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How (or with what) to bulk roll and not get scratches?


Jodad

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I haven't bulk rolled before but its a fair bit cheaper for me at the moment. I guess there is a cost of time element but i don't mind that so much. My issue is that when i read about it it seems that it is quite common to scratch the film when doing it! How do you guys do it and what loaders and cans do you use to not get scratches?

Edited by Jodad
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I'm using scratch removing if it is for color scans. I'm using enlarger, which doesn't focus on scratches. I superglued the velt from single use film cassette to the edges on bulk loaders which are touching film during loading.

 

And I went to see Viktor Kolář's photos on large prints from negatives taken by Kolář with his father LTM Leica in Canada. Some of them with horizontal scratches visible, but his photos are still better.  

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I haven't bulk rolled before but its a fair bit cheaper for me at the moment. I guess there is a cost of time element but i don't mind that so much. My issue is that when i read about it it seems that it is quite common to scratch the film when doing it! How do you guys do it and what loaders and cans do you use to not get scratches?

 

Never had a problem with scratches from bulk loading. I used good plastic cassettes, a Watson 66B loader and passed a piece of masking tape lightly through the trap before loading to remove particles. I still have two of the loaders and both are still good.

 

(For motor-winds I used brass cassettes which opened in the loader, then closed when done so the film did not pass through the felt. They also opened in the camera for the same reason. Unfortunately not all M models today accept the cassettes.)

Edited by pico
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By the way, where can I get some of these 200-400ft rolls of film? Guessing that would be even more economical than 100s?

 

Yes there are 200' daylight loaders. They are expensive. Greater lengths are usually motion picture film reels that must be manually shortened to fit smaller loaders in perfect darkness. Some are open-reel types, again for total darkness, intended for loading 250 exposure cassettes. Not helpful.

Edited by pico
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  • 2 weeks later...

You can buy straight from Kodak. 

 

https://www.kodak.com/BE/nl/motion/Products/Product_Information/index.htm

 

By the way, where can I get some of these 200-400ft rolls of film? Guessing that would be even more economical than 100s?

 

Well if one searches one can find them for rather cheap. I bought my Alden 200 for less than 30 GBP on eBay.

 

Yes there are 200' daylight loaders. They are expensive. Greater lengths are usually motion picture film reels that must be manually shortened to fit smaller loaders in perfect darkness. Some are open-reel types, again for total darkness, intended for loading 250 exposure cassettes. Not helpful.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used plastic cassettes...worked well.

 

Also used spent cassetes from film labs...given for free...just ask.

Tape your leader, and wind on.. Then tape over the bar code so you can set your own, and write which film is loaded. I used so much FP4 this way, and very cheap.

Never a scratch...even used a bit of wiper blade to wipe my negs after Photoflo...or finger squeegee.

 

Never,ever the slightest scratch.

 

One needs to just leap into the unknown..and do it.

Edited by david strachan
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Buy some Leica cassette and a bench winder.   Nothing ever touches the film.

 

The Watson 66B opens the cassette to wind on, then closes it before allowing the lightproof door to be opened. Works with Nikon cassettes, too. Very nice design.

 

Unfortunately, late model M bodies do not take the Leica cassettes.

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I've bulk loaded for years..any commercial bulk loader like a Watson essentially doesn't touch the film surface at  any point when "open" and loading. The culprit is the actual cassette and previous posts discuss that well.  The felt light trap on  the cassette must be very clean.  Before I had bulk loaders I light proofed a closet  and would pull off an arms length of film (which was just about 36 exposures and wind it on to the cassette spool and then insert it in the outer shell.  A fairlly athletic way of doing it, but again nothing touched the film till it went into the cassette. Larger rolls can be handled this way.  I'd recommend a "practice roll". pull off 2 feet or so and really practice loading the cassettes. I always have trouble getting the cap on the end.  

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