Bulk Loader Questions

Barney

Barney

Messages
3,546
Name
Wayne
Edit My Images
No
How many films do you get from 100 ft ?
Where do you get the film canisters from?

Whats best practice load the whole film into canisters or tie the loader up for a year or two?
 
You should get 18 * 36 exposure rolls from a 100 foot roll.

You can buy reloadable cassettes like these:

or you can use cassettes that have been previously loaded commercially and still have a bit of film left sticking out. This is a bit more fiddly because you need to tape two pieces of film together and sometimes the film sticking out isn't long enough. Also the tape you use has to be strong enough that it doesn't snap but thin enough to be wound back into the cassette.

If you have somewhere cool to store the loader, then NOT rolling it all at once gives you the freedom to load non-standard lengths when you have a need to do so.
 
Kevin Allan said:
You should get 18 * 36 exposure rolls from a 100 foot roll.

You can buy reloadable cassettes like these:

or you can use cassettes that have been previously loaded commercially and still have a bit of film left sticking out. This is a bit more fiddly because you need to tape two pieces of film together and sometimes the film sticking out isn't long enough. Also the tape you use has to be strong enough that it doesn't snap but thin enough to be wound back into the cassette.

If you have somewhere cool to store the loader, then NOT rolling it all at once gives you the freedom to load non-standard lengths when you have a need to do so.
Click to expand...
The type 517 I developed today was taped to an old cartridge cut end with yellow insulation tape.
 
I bought a load of used cassettes from eBay - all Fujicolor 200, which is handy because I'm shooting my bulk rolled Fomapan 400 at 200asa so the DX codes match. I use brown parcel tape to attach the film to the cassette film stubs, which has worked well so far.

I have some reusable cassettes too but I've been put off them a little after a bit of the light-trap felt came loose on one, got stuck on the edge of the shutter, and contaminated every frame on the roll, requiring loads of Photoshop faffing to edit it out of the scans.
 
I went with those used film cassettes that have a short length of film sticking out (Fujicolor 200 as it happens!).
lt works well and I have never had a taped joint fail. I reuse them several times.

I try to wind up most of what I need, then take the bulk roll out. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought my second bulk loader. That will help.
 
My bulk loader days were before motor drives appeared on most cameras, which meant I could reuse existing cassettes. Apparently, it was the advent of motor drives that made film manufactures start using cassettes that required bottle openers, rather than the old style where you slit the paper with a fingernail and just slid the end off.

I have a few reloadable cassettes in a darkroom drawer, but doubt I will use them. The last 35mm film I used was in 2018.
 
Last edited:
I'm about to start bulk loading. I've never done it before so will start with the cheapest 100ft roll I've got!

I'm going to be using these
20876.jpg

They are used by some of the larger film reloading companies such as Folic Film.

I'll let you all how I get on!

Edit: FLIC not Folic - damn autocorrect :)
 
Last edited:
In the 1960s, Kodak and Ilford cassettes were metal with caps that could be twisted off, then pushed back on after loading. They could be reloaded several times without problems, provided I remembered to clean the light trap "brushes".

Then Orwo (I think) started using plastic cassettes that had caps with a twist/screw fitting that seemed to last indefinitely. I built up a sizeable collection of these, which were useful for loading short lengths when I knew I'd only make a few exposures and needed to develop them quickly.

Some more information here...

merefilmphoto.com

Bulk Loading 35mm Film Part 1 – Cassettes

From left to right: Leica FILCA Cassettes, Nikon Reloadable Film Cassettes, Kodak Snap-Cap 135 Magazines. Leica introduced the first popular camera using 35mm cinema film in 1925. There was no such…
merefilmphoto.com merefilmphoto.com
 
I've bought a couple of what I thought were Shirley Wellard Universal brass cassettes but I'm not clear whether they are Leica specific or even something else. I must dig them out and re-check and if they are no good to me stick them on the for sale section.
 
I'd love to be able to bulk roll film but I know my efforts would immediately end up in the how to ruin a roll of film thread :rolleyes:

I could do with a reverse rondinax where the film turns up already loaded in to a light tight thing so you pull out the leader to attach into the canister and then snap it all shut and then wind out the right amount of film into the canister and it would leave out a bit for the next one. It would also have an indicator on the thing to show how much of your bulk roll you have left.
 
srichards said:
I'd love to be able to bulk roll film but I know my efforts would immediately end up in the how to ruin a roll of film thread :rolleyes:

I could do with a reverse rondinax where the film turns up already loaded in to a light tight thing so you pull out the leader to attach into the canister and then snap it all shut and then wind out the right amount of film into the canister and it would leave out a bit for the next one. It would also have an indicator on the thing to show how much of your bulk roll you have left.
Click to expand...

Noooooooooo........

You can easy do it !

I got this one, exactly your specification.

AP APP326000 35mm Film Winder - Multi-Colour: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Free delivery and returns on eligible orders. Buy AP APP326000 35mm Film Winder - Multi-Colour at Amazon UK.
www.amazon.co.uk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top