For many people who are just learning to develop their films, one the of the most daunting and sometimes frustrating parts is getting the exposed film loaded onto a reel and into the developing tank.
However it’s not all that difficult, particularly if you have everything you need set up and ready, and have a bit of a practice run with your eyes closed before you try it for real!
What you’ll need
A developing tank. Mine are all the newer Paterson System versions with the click-to-fasten top. Many people still use the older version which are very similar and work exactly the same except the tops are more substantial and need to be screwed down to fasten.
Auto-load reels. These come in two halves which need to be twisted and locked together. They can be assembled to allow loading different film sizes. I’m assuming you’ll be using a 35mm film so assemble them at the smallest position. I’ll have a separate post with tips how to load 120 film.
Centre column and retaining collar. The reel or reels slide onto the column before they’re placed in the tank. Don’t be tempted to develop a film without the column as it acts as a light trap preventing light from getting in to the tank yet allowing chemicals in and out. Use the retaining collar to stop the reel sliding up the column when agitating or inverting the tank.
Lid. Some people develop their films without using the lid however I recommend that you do as it allows you to invert the tank to agitate the developer.
You may need a film retriever or a bottle opener if the film has wound all the way back into the canister. I have a seperate post on how to retrieve your exposed film from a canister.
Scissors. I recommend a small pair of scissors. Big, sharp and pointy ones have a habit of stabbing you in the dark.
A darkroom, or a room or cupboard that can be made light tight, or a changing bag. I’m fortunate to have a darkroom but any totally darkened space can be used to load your films. For some time I used a cupboad - although I could only load films at night. The big problem with makeshift spaces is that it’s hard to lay out your equipment so you can find it (feel for it) in the dark. Some people use a changing bag - I never have so I’m afraid I don’t know how easy that is.
A practice run
Lay the equipment out in a way that you can easily find them in the dark. I usually have the empty tank sitting on the bench and right next to it I have the top upside-down sitting on the lid. I have the scissors and, if you need it, the bottle opener close by. I usually have the column and the collar fitted with the reel all ready to place into the tank before I load the film.
Have the reel in you hand then close your eyes. Keep them closed! Pretend to the load a film then reach for the scissors and pretend to cut of the canister. Then put the scissors down, feel for the tank, place the reel assembly into it, then reach for and fasten the top down. If you’re using a screw down top, make sure it’s sitting nice a square before screwing it down. Once, you’re confident that you can find everything in the dark, then it’s time to do it for real.
Loading the film
Get everything ready in the darkroom, cupboard or changing bag.
Provided the film leader is protruding from the film canister you can do the very first step which is getting the film started onto the reel, with the lights on.
Cut the film leader off with the scissors. Some people like to round the edges of the film but I’ve never found it necessary. Pull about 5-6 centimetres (about a couple of inches) of film out of the film canister and feed it into the take-up slots on the reel so that it is just past the ball bearings. It shouldn’t be easy to pull the film back out now - those ball bearings should grip the film a bit like a ratchet. Be careful you don’t pull it too hard though as you may force it out and possibly tear the sprocket holes.
If the film has wound back into the film canister and you can’t retrieve it, then you’ll need to do everything including the step above in the dark. See the note below.
Turn off the lights. You may want to wait half a minute for your eyes to adjust to the dark to make sure there is no light leaking into your dark space before continuing.
Grip the edge of the film that is in the reel and pull it a little further past the ball bearings. Pull a little film from the canister and start winding the reel so that the film loads through the spiral. To do this, grip the left side of the reel and rotate the right side toward you and then away from you, then back toward you. You should feel the film winding onto the reel. When the canister has traveled up to meet the reel, pull the canister away to extract some more film (I find it can be harder to load if the film canister is rubbing against the reel). You may also find you need to place your fore-finger on your left hand under the film to guide and straighten it a little as it feeds onto the spiral, and it's also a good idea to gentle rest your right thumb just over the RHS intake groove and the film sprockets on that side to help the film glide into the reel as you rotate the reel.
Once all of the film is on the reel (I actually do this step when there’s a few centimetres to go) use the scissors to cut the film from the canister. Continue to twist the reel to wind the film so that it’s not right against the outside edge.
If you haven’t already done so, fit the column and collar retaining clip and place the reel assembly into the tank. Fit the top and the lid. Then you can turn the lights back on!
If your film has wound back into the film canister and you can’t retrieve it
You’ll have to do everything in the dark. I need to do it occasionally when for some reason I just can't retrieve a film, and while it isn't as simple as described above, it’s not too bad.
In total darkness use the bottle opener to prise one of the lids off the canister. Be careful; the metal edges of the canister and lid can be very sharp and it’s very easy to cut yourself in the dark. It’s happened to me - a real pain trying to load film while you can feel blood trickling over your hand.
Remove the film complete with the plastic spool from the canister. Let the metal bits drop to the floor or get them right out of the way. You’ll now need to feed the film into the reel in the dark - you should be able to do this without cutting the leader off but you may find it easier if it's cut off square. Pick up the reel and feel for the take-up slots (if you have’t done this before, do this as part of your eyes-closed practice routine). Feed the film in and past the ball bearings, then you should be able to continue as above.
Extra hints
• Make sure everything is nice and dry - including your hands. The film won’t be easy to load if the reel has any water in the spirals, or if the film edges are a bit sticky from sweaty hands.
• If the film binds or stops winding onto the reel try placing your thumb on the hand that you’re using to twist the reel on the top of the film. The extra friction may be enough to get it past a sticky patch. If the film hasn’t loaded very far, then grip the leading edge and pull it a little.
If you have serious difficulties and the film just won’t load, then take it back out of the reel so you can start again. You may be able to pull it out and wind it back into the film canister, or you may need to disassemble the reel to free the film. Once the film is safely back into the canister you can switch the lights on, have a break then try again. If you can’t get the film back into the canister (eg if you’ve had to break the canister open with a bottle opener) then you’ll need to loosely wind it back around the film spool and then place it in the tank - but make sure you put the column in the tank too. Fit the top (be careful that the column is sitting upright in the correct position). You won’t be able to develop the film like this but it’ll be safe in a light tight tank until you’ve had a rest and ready to try again. I’ve never had any difficulties loading 35mm film but I’ve had to use this technique for 120 film which can be occasionally difficult to load onto a reel.
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