Bulk Film Loader

[ivohula]

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Is there a bulk film loader that is better than the others? I have not used one for about 25years but acquired a film camera recently so will probably buy 35mm bulk film. Any suggestions about which bulk film loader and 35mm cassettes to get? Thanks.

[LocalHero1953]

I have a Burke & James Watson 66B, bought on ebay a year or so ago. I did some research then (mainly on this forum) and concluded it was the one to get - I can't remember why, though I don't recall there being a standout winner. It does the job. I have also acquired a mixture of FILCA (Barnack only) and IXMOO (M or Barnack) cassettes, bought in batches in the £10-£20 bracket. One was damaged (the spring bent back) but as it was in a batch of 10 sold at a good price I didn't complain.

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[tommonego@gmail.com]

The bulk loaders I like are the Watson, Western, Alden, or Prinz, all are similar. Their one problem is they don't play well with cheap plastic cassettes, they do well with cheap metal cassettes which are hard to find. You can find used ones on E*ay, B&H only sells the Lloyd which I never thought was very good.

[williamj]

I have a Lloyd whose only virtue is its price. The lid isn’t completely light tight and I have to put gaffer tape on the outside edge. The number of frames is not counted so you there’s always some variation from roll to roll. I wouldn’t buy it again, but you can make it work. 

[stray cat]

I've used the same Computrol loader for more years than I care to remember - always does the job and very easy to use. Apart from loading the bulk film roll into it, everything else can be done in the light.

re Cassettes, I use commonly available and cheap plastic ones. I'd strongly avoid giving these a wash/rinse first, as often they have loose bits of felt drifting around which will of course transfer onto your film or (worse) into your camera. Once they've been washed and then air dried for a day or two they're fine.

[Pyrogallol]

I have a Watson loader I have been using since about 1973.

There is a discussion about cassettes here. I used a metal Pentax cassette last week.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Pyrogallol

[nitroplait]

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The Bobinquick jr type is available under many brand names. They are all the same and have been made for decades - buy the cheapest.

Get some film cassettes for free from your local lab - cassettes where the lip sticks out a little, and just tape the lip to your bulk film. Commercial cassettes are well made and don't open if you accidentally drop them (and if you have to ask; NO reuse does do not scratch the film - speaking from experience)

You can make it more complicated - and if you enjoy that, by all means; go for that, but know that it isn't necessary.

If you search this site, you will find lots of information and opinions.

Good luck.

Edited December 15, 2022 by nitroplait

[henning]

My M2 and M6 are fed with IXMOO cassettes loaded with an AFLOO mounted on a door frame with a small wood rail 1.55m below it. In a light tight room.

I cut the bulk film leader into a V, feed it into the IXMOO spool on the AFLOO, pull the bulk film down to the small wood rail, cut the bulk film with scissors, wrap up the remaining bulk roll, wind the cut length onto the IXMOO spool, take the loaded spool and insert it into the IXMOO housing and on to the next cassette. 30m of film loaded and ready to go in half an hour, with no exposed bit near the cassette spool and guaranteed no scratches from a dirty cassette felt lip (Nitroplait is correct, but only if you're careful. Scratches do occur at times). I'm just lucky I have enough good IXMOOs so I don't have to buy them at today's prices. The AFLOO isn't too expensive. Also, if your film Leica is a later M6 or even newer, you need to find a baseplate with the IXMOO lug opener.

I know that later Barnack cameras also take the IXMOO, but I don't know how far back. No M5's need apply.

[Pyrogallol]

Sounds like the way I used to load cassettes before I bought a bulk loader. Hang a Bulldog clip on a length of string, put the end of the film in the clip and unroll it until you feel the end of the string, then cut it off. The string is the correct length for 30 exposures.

IXMOO cassettes will fit any screw Leica, though I prefer to use FILCAs in screw bodies.I have two type A cassettes that I have loaded to use in my 1A body.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Pyrogallol

[williamj]

The M7 had a change in the space for the cassette due to the electronics so even if you get an earlier baseplate the IXMOO won’t fit. This internal space was passed on to the MP and M-A so they don’t take IXMOO either. If anyone has a different experience it would be good to know. 

[williamj]

I roll bulk film into FILCAs in a dark bag by hand. After a while you get quite good at rolling them so that you get the same number of exposures. Hands have to be clean and you can touch the film sides and back but not the emulsion side. Obviously I wear a hair shirt and a cicatrice, no seriously, I just did it to see if I could and to prove you don't need a bulk loader. Also, almost all bulk loaders are not compatible with FILCAs and IXMOOs.

[LocalHero1953]

5 minutes ago, williamj said:

Also, almost all bulk loaders are not compatible with FILCAs and IXMOOs.

Can you explain? I have no trouble with FILCAs and IXMOOs with the Watson 66B, which is pretty common.

[williamj]

1 minute ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Can you explain? I have no trouble with FILCAs and IXMOOs with the Watson 66B, which is pretty common.

The Watson and other pear shaped bulk loaders do take FILCAs and IXMOOs. They have the ability to open and close the cassette separately. But the more modern square ones like the AP and Lloyd do not have a facility to close the Leitz cassette after it has been rolled. To be clear, I mean of the many different types  of bulk loader around, few types are compatible with Leitz cassettes. For all I know, 90% of bulk loaders may be of the Watson type.

[Pyrogallol]

• The closer wheel on my Watson has never worked, it was broken when I bought it new back in 1972. So I close the FILCA cassette mouth by hand, in the dark, when I open the lid to remove the cassette. I inherited a second Watson with a good closer wheel but still close the cassette by hand. Some Leica cassettes can be difficult to use in the loader and some impossible to wind as they have a crossbar inside the end of the cassette that is too thick to fit in the slot in the winder handle, so you cannot wind the film in. If you are buying Leica cassettes choose ones with a thin crossbar if you are able to check it.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Pyrogallol

[Einst_Stein]

I get my cassette cans from photo labs or eBay. Those are left-over from developed films. I usually paid about few cents per piece. 
As far as bulk loader, they are all equally good. Condition matters, of course.