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Sticky Paterson reels...I've tried it all and nothing works. :(


rpavich

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I do use wetting agent and I use Patterson reels.  I use them in the same way that I've used them for over 40 years and at least two of my Patterson reels have been with me through thick and thin and are still used in the same way without a problem so far. In fact, I can almost chart the change of material and subtle design changes in their manufacture over several decades.

 

Since you seem to have tried just about everything without success, try this:

 

Throw them away and buy some new reels. 

 

Lol, I didn't throw them away just in case some solution popped up but I did start using Hewes metal reel and haven't had a problem.

 

one of these days I might go back and revisit them but for now, I'm happy to use the Hewes. :)

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Unless the problem is some sort of processing or film residue, user error or damage, it's difficult to see what else can go wrong. Soaking occasionally in a bleach solution should be enough to clean reels up, user error is usually confined to not cutting the film leader between sprocket holes with a slight radius before pushing the leader into the guide flanges in daylight, a rogue user's ham fisted way of trying to load the reel that could never have been designed out of the reel in the first place or some sort of physical damage to the reel.

 

Even getting stupid, dirty, uncoordinated, vandalistic 16 year-old under-achieving college students to load Patterson reels competently was not too difficult and I never had to resort to beating the process into them with a baseball bat.  I think that's a testament to Patterson's reel design.

 

Good luck with the new reels.  I'm glad the nightmare is behind you.  :D

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  • 5 months later...

color film bleach is supposed to work.  Not on your list and I never tried it.

 

What I am sure does work is keeping photo flow and color film stabilizer away from the NEW reels and rinsing with hot water when done.

 

Use a rubber ear syringe to squirt same on hanging film,  catch and refill as necessary.  

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Use a rubber ear syringe to squirt same on hanging film,  catch and refill as necessary.  

 That's the best tip I've read in a long time. Simple and effective.

Edited by pico
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  • 3 weeks later...

I use both metal reels and the Paterson's.  For 35mm, I now only use the Paterson reels, and have never had a problem - BUT I let the reels completely dry before reusing, never use photoflo on the reels, and never use a roll over 24 exposures or so.  Since I roll my own, I may have a bit more leader on both ends than factory loads, and if I tried to load a 36 exposure roll onto the Paterson's, I am confident that I would run out of room.

 

The longer lip non-Paterson's are absolutely required for 120 film, unless one wants to punish oneself and waste film!  And consider another hobby!

 

I do pretty much incorporate all the good suggestions made by the posters.  Don't give up on the Paterson's.  Once you get the problems licked, the film will almost load itself.

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  • 9 months later...

Every once in a blue moon I'll have a roll of film that seems to get stuck on my Paterson reel, usually when part of the film is loaded on to the reel. What I do is take the film out, then re-wind on to the Paterson reel starting from the end of the roll. This has worked, so far. I've wondered if the film has a wee bit of curl at the beginning as it is getting loaded on to the smallest diameter of the camera take up reel. And if it sits loaded in camera for a while, the film gets kind of a memory to it and retains the curl.

 

Just my thoughts.

Edited by Bill Clark
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Or better still, throw them away and buy some old reels. My experience is that the more heavily used a Paterson reel is the slicker and faster it loads. 

 

What a walk down memory lane...

I agree - The more they are used, the better they get.

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Or better still, throw them away and buy some old reels. My experience is that the more heavily used a Paterson reel is the slicker and faster it loads. 

 

What a walk down memory lane...

Just adding to this: yes, I replaced one reel of an older Paterson tank with reels which I got used. The new reel has a different set of rollers in the plastic reels - the are a bit smaller and tend to stick more to the plastic ( rollers are in black color) than the old shiny metal ones in older reels. Since I have used both reels now for developing a bunch of 35 mm films, I can clearly tell that the old reel is better to insert the film in the reel. The difference is obvious towards the end of the rolled film - with the newer reel, the film is more likely to leave the track. With the new reel I had to reload the film more than twice as often than using the same sort of film with the old reel. 

 

The newer reel has only one advantage over the older one: After cleaning and drying when putting both parts back together, there is only one way to do it. The old reel has two notches, and only one position is right that the insert taps for the film are in the same position on both sides. Simple solution to do it right: I color-marked the correct position on both sides that I always put it back together in the right way. 

Edited by Martin B
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Or better still, throw them away and buy some old reels. My experience is that the more heavily used a Paterson reel is the slicker and faster it loads. 

 

What a walk down memory lane...

But not always, I have several sets of older reels, one set has yellowed and is almost impossible to load film on. The ones that have not discoloured are good though.

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But not always, I have several sets of older reels, one set has yellowed and is almost impossible to load film on. The ones that have not discoloured are good though.

 

Hmm, not sure if the coloration tells anything - the older one I referred to in my post above is also yellow but my best reel to load films. The newest and pure white one is my worst....

