Need your help > Best way to load 120 film onto Paterson reels?

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l2oBiN

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I am totally new to 120 film. After shooting a roll, I am having great difficulty to get the 120 film on the Paterson spool. I would be thankful for any instructions, tips or tricks that you could tell me to ease the frustration..

Thank you,

Marko
 
This won't be of much help as I have no advice to offer, but I can sympathize with you completely: after repeated attempts (and ruined film), I gave up on the Paterson spools for 120 and switched to stainless steel reels / tanks. Loading 120 is still harder than 35mm film, but I've never had a serious issue since.

l2oBiN said:
I am totally new to 120 film. After shooting a roll, I am having great difficulty to get the 120 film on the Paterson spool. I would be thankful for any instructions, tips or tricks that you could tell me to ease the frustration..

Thank you,

Marko
Click to expand...
 
Practice, practice, practice with a sacrificial role of film, first in the light, then the dark (or with your eyes closed.)
 
I did my first roll of 120 for a while a couple of weeks ago and had difficulty. I hold the reel in my left hand and pull the film into the slots rather than push and I also use the left hand to hold the roll of film parallel to the reel while I'm doing this. And make sure those feed slots are aligned before starting.

120 can be a bitch to load. When I'm dong it regularly I have few problems but after a break from the stuff it always does my head in! :p
 
I have found that I have to fold the film about 1/4 inch back on itself in order to counter the curl and give it extra stiffness. It doesn't seem to get into the area of the negatives. Also, absolute dryness is important, if you're using a changing bag, the humidity builds up quickly and prevents the roll from going all the way onto the reel.
 
Are you loading inside a dark bag? If yes, it will add to the difficulty of loading the 120 into a spool. I suggest the Samigon reel which is a lot easier to load due to it's wide entry slot. Practice, practice, practice and if you don't have a dark room, use an oversize dark bag, put an upright box inside and then work on your reel. This prevents the bag from folding down on your hands.
 
I have a roll of 120 film that I cocked up and I use that to practice. Also when I load I generally put the end that had the sticker attaching it to the outer paper in first because it is a little more rigid. I also ensure that I load the film the same way it was rolled so it follows arc of reel more naturally.
 
Samigon (or similar) reels with the large feed ramp make a world of difference. Maybe clip the leading corners ~45' can help smooth the feeding. As above, sacrifice a roll for daylight practice. It does get better with practice.
 
snip a tiny bit off each corner with scissors and I do mean a tiny bit. Just to lose the shapness of corners. That makes life easier as corners less likely to catch.
And don't hold reel too tightly as you will squeeze sides together making distance between slots too narrow for film to fit in.
One technique is to hold end of film on both faces (not edges) between finger and thumb and pull it into slots rather than holding edges and trying to push it into slots. That gets it started then you can push it holding edges.
All good fun.
And did someone say practice, practice and practice again. And then some more.
 
I know the frustration,especially in a changing bag.I resorted to putting a small fan in the open end of the bag(work in a dim room) to prevent sweating from adding to my frustration,went from 1/2 hour to barely three minutes after a half dozen rolls.If I'd used 35mm first,I'd probably thrown the whole thing out the window çuz 120 is a lot harder to load initially.Persevere !
 
Actually there is a very simple way to do this, and it is faultless, fold the end of the film back on itself, say about 1/4 of an inch from the end, so you create a small crease across the film, what this does is keep the film from curving as you try and put it in the spool, I find folding it downwards best. Doing this makes it as easy as 35mmm to load believe me.
 
I did once tear a film off the reel after having it jam repeatedly and hurled it on the floor ... then turned the lights on and jumped on it just to make sure it was completely deceased and could never hurt me again! :p
 
My own experience with these is that the level of moisture has a greater effect on getting the film to load than any snipping or folding trick. If everything (bag, tank, reels, hands) are absolutely positively bone dry -- the 120 film then slides on to the plastic reel in 15 seconds. But, any moisture at all? Then it's a slow exercise in futility.

Sometimes I think a reel is dry from using it last week, only to have droplets shake loose when I am in the bag. Thus, I may have been spotted blowdrying the tank and reels before loading 120 just in case.
 
emayoh said:
My own experience with these is that the level of moisture has a greater effect on getting the film to load than any snipping or folding trick. If everything (bag, tank, reels, hands) are absolutely positively bone dry -- the 120 film then slides on to the plastic reel in 15 seconds. But, any moisture at all? Then it's a slow exercise in futility.

Sometimes I think a reel is dry from using it last week, only to have droplets shake loose when I am in the bag. Thus, I may have been spotted blowdrying the tank and reels before loading 120 just in case.
Click to expand...

You just got sweaty hands. It's nervous tension. :D
 
135format said:
You just got sweaty hands. It's nervous tension. :D
Click to expand...

That's possible. There was a time I was competitively timing myself in the change-bag. My best time to enter bag, unwrap, load a roll of 120, seal the tank and exit bag was 41 seconds (with plastic reels). Maybe after that feat, I lost my nerve :) Too bad it didn't make me a better photographer.
 
I use Paterson tank and reels. Both 120 and 135 negatives load easily. Usually problems with loading are user related. You must make sure the reels are absolutely DRY before spooling. If you have sweaty palms, avoid touching the edges of the negatives when spooling. Moisture is going to make the negatives stick to the reels.
 
+1 on Samigon (or the equivalent Arista Premium or AP) plastic reels with oversize starting guides. But better yet, far better, pick up some vintage Nikor stainless reels with the hinged clip at the center core (easier to align with the film end than the kind with a spring clip). If you can't find some old Nikors, the next best thing are Hewes reels (still available new) which are made with heavy gauge wire, making for a much easier load. With practice, steel reels are much faster to load than plastic, the latter being harder to keep clean and which must be bone dry to work. Plastic is most unforgiving if the least bit moist, and it can take ages, days and days, to dry. I've picked up intact used Nikor and Hewes stainless reels typically for $1-$5 a pop at swap meets, in classifieds, etc. New Hewes reels can cost but I think are still worth it.

Another tip that works well for me is to unwind the film completely from the spool, peel it off from the backing paper and use the end of the film with the sticky-tape, tape folded over onto the end, as the end you load into the reel. This provides a stiffer leading edge for easier handling. Also snip about 1/4" off each corner of the leading edge at a 45 degree angle, which makes it easier to get the edge into the guides (for plastic reels) or center clip (for stainless reels), as the case may be.

P.S. Stainless reels and tanks are easier to handle for inversion, and save on processing chemicals. If you're developing multiple rolls in succession, they can be loaded damp, or with sweaty hands, no problem.
 
Thardy said:
Listen, just get the Samigon reels and forget about it. Those things make loading even 120 easy!
Click to expand...
Yes Samigon or AP, but they have a potential to scratch emulsion. No mather what reel you will use unwind the film from the spool, tear of from backing paper leaving the part of tape stuck to the film and start from this end loading your developing reel . Thanks to the tape it will be a bit stiffer, thus easier to control. After succesful insertion keep the gates of the reel at 10 o'clock and control with your fingers flatness of the film at 2-3 o'clock to ensure smoot reeling . Lead with fingers very end of the film to the gates as it is springy and may jump of the guides. That's all, after fifth film you will be laughing.
P.S. I think I tape to slow. PMCC already sold my idea.:=)
 
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