I am about to chuck this !@#$ing tank.

[Stephanie Brim]

I did something I never should have done in the first place: I bought a cheap tank thinking that it would just be temporary. This was quite a while ago and I've been saying that I want to develop film for ages now. I'm finally going to get set to do it today. I decided to try working the film onto the spool in the light so that I would get used to it and that was slick as can be...getting it off, however, is proving not just hard but almost impossible without cutting it. I figured that I'd let you guys give me pointers before I actually cut the film off the spool into tiny little pieces. :P

[RayPA]

What kind of tank and reels, plastic?

[Stephanie Brim]

Yeah, plastic. And cheap at that. I was stupid. It isn't even a brand that's known...it's just an off brand. Should have gone for the metal tank I think...this one is tiny, though.

[oftheherd]

What kind of tank, and more importantly, what kind of reel do you have? If a metal reel, it should come off the same way it went on. That is, squeeze the edges slightly so it will slip out from between the wires. I never used a plastic reel that much, since I found the metal reels easier to use, but I seem to remember they came out the same way. You might have to twist the film from side to side somewhat, but not much. Hope I have helped. If not, perhaps someothers will chime in and say it in a way that is more understandable. Don't let this small frustration bother you too much. It is a small speck of sand on the road to understanding.

[Stephanie Brim]

I am...dumb. Or at least I feel that way. I didn't twist it far enough. Blah.

Okay, I think I'm going to go for it. Now all I have to decide is if I want to use a one-off 1:1 solution or stock D76. It's at the right temperature.

[taffer]

Mmmm, wait, you're having problems to take the film OFF the spool ONCE it's correctly loaded, right ?

Not sure what kind of spools you have, but on mines, you can simply pop open them so they are separated in the top and bottom pieces, so you can simply pick up film...

[XAos]

Its gotta be plastic, there aint no such thing as a cheap stainless tank / reels. I've been using the Adorama house brand tank / reels, (patterson type) and it was frustrating at first, but I've found that pushing the film in rather than ratcheting it in works better. I just bought some stainless reels / tank and it's proving to be FAR more frustrating than plastic was.

Plastic reels you remove the film by taking the reel apart. They should twist about 90 degrees and you can just lift the film strip out. I try to be mindful of where the end of the film winds up relative to the ratchet ball - either an inch past or an inch before - this keeps it from creasing the wet film when you open the reel. If you bulk load it's all in the daylight exposed portion anyway, so you can just ignore it and clip it when you hang it to dry.

[Stephanie Brim]

I'm not using bulk rolled film unfortunately...I'm going to try soon since a guy can get me bulk rolls of Tri-X, T-Max and Pan-F, but I'm really wondering the best way to open the cartridges that are store bought. I've heard using a can opener works, but I don't know if I want to do it that way as I don't want to damage the film.

[taffer]

Steph, the 'beer glass bottle' opener (sorry, I don't know of a better name for it...) works pretty well (indeed the 'professional' film canister opener I've seen at photo stores is almost identical, only that 5x the price

With that one is also almost impossible to damage the film, but be careful with your fingers, if the opener slips from the canister it will end in your left thumb, don't ask me how I know... :_(

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Stephanie Brim

I've heard using a can opener works, but I don't know if I want to do it that way as I don't want to damage the film.

Yes, what Taffer said -- in some places in the States it's called a 'church key' (obscure historical humour I guess). It takes a fair bit of force when you're prying the edge. When you feel it give a little, then move to the opposite side of the canister and pry it up on that side. When you feel it lift, you can either keep prying until it comes off, or lift it off by hand. To get the film out, you may have to push it from the non-open side where the rewind rod is. The outermost film on the roll is blank so you are unlikely to damage any exposures by handling it. Just take a deep breath ...

Gene

[Stephanie Brim]

Ow. Good idea. I'll try that when I get into the bathroom to load the film.

[kiev4a]

Originally Posted by XAos

Its gotta be plastic, there aint no such thing as a cheap stainless tank / reels. I've been using the Adorama house brand tank / reels, (patterson type) and it was frustrating at first, but I've found that pushing the film in rather than ratcheting it in works better. I just bought some stainless reels / tank and it's proving to be FAR more frustrating than plastic was.

Plastic reels you remove the film by taking the reel apart. They should twist about 90 degrees and you can just lift the film strip out. I try to be mindful of where the end of the film winds up relative to the ratchet ball - either an inch past or an inch before - this keeps it from creasing the wet film when you open the reel. If you bulk load it's all in the daylight exposed portion anyway, so you can just ignore it and clip it when you hang it to dry.

Ah but there is (were) cheap stainless reels. There were some made back in the 70s that were cheap knockoffs--looked fine but terrible to load. They had little imperfections in the wire than would catch the edge of the film. In some cases the reels weren't the same width all the way round. Haven't run across one for a long time.

[bobofish]

If it's a one-piece plastic spool, it's really not worth it to keep it, you'd be better off getting a Jobo, they are super easy to load, and to unload, you just unsnap the top and bottom parts of the spool, and the film just pops right out.

You've certainly got the right idea trying everything in the light first, nothing is worse than the frustration of having an important roll of film half loaded in a canister in the dark...you can't turn the light on, you can't figure out what to do, all you want to do is throw a Molotov cocktail at everybody that is pissing you off because your dang pictures are going to be ruined! (at least that's what I've felt before)

Even with store-bought film, I often use my thumbnail, with my other hand supporting the whole canister. Sometimes I need a little more leverage from my second thumbnail too. I find that using a can opener is not the most elegant way. Plus, if you use your thumbnail, you can reuse the canister, which is already DX coded. Be careful with your thumbnail though, don't torque it.

