Bulk Loader - Any Tips

[steveo_mcg]

First attempt at bulk loading hasn't gone well.

Used an old an old roll of Vista to test, first time I lost the bit film sticking out the cassette when the film hadn't quite got under the lip so the tape slipped and the leader shot in side. Second time it went in fine but when I was unrolling it to start again the tape got stuck and the the bit of film staying in side. Ordered a retriever.

Any tips?

 

[FujiLove]

I haven't done any bulk loading for a while, but used these cassettes the last time around: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reusable-Cassettes-loaders-Re-loadable-canisters/dp/B00XKSHODK/

I had problems with the tape coming unstuck in hot weather when I re-used empty cassettes, and lost a few images. The worst one was when the film came off the roll and managed to jam inside my M3 on holiday in Italy. I spent a very sweaty half hour in a dark corner of a church, with my hands buried inside a makeshift dark bag (borrowed coat) trying to disentangle everything. I got some extremely funny looks from the hundreds of tourists filing past. Now I picture what it must have looked like, I'm surprised the clergy didn't ask me to leave. I gave up bulk loading for a while after that.

My tips would be: use reloadable cassettes, strong tape and stick it around the spool if possible. Also be careful with the storage temperature. I think my problems resulted from refrigerating the loaded cassettes, which affected the glue. It then lost it's adhesion in the hot weather.