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Loading Plastic and Metal Reels
Loading Plastic Reels
These images are obviously taken as if you were facing me while I was loading the reels. You'll have to do some mirror-image action to make it work out for you.
| Make sure you have all your needed tools. For me, that means a pair of scissors, a metal can opener, reels and my tank. |  |
| Use the can opener to pop off the end of the film cassette. I prefer this to the "bang on the table" approach, since it's a lot more controlled. Be careful when the end comes off - the edge of the cassette is pretty sharp. I have one scar on my hand already from an overzealous effort. |  |
| Snip off the film leader/tongue, then trim the corners of the film. If you're using the AP Photo style reels that I have, this last step isn't actually necessary. |  |
| Feed the film into the guides. It's a lot easier to do this with the AP Photo style reels, as you can see. |  |
| Pull the film as far past the ball bearings as you can. This will help ease the loading of the reel. |  |
| With the reel in front of you and your hands perpendicular to the floor, hold it so that the film is going away from you, into the reel |  |
| Hold your left hand still. Ratchet the right half of the reel backward and forward. This will push the film onto the ball bearings, which in turn pulls the film into the reel. |  |
| Once the film is almost all the way into the reel, snip off where it is attached to the spool. Some people just tear it off, but I prefer to use scissors. |  |
| Place the reel(s) onto the center rod of the tank. If you have loaded only one reel, make sure it's on the bottom. |  |
| Place the reel(s) into the tank. Make sure to put the reels onto the center rod (rather than just dropping them in there), and always put in 2 reels in a 2 reel tank, 3 in a 3 reel tank, etc. That way the reels won't move around during development |  |
| Put the top of the tank on tightly. My tank lid screw on; the Paterson style ones kind of lock into place. |
| Make sure you have everything you need beforehand. For 35mm, you'll still need the scissors and can opener. For 120, all you need is the roll, reel, and tanks. |  |
| After undoing the tape that holds the paper backing on, I unravel the entire roll. I put the film in my left hand while pulling off the paper backing with my right. I end up with two rolls, basically. |  |
| When you get to the end, you'll see that the film is attached to the paper backing with masking tape. Peel the tape off slowly - if you do it too fast you could generate enough static electricity to actually show up on the film. |  |
| After tempting the static electricity gods once already, I choose to just fold the masking tape over the film. This actually helps with loading, too, as it gives that end of the film a bit more strength and rigidity. |  |
| Feed the film into the middle of the reel. Make sure to keep the film straight and perpendicular to the center column of the reel. Clip the film into the center column |  |
| Have the reel itself in your left hand. Have the film trailing out to your right. Hold the film in your right hand so that you have 5-6" of straight film. I start off by having my elbows out from my body as I start each revolution of the reel. |  |
| I then bring my elbows in. This rotates the reel in my left hand and helps guide the film into the track of the reel with my right. I am pro-actively placing the film onto the track as I do this. |  |
| It helps to curl the edges of the film as you load it onto the reel. It's a bit hard to see in this picture, but hopefully you get the idea. |  |
| Use your left index finger to check for any irregularities as you load. The film should feel smooth and even. If you feel anything off, start over again. Remember that you can load SS reels wet, so the sweat from increased handling isn't a problem. |  |
| There's no center rod to deal with, so just place the loaded reel into the tank. Put the lid on and you're set. |  |