Gast
Hello,
Since the large-format cameras for black-and-white film aren’t getting any better either, I’d like to start developing my own roll films.
I’ve already managed to ‘squeeze’ a few into the reel. :)
Do any of you pros perhaps have any good advice (apart from lots of practice...) on the easiest way to wind the film without it twisting and getting scratched? Should the protective film at the bottom be left on the film for as long as possible?
Best regards
Holger
Gast
Hello,
I wind the film straight from the roll. Unroll a few centimetres of the backing paper (it rolls back up on its own) and just let it hang there. Wind the film onto the reel completely (trimming the corners at an angle), then cut off the adhesive strip at the back. The film is then on the reel, and you’re left with the backing paper and the film reel.
Best regards,
Ronald
Gast
It might also help to use different reels for the developing tanks, or different tanks altogether. I use a very old Jobo tank (from the early 1970s), which is significantly larger than the current models.
(I can’t recall the exact model name at the moment, unfortunately)
Disadvantage:
Significantly more liquid is required.
Advantage:
Loading film is very easy, as there is plenty of space between the individual coils, which is probably also beneficial for development, as it allows the liquid to distribute itself more effectively.
I used this can to develop roll film when I was twenty and didn’t scratch anything back then either. The negatives look terrible, but that’s down to drying spots which, ignorant as I was, I couldn’t get to grips with at the time.
Gast
Hi Holger,
If you use Jobo spirals, here’s another tip:
When viewed from the outside, the reels have a step, or a circular segment, where the edge is ‘recessed’. You can touch the edge of the film at this point from the outside and ‘pull’ it further. The advantage is that you only push it a maximum of one turn at a time, which makes a significant difference, especially towards the end of the film.
I’ve also had films that curled up after being fed in, and weren’t developed or fixed where two layers touched.
As Ronald already mentioned, keeping the corners dry is still very important.
So for the second film, make sure the spiral and canister are completely dry again, and don’t use damp hands.
Regards
Martin
Gast
... keeping it dry is really important. Also bear in mind that it might fog up (e.g. if you take a can from a cold cellar into a warm bathroom, or remove film from the fridge). It helps to place the can on the radiator beforehand and to store the film at room temperature for a while before loading it.
And practise in daylight, using a roll of film you don’t mind wasting.
Best regards,
Ronald
SamuliSchielke
...and you have to be careful not to let it get too hot. I’d got into the habit of drying Jobo reels over the toaster. Thinking it would always work, I then tried it with my AP reels, and they promptly melted.
S.
piu58
... it really is important to keep them dry.
I always put the spool shafts on the radiator. That’s their usual storage spot, so to speak. *One* drop of water, and the film is bound to stick.
Urnes
Hi Holger,
You’ll find it easier to use the Jobo spirals if you cut the corners of the film’s leading edge at an angle; that way, the film won’t get stuck on the reel and will curl more easily.
Best regards, Sven.
Hobbyknipser
Hi lads,
I’ve just finished the development of my first three rolls of 120 film.
I do find that 35mm film is easier to load, but
this trick turned out to be quite handy: at the start,
bend the film outwards by just under 1cm against the curve of the spiral.
This makes it slide into the spiral very easily once
you’ve managed to get it in there.
And this is how I did it: simply unroll the paper until
the film starts, then bend the film a little, unroll another 20 cm
and just let the paper ‘hang down’.
Then fiddle the film onto the reel and, once it’s a few centimetres in,
just let the film roll hang down with the paper and
push the film onto the reel. I have quite old East German canisters (Plastimat),
which have these funny clips on the reels that you can use to hold the film
in place, and by turning the reel halves back and forth
you can wind it on relatively easily. I reckon the Jobos
probably have a similar mechanism... Then feel for the adhesive tape
at the end and simply cut the film just before it. Then
wind on the residue, pop it in the canister, put the lid on – and you’re done :ph34r:
Best regards – Henryk