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Hmm, not sure if the coloration tells anything - the older one I referred to in my post above is also yellow but my best reel to load films. The newest and pure white one is my worst....

I'll agree the new ones are bad. I'm guessing the yellowed ones I have may have been left in the sun and it's possible the plastic has crazed.

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  • 2 years later...
On 12/22/2015 at 1:01 PM, rpavich said:

Oh man am I frustrated.

I have a Paterson tank with two of the plastic auto loading reels and a pair of "big tab" Samigon reels also.

 

For some reason, no matter what I do, I get the reel about 2/3 loaded and then it jams up so much I tear sprocket holes.

I've recently run into similar frustrations. That being said, I do have one question that NEVER seems to get asked or mentioned by ANYONE in these sorts of conversations:

What brand/type of film are you trying to load onto the Paterson spool?

 

I've recently started back up my own at-home film processing this year, and noticed something very peculiar. I started with some JCH Street Pan, which loaded very easily. I then did a whole bunch of Kodak Portra, which also loaded very easily. The experience with both of these was so pleasant, that I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Did I suddenly get a lot better at it? Seriously, these were the easiest experiences I remember ever having in loading 35mm film!

 

Then, in the past week, I shot two rolls of Ilford 35mm film (Delta and HP5). Both of those constantly jammed at the 2/3rd point. I had to unspool and respool both several times, with lots of cursing. The experience was just as frustrating and terrible as I remembered from back when I was a kid first learning how to do this.

 

So I feel like I have to ask...  For people who don't have problems, what film are you loading? For people who do have problems, what film are you loading? No one ever seems to mention this, but I'm now getting the impression that it may be a major factor.

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On 8/6/2019 at 12:55 PM, dkonigs said:

I've recently run into similar frustrations. That being said, I do have one question that NEVER seems to get asked or mentioned by ANYONE in these sorts of conversations:

What brand/type of film are you trying to load onto the Paterson spool?

 

I've recently started back up my own at-home film processing this year, and noticed something very peculiar. I started with some JCH Street Pan, which loaded very easily. I then did a whole bunch of Kodak Portra, which also loaded very easily. The experience with both of these was so pleasant, that I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Did I suddenly get a lot better at it? Seriously, these were the easiest experiences I remember ever having in loading 35mm film!

 

Then, in the past week, I shot two rolls of Ilford 35mm film (Delta and HP5). Both of those constantly jammed at the 2/3rd point. I had to unspool and respool both several times, with lots of cursing. The experience was just as frustrating and terrible as I remembered from back when I was a kid first learning how to do this.

 

So I feel like I have to ask...  For people who don't have problems, what film are you loading? For people who do have problems, what film are you loading? No one ever seems to mention this, but I'm now getting the impression that it may be a major factor.

It is a factor - the thinner the film, the easier it normally loads on the Paterson reels. I found in general Ilford films (PanF+, FP4+, and HP5+) much easier to load than thicker Kodak negative or Fuji slide films. The age of the film also plays a role - older films have a sort of memory effect to roll up and are therefore a bit resistant to get on the reel. 

Another factor is that the reels best get fully disassembled into its two parts after it was used and washed. Make sure the metal ball bearing is moving freely in its gap - it can easily clog there if not cleaned well enough. Always use only fully dry reels to load new film on it. Otherwise it will not move forward and gets stuck. 

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Agree with most of the comments above. My best Patterson spirals are the oldest, the old yellow more flexible plastic rather than the more modern hard white plastic, some I have used for 40 years.

I rarely use anything other than Ilford films, but also use Rollei 400 infrared and used to use Fuji/Kodak colour negative. As stated elsewhere I wind 30 exposure rolls as they load better than 36.

120 roll film is more flexible for its size and I bend back the first half inch (10mm) so that it feeds in easier, holding the front edge to stop it jumping out at the start.

just developed two sheets of 8x10 sheet film from homemade wooden 8x10 camera, developed in a print drum designed for colour paper, only needs 100ml of developer, continuous agitation on motorised drum roller.

 

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I have used Paterson tanks since the 1970s with very few problems. The secret, as has been stated, is to ensure the reels are clean and dry and the ball bearings are free to move.

Reading the various posts it is obvious that the answer is, if you have an old spiral then scrap it and buy a new one and if you have a new spiral then scrap it and get hold of an old one 😊.

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I started out using a similar (cheaper) Yankee reel in the early 1960s, but changed to Nikor stainless tanks and reels by 1967, which I've used since for 35 & 120.  Got a Paterson to do some 127 film & also tried it with 120, and I understand the complaints, and different films affect it. Fomopan (Arista from Freestyle) has a stiffer feel, and seemed easiest to load on the Paterson - but I still find stainless reels much easier.

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I have used Paterson in the past and now use JOBO, never have any issues. The thing that was drummed into me at the start was: never allow surfactant (i.e. Photo-Flow etc) to come into contact with the reels, otherwise exactly these issues would arise after a time...

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