Reels for developing

[Niner]

I noticed Duncan has what looks to be the state of the art, up to the minute, reels. Dual 35mm reels are handy for doing two rolls of film at a time and it probably comes apart and makes the bottom one adjustable to 120.

Reels have been around as long as there has been film in strips. The traditional reels are steel and you load the reel by first pinning the lead end of the film to the center axis and load from the inside the reel out slightly curving the edge of the film with your fingers as you go. Works... but difficult to load in changing bag. Then there is the plastic "Kit" with the film started to the outside edge under two miniscule tabs and then by pushing under a couple of tiny ball bearings to start it. Then you would twist the outside frame wheels back and forth, about an inch at a time. and the film would load. The plastic reel adjusts to different film sizes by expansion groves in the plastic tube that is the axle between the two wheels. This too is difficult to load in a dark bag and often jambs or gets off track as the film can get out of the track during the critical early loading stage. Then.. the best one came along that looks not much different except for two critical things. The first thing is the wide thumb friendly tabs at the film entrance and the flat roof area to the critical first loading to keep the film from jumping off track is the second. No twisting and alignment problem going onto the reel which is the number one cause of aggravation. The film goes in straight and the tabs are easy to find in the dark bag by only touch.

[DuncaninFrance]

Yes Robert,they are adjustable so I can process 120 film.

I was going to buy a changing bag but it just struck me that my workshop is lightproof so I wont have to bugger about in the confined space of a bag which should make loading the film much easier.

[Niner]

Now that's a good thing. That should make things go faster.

[DuncaninFrance]

All I need now are some chemicals.........

[DuncaninFrance]

YES! Found a supplier in France that ONLY deals with film..........chemicals on their way

[Niner Delta]

Can you really use a red light to see in a darkroom, or is that just in the movies??

.

[Niner]

Safe lights in red or amber can be used in printing some B&W printing, depending on the paper, and for various dark room tasks and adjustments with the enlarger. During actual exposure to the paper it should be turned off theoretically. Red or amber light use is possible because of limited sensitivity to the light color spectrum in B&W print paper. It's not something I'd use in developing negatives.

[DuncaninFrance]

When loading a film onto a spool it has to be in total darkness.
The way to check this is to place a piece of photographic paper in the area where you work in the dark room. Leave it there for say 5 minutes then develop it in the chemicals as though it had been normally exposed on the enlarger.
It there is any light leaking into the darkroom it will show on the developed paper...........

[DuncaninFrance]

I thought it would be a good idea to check the workshop for light leak it's like a bloody sieve So is the wine store BUT we have a small bathroom which is part of the upstairs guest room and that is like the Black Hole of Calcutta

[Niner]

Photo chemicals in small unventilated or poorly ventilated small bathrooms can cause health problems ....so be careful. Years ago...35 or so...I used such a bathroom to do photo work. leaning over trays of chemicals in a bathtub making prints I developed a sore throat from hell and went to the EENT doc and he said my throat looked just like it looks just before cancer shows up. Scared the crap out of me and ..thinking it was smoking causing it... gave up cigarettes at once. Only later did I learn it was the chemical fumes in a confined place. All things considered it was probably a good thing in how things turned out.

[DuncaninFrance]

No problem Robert, I am only going to use it like a black bag to load the film into the tank. Chemicals will be administered in a large, well ventilated area.

Also, I am going to try Stand Developing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ4tZiOJiJA which seems to me to be rather foolproof.............

[Niner]

No problem Robert, I am only going to use it like a black bag to load the film into the tank. Chemicals will be administered in a large, well ventilated area.

Of course.... there is no need to fear loading film in a small unvented room with no chemicals added to the container. It's just that anytime anyone mentions small bathrooms and processing film I get this personal experience flashback.

I watched that video. No agitation after the first few minutes and then leaving to set for a hour to slow develop in a weak solution seems pretty chancy as to results...even though he is showing four stops of under and over camera exposure that all seem to come out, more or less useable. I'll be curious to see how it all works out for you.

[DuncaninFrance]

I checked that process on a couple of videos on YouTube and they all seem to come up with a good result