches. What I did was every time I put a new bulk roll it, I ran some masking tape through the felt to clean it and pick up loose stuff. That ended the day I realized that cutting the right length was easy because one full arm span with my wrists/hands bent a bit inward was exactly 36 exposures plus the necesary leaders.

I like the Watson style loader the best. Usually I load cartridges which already have been used, with the film cut off close to the felt. But fresh ones, for which you still have to attach the film to the core, will work as well.

Just open the loaders lid with the gate closed. The film should stick out of the gate by 1cm. If necessary cut it, but that should only need be necessary the first time. With the lights on use two short strips of tape to join (on on each film side) the two film ends. Its easy to do, I'm sure anyone can figure out their own technique.

Switch off the light, open the gate and pull up the cartidge to place it into the winder part. With your finger tips check that the film perforation is running over the counter gears, close the lid and turn the gate all the way open so that the lid is locked by that little tab.

Lights come on, you can set the counter to the start position, spool as many frames as you like and close the gate. With the lights still on you open the lid and cut the film one cm (or as short as you can handle) from the gate. The exposed piece of film is just the right length for the leader. Cut it into shape and it's done. With a normal SLR you should have no or minimal fogging at the film end.

My other loader, which is similar to that Kaiser one, has a light trap without felt under the lid. So some light will penetrate a short partial length of the trap. I just don't know how much film is fogged. For that reason I cannot attach the next cartridge with the lights on, and that makes it more troublesome to use. Also, when finished spooling, I need to open the lid and cut the film in the dark to make sure, again, the the next film end isn't fogged.

That being said, with the Watson clone I made the grave mistake of opening the gate and lid at the same time. Yes there is the locking mechanism, but playing around to establish my method I did a kind of override. So I fogged my fresh bulk roll of HP5+. I'm still finishing the last feet of it in the loader, now.

The result was quite interesting. I had to dispose quite a few windings of film. Because the gate was a shaded, due to the angle of the light source, the fogging largely stopped except for the side of the film, where it made it through most of the roll. That means I have usually two frames per film roll that are partially fogged at the bottom of the frames, about one frame width. That's a thorough, and for now, ongoing lesson. But it didn't stop me from enjoying the results. I switched from Tri-X so I can bulk load, because it is a a great experience. OK a bit much excitement this time round. It also make it so cheap that I just don't think about the cost of HP5. I simply use it. Ok, not as trigger happy as with digital but it feels just as carefree. Also I can have different lengths of film in the cartridges.

Well, despite my misgivings, I bought a Watson today. It's an older 66 model. Looks really solid, better than the one I used to own, and I couldn't beat the price $17 shipped to my door. If I decide I don't like it, I can always sell it and get something I think I'll like more.