Lock 'n Load (practical)

[neildw]

Hi guys,

I wonder, do you ever have problems loading 120 or 35mm upon a patterson tank reel?
Loading 4x5 is no problem for me, but am always struggling to get that 120/35 film on the reel.
Any tips about this?
Because I'm afraid that I'm about to damage my rolls while loading them up.

[koraks]

Snip the corners so that the leading edge of the film that goes onto the spiral has nicely rounded corners. This prevents the film snagging on the reel, which is the primary cause of problems loading the film.

[Willie]

Humid or damp? Any wet or moist area on the holder can cause problems. Not rinsing well after using the reel in Photo Flo can cause problems as well.

[neildw]

Yes, but my main concern is more that the roll, rolls up on the loose end while rolling it up into the reel..
This must sound confusing. :-)

[BrianShaw]

Are you new to using these reels? I am. I got started by practicing loading in daylight. Also watching YouTube videos. Then practice with eyes closed. Then in changing bag. Then in changing bag with eyes closed.

My tips (as a novice): bend film tip backward to flatten film helps it go under the ball bearings easier. Then put thumbs over loading gate sides so film doesn’t “flip out”. I let the film curl but keep the curl aligned with the loading gate, Guiding with pinkie fingers. Also, found it easier to twist only one side of reel rather than twisting both simultaneously...

[C. D. Keth]

Yeah it can be tricky for a while, especially those tight 220 reels. You just have to practice in the light, then close your eyes and only look as a bail-out, then move on to doing live film.

[cowanw]

I let the curled film run between my pinkie (towards me) and ring (away from me) fingers just below the reel.
And yes, clip the leading corners to round them off, a 45 degree clip of about 1/8 inch on each corner works.

[Tin Can]

I HAD to get these new style with big ramps, my beat up fingers love them.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/122937-REG/Omega_455032_Universal_Adjustable_Multi_format_Reel.html/reviews

[Jim Noel]

Try loading roll film with a thumb and the 2 adjacent fingers having no feeling. I do it, but not like I used to.

[freecitizen]

All the above suggestions are good advice.

I always dry and warm up the reel with a hair dryer before loading the film …….... even if it is a dry hot day.

[6x6TLL]

Same here. Reels must be completely dry (btw I've been told never to use PhotoFlo on the reels, so I strip the developed film off the reel before dunking it in a second sink/tray with PhotoFlo), I separate the film and backing paper by rolling it backwards, remove the tape fastening the paper, then bend the end of the film backwards to make it as flat as possible and trim the corners so they are rounded.

Then I feed the end of the film onto the reel holding the rest of the film (in a tight roll) between ring and pinkie fingers, holding the reel between my other fingers. The pinkie fingers pull the rest of the roll back to provide a bit of distance so the film feeds onto the reel more or less straight. I do sometimes have problems when going past the first stop to load two films on one reel, but after overlapping films were ruined I stick to one film per reel.

Hope this helps.

[koraks]

@6x6TLL indeed, whenever 120 gives me trouble, I also try loading it with the other end first, i.e. the end that is at the center of the core when the roll comes out of the camera. Usually that's much easier than the other way around, since the curl is a little less on that end.

[Martin Aislabie]

I always start with the loading gates of the reel at the 9 o'clock position (ie with the entry gates nearest to you) when I am loading the start of the film.

Once I have the film engaged (2~3 ratchets) I move the entry gate position to between 10 and 11 o'clock to allow the film to follow the curvature of the reel before going in to the entry gates.

I also keep my thumbs very lightly touching the film - to make sure it is actually being pulled on to the reel and not just stuck.

I agree with the need for chamfered leading edges of the film.

Martin

[neildw]

Yes, that's the thing. If I hold to roll of film at the loose end (not at the reel end) and put it between two fingers it sometimes has trouble rolling up onto the reel and even sometimes rolling back off the reel.