I bulk load all the time. I don't actually care much which loader - I only use those to store the film. I pull some film off the spool in the dark and wind it by hand. I hate the plastic cassettes - they don't fit well in some cameras. There are plenty of reusable cassettes you can get, if you look for them. Old Ilford and old Kodak films came in reusable cassettes - although the older the cassette, the more likely it is to have cruddy velvet or leak light somehow.
Bulk loading allows you to make short rolls, which a lot of people (including me) like. However, every roll has the same amount of waste, so the more rolls you make from a 100 feet, the more you waste (4 inches of each roll, roughly, making the leader - add 1-2 inches to the other end if you use the actual loader to load the film).
Bulk loading is mainly for people who do their own developing. Otherwise, you need to tell the lab to give you back your cassette - which may slip their mind (or yours).
It is definitely cheaper to bulk load. Even if you buy the outrageously-priced Kodak bulk rolls of Tmax or Trix, you save a bit of money over buying factory rolls.
I bulk load nearly all of my 135 b/w film. A Watson-style unit holds my bulk roll, which I wind onto the spindle using a little hand-crank (the crank is made by Leitz!) Bulk loading works ok for me because the cost savings outweigh the cons, just barely. And the cons are many:
* Obtaining good quality metal cassettes. I use mostly Kodak snap caps, plus a few Kalt metal cassettes; both of which are increasingly hard to find. You have to clean the felt lips minimize the risk of film scratching. I’ve never used plastic cassettes.
* Securely taping the film to the spindle. I use blue or white masking tape, and it’s pretty reliable. However last summer the masking tape failed on one of my cassettes, preventing me from opening the camera to retrieve the exposed film until I got back to my darkroom. Major inconvenience.
* Cassette end caps popping off. This has never happened to me in the field, probably because I’m super careful about making sure the end caps are firmly engaged. This is presumably not a problem with plastic screw-tops or reused commercial cassettes.
* Light leaks during the loading process. I wish I could say this hasn’t happened to me. I’ve never lost an entire bulk roll, but I have exposed individual cassettes. Opportunities for this kind of mayhem are plentiful, involving every step of the process. It doesn’t take much wasted film to erase the cost savings from bulk loading.
* Cassette labeling. I bulk load HP5 and FP4. I once shot and developed two bulk loaded rolls of FP4 as if they were HP5. After that fiasco, I now write the film speed on every cassette, and on the plastic cans they travel in. I don’t rely on dx coding.
If you’re willing to accept these cons, and are careful and methodical in your loading and use of bulk film, then I recommend it.
one thing to watch out, if you get a loader as part of a load of darkroom equipment, I have found a few with a chip out of the light trap. which would not be a good ting to find out later.
My experience with mass loaders is not very good. I had bought some old Watsons and Computrols with the idea of using them for various films. But the first unpleasant experience with them is that you lose the last one or two frames. This can be especially annoying if you miss an important point. To avoid this, you have to load in complete darkness, which to me pretty much makes the loader pointless.
The second thing that stopped me from using them is that they take up too much space in the fridge, and they take a lot more care when defrosting. If it condenses, it's bad for the film.
The third - I have a bad experience with scratching the film. It could be specifically from my loader numbers, but...
I wind rolls by hand without using a loader. I have made a methodology and it is done quickly, without problems.
Just an idea. My friend uses small pieces of phosphorescent (glow in the dark) stickers to mark small objects. Especially the lids. Sometimes he distributes bulk 120 film to his acquaintances. His film cans are labeled as such. All important items, such as scissors, louder parts, could be labeled this way.TIP;
If you have any extra cassette lids, pack them along, as you'll never know when you might mislay one in or around a dark changing bag or tent.
I started out with a Watson 100 a few years ago. Figured out how to save those frames at the end to make it a little more economical with a change bag.
Yeah, I do the same. I actually load the cassette itself in the dark with the loader's lid open because the counter mechanism tends to jam easily. I just run the film over my thumb and count turns. It's super fast, too; takes only a couple seconds to spool a roll. Cutting, taping and cassette assembly takes up most of the time.
If you get film end cutter and AP cassetes you don’t have to tape! Giant saving of time!!!!!!!
Where do you get such a gadget?
Ah. Well. Maybe it's a good thing that I figure my life would take more than this to be veritably changed. Nice gadget, but I think I'm good with a pair of scissors and a roll of masking tape.LIFE CHANGER!!!
Someone posted about this one a while back. I have no personal experience of it. 80 dollars. It punches two little holes, which have to have the right kind of spool to attach to.
Film Spool End Trimmer
This trimmer will help you cut the shape to slot into the film canister spools (only works for Fujifilm style 2-pin spool ) Robust quality, a tool you can use for a decade Weight: 500g Free standard shipping to worlwide To comply with regulations, VAT will apply if you are from the European Union.reflxlab.com
On a similar vein, what are you doing getting grit anywhere near your film cassettes? Film should come out of the plastic tub and then be loaded into a clean camera. Shoot the film and return the cassette to a clean tub before subsequent development. No need for any grit to get near your film.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?