And as far as the spool goes, even on the most P.O.S. spools, it helps to put two fingers of one hand (fore- and thumb) on the very inside part of the film in the spool to guide it in or out, and work the film with your other hand. Very often all it takes either in or out is to slip the film back and forth with the inside fingers for a bit, and it sorts itself out.

Incidentally, I think that Jobo style spools are more efficient than stainless steel ones, partly because you can load a longer film onto them. (when you bulkload, you will start loading film in lengths that fit your style of shooting...depending on the canister and the film, you can put as few as 10 or as many as 50 exposures on a canister)

p.s. I forgot to mention that you should really get the cheap canister and spool, and burn them. Use it as an excuse to get rid of your weekly frustration, and as a reward, go out and buy a good canister, you can find one for as little as $10 at a shop, less on the 'bay.

[Fred]

Steph,

I've used the pastic re-usable cartridges instead of the metal jobs.

I load the film from the cartridge onto the spiral, I take the 'lid' off the cartridge in daylight when I'm finished. After all with the bulk film you'll loose the last frame that you'd get with bought stuff so you just cut it near the cartridge with scissors when spiral is full.

Good luck!

[Stephanie Brim]

My first roll is in the tank and I'm getting ready to develop it now. Let's hope that this works like I want it to...otherwise I'm going to need some more help.

[stet]

OT: Stephanie -- That's interesting; you're from Iowa and you wrote "chuck." I was under the impression that this was only said in the Northeast, and that the rest of the country says "chunk." I've been "corrected" many a time for that in these parts.

anyways, good luck with developing your first!

[Stephanie Brim]

Okay...first roll has been developed, fixed, and is in the wash. I won't be able to get it scanned unless I can talk the boyfriend into heading to Wal-Mart tonight, so I'm guessing scanning is going to have to wait for a while. Blah. I'll make sure to at least tell you how it comes out.

[Stephanie Brim]

There's good news and bad news.

I had three rolls of T-Max, one of which I knew was blank. Guess which one I picked to develop this time?

The roll developed nicely, though, so now all I have to do is actually develop the right one this time. I think I'll do a roll of HP5 now.

[bmattock]

Originally Posted by Stephanie Brim

I'm not using bulk rolled film unfortunately...I'm going to try soon since a guy can get me bulk rolls of Tri-X, T-Max and Pan-F, but I'm really wondering the best way to open the cartridges that are store bought. I've heard using a can opener works, but I don't know if I want to do it that way as I don't want to damage the film.

I used to go through that. Now I just grab the fuzzy sticky-outy thing on the cartridge and rip it open. Not a he-man kinda thing, it's actually pretty easy. Both ends just fall off once you peel the thing like an orange.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

[Mike Richards]

Stephanie,
The secret of a stainless steel tank is not to pinch the film too much as you spin it on the reel -- just guide it. This is something I had forgotten from the time I first tried it 50 years ago (in Spencer, Iowa, by the way) until a few years ago when I rekindled my photography hobby. If you get a stainless reel, you can practice with a ruined film a few times with the lights on to see what I mean. I always have a church key and small scissors in the changing bag. After prying off the bottom lid of the cassette, I trim off the entire leader and cut a small triangle off the leading edges. This leaves a "D" edge just right to clip in the center of the reel.
I've tried plastic reels, and always have trouble cranking film onto them. You waste chemicals since the plastic tanks use a larger volume of liquid. Furthermore, if you ever use thicker films or ones with halation backing (e.g. Kodak HIE, Maco 820c infrared), there's no way to get them on to plastic reels. They go so far and then won't budge because of the friction.
Once you get the hang of stainless reels, handling, cleaning, drying, and storing them is quick and easy. You need to be careful not to bend the stainless reels. One short drop, and they can get so bent that it's difficult, if not impossible, to fix.
You're right -- chuck the plastic.

[Roman]

Well, I never had any problems getting HIE and IR820c onto my A&P plastic reels...

Roman (steel camera & plastic reel user... )

[Stephanie Brim]

The second roll is beautiful, at least by the look of the negatives. So far so good. I'm going to get addicted.

[pshinkaw]

Stepjanie:

Freestyle still sells a tank which uses the old style plastic apron (and extra aprons). It's a plastic strip with curly edges used to interleave the film and allow developer circulation. It's an Arista, and the basic design was old when I started developing back in the 1960's. It still works and is almost completlely fool proof albeit somewhat messier than stainless steel.

-Paul

[Stephanie Brim]

Hrm. It looks to me like I'm going to have the water spot on film problem...is there a good way to get rid of those after you've dried the film? Can you use the no-spot chemicals after it's already been dried?

[doubs43]

Originally Posted by taffer

Steph, the 'beer glass bottle' opener (sorry, I don't know of a better name for it...) works pretty well (

They're commonly called a "church key" and the rounded end works very well if the cassette isn't the "snap cap" type.

My local photo shop sells (or used to sell) "Lucky" film from China and they used cassettes that can be reloaded as the caps are not crimped in place. The other cassettes can also be used if the processor left a tongue of film sticking out of the felt lips to which the bulk film can be taped and then wound onto the spool.

Walker