Anyone bulk roll thier 35mm film?

[fabian628]

I recently got my hands on a konica hi-loader. I think there may still be film in it, and i am interested in loading my own rolls of film.

Does anyone here do this, any advice or tips would be appreciated.

Is it much cheaper to roll your own film?

[MattC]

I don't, but I know hoffy does.

[StanW]

There are plenty of bulk film loaders around. The proces is easy, given reasonable care. It's the cheap option if you shoot a lot of 35mm film.

[MarkChap]

I remember doing this as a young'un

It was great, we had Black and White in bulk and I could just go out to the dark room and load as many frames as were needed, head out and shoot it, then straight home to the dark room and develop and print.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm..................... Maybe I need a dark room in the back corner of my shed ????????

[TOM]

fabian, I just buy pro packs, I simply don't trust myself.

[fenderslash]

I bulk-load mine. As far as cost goes, here's my most recent example... I bulk loaded 18.5 36 exposure rolls from a can of Kodak Plus-X. The can cost me about $65, which makes each 36 exposure roll average out to be about $3.50. To buy a regular 36 exposure roll of Plus-X costs about $10 each.

You can buy empty canisters specifically for bulk-loading film into from photographic supply shops, but I just got a heap of old used canisters for free from K-Mart last year. There's always just enough film sticking out to enable you to tape the fresh film to.

It's quite a straight forward process, but on your first attempt make triple sure you know exactly what you're doing or else you risk ruining a whole $65 bulk roll in a split second. (Don't mean