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Roger Hesketh
5-Dec-2012, 19:27
Please I would appreciate any suggestions you might have as to how I might process a roll of black and white 122 Roll film? I bought a couple of rolls of it a few years ago when Film for Classics were still doing it. I decided the other night it would be a nice idea to expose a roll of it to try an older camera I have out. Then the penny dropped. I did not know how to process it.

The obvious low tech way would be to dip and dunk it into buckets in the dark. Hold one end of the film in one hand the other in the other hand and draw the film back and forth through the solutions. Unfortunately a few years ago I developed a muscle disorder which affects my arms and legs and makes all such movement extremely painful. I suppose I could get somebody to dip and dunk it under my direction but I would really rather prefer to do such things myself.

Does anybody please know of a spiral that might take such film. For those of you who do not know 122 roll film was used in amongst other cameras various Kodak Autographic cameras and the Graflex 3a SLR. In those cameras a postcard sized negative 3 1/4" x 5 1/2" was produced on roll film. It is a brilliant idea what a shame the film was discontinued in 1971.

In due course as soon as I have worked out a way of preventing scratching to the film emulsion I intend to convert the camera a Graflex 3a to use readily available 120 roll film.

Thanks in advance

Roger

Michael Cienfuegos
6-Dec-2012, 09:51
The easiest way is to use a Nikor 122 reel. I would say that you have about as much a chance of finding one of those critters as you do getting a roll of Kodachrome developed today. :( ( There was on on eBay about two years ago and it went for a horrid amount of money.) I developed a few rolls in an open container using the see-saw method. Clumsy, messy, but it works. Good luck.

domaz
6-Dec-2012, 11:42
Maybe you could attempt surgery on a 120 reel. Cut off the center support so you just the two sides of the reel then cut a new center support using a dowel to the right size for your film. It could work, plastic reels are common enough it might be worth experimenting.

Michael Cienfuegos
6-Dec-2012, 11:46
Maybe you could attempt surgery on a 120 reel. Cut off the center support so you just the two sides of the reel then cut a new center support using a dowel to the right size for your film. It could work, plastic reels are common enough it might be worth experimenting.

I had a few unsuccessful attempts with a plastic reel. I think it could work if you kept everything completely square, mine wasn't and I gave up after a few tries.

jnantz
6-Dec-2012, 14:55
hi roger

is it ortho or pan film ?
you could see-saw the film in a tray of developer
that was the standard practice for ortho roll film back in the day.

i did it with some 116 roll film found in a 1a box about a year or 2 ago
it came out OK ...

you can easily do the same thing with your pan film -

good luck !
john

Roger Hesketh
6-Dec-2012, 17:44
Hi John as a rule using the see-saw method is what I would once have done. Unfortunately now their is just no way I could hold my arms out long enough to develop a film that way. It's a bit of a nuisance. I have not lost any strength or anything but everything I do hurts. Even sitting for more than a few minutes is difficult. On the plus side I have more time now to devote to photography.
Michael thank you for the info on the Nikor reel. I did not know of their existence. A search for one led to a thread on Apug where a member there suggested that one of these industrial film reels http://www.sullinsndt.com/reels.htm might be pressed into service as an alternative.
Domaz it was a good idea to perform surgery on a 120 reel unfortunately however it would appear that a 122 film is too long to fit on to an expanded 120 spiral. Not enough spirals.
I am going to see if I can get one of those industrial reels and see if it works.
Michael if they make reels in this size presumably film for industrial use possibly X Ray is also still available. Probably worth looking into.
Thanks to all
Roger