How to load film into a Developing Tank - Paterson Film Developing Tank

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[dkerlee]

Finally a video showing me outside the bag. Thanks!

[danierinash]

Just got myself a film processing starter kit. This video was the perfect first step in figuring out what I'm doing. Thanks so much!

[markkeohane]

Some experience-based tips:
1. Try not to wind the film completely back into its canister. Learn how to stop rewinding the film in the camera so the leader is protruding when you remove the film from the camera. If you can't do this, then get a film leader retriever tool and use it to extract the leader before processing. Why? See tip 4.
2. After shooting the film wait a while - at least a few days - before processing. Longer if it's been in the camera a while. When the film is loaded into the camera it winds the opposite way to how it's wound in the canister. Once you've wound it back into the canister out of the camera allow time for it to 'relax' back to its original winding direction because this is the direction you will load it onto the developing tank reel. This will make it easier to load without jamming.
3. Try not to use a bag; they quickly get hot and sweaty inside, the reels get damp and jam when loading the film. Instead, if possible, find a totally dark room like an inside bathroom with no windows. Or find a room with a small window you can black out and work after dark.
4. You can trim the leader in the light before it goes in the reel. If you think about it, when loading the film the leader and first 15cm or so of film will be exposed to the light, so it doesn't matter if it's exposed to light before you go into the dark. Once you've trimmed the leader, you can feed it into the reel and engage it with one winding click of the reels. Now you have the film and reel as a single unit that you can start to wind on as soon as it's in the dark. This saves you the tricky operations of trimming the leader and feeding it into the reel by feel.
5. I've used a pencil to line the inside of the reel track on the assumption that the graphite will make the film slide in the track without jamming. As well, I give the reel a good blast with a hairdryer just before use to make sure it's warm and dry. Between this and allowing time after taking the film out (tip 2) I seem to have got over the early problems I had with jamming reels.
6. If you're working in a blacked out room and not with a bag, don't take your phone in there with you in case the screen lights up with an incoming call or message or an alarm. No, this hasn't happened to me because I thought of it before it did :0)
7. Enjoy the process!

[ponyjumperr]

Thank you!!!! So many how to develop videos skip this step and go right into the dark bag, which I understand because they don't want to ruin their film, but I haven't been able to figure out this step!! Thanks again

[DimIsHigh]

Thank you, there are a bunch of really nice tutorials about the whole process, but no one bothered to actually show this with some throwaway film!

[restaurantattheendofthegalaxy]

Hey Hai Tran, great lesson, I had no idea how any of this worked! Saw your SU diploma back there I miss home!

[sufficientlyoldskool]

Thanks. Getting the film onto the spindle is harder than it looks in the pitch black, but I managed lol.

[theenchiladakid]

once you lad the film in to the tank and put the lid on you take it out of the bag right, so how do you get to developing chemicals in to the tank?

[MorpoClawz]

Thank you for this ngl i messed up like 2 rolls before my stubborn ass decided to watch a YouTube tutorial HAHAHAH

[myoung]

can you use just one reel and how much chemicals are required for that one roll, thanks.

[twinsmm]

Nice. Played with B&W when I was a kid. They didn't have the light proof bag then (not that I was aware of).

[djpac]

Hey, if I make dark in my room and I use a red light it’s gonna damage the picture?

[Gshers]

I don’t think the lid to my tank fits.. why is that? It is super close, I think I’m putting it on wrong

[Ikgeloofhetniet]

that reel is the bane of my existence. I stopped developing at home because of it. Always takes me 10-15 tries and my film gets all bent, twisted and distorted by the time I do it.

[itzboba]

How do you remove the film from the reel? Love your videos keep it up!

[HansvanderVeen]

I did this already when I was 8 years old. I developed en printed my own Photos. Started wiht the famous Kodak box camera.

[christianpaul]

Who's cut their finger with the scissors in the bag? No, not me.
That's a lie - not once, but several times over 40 years of home developing. ;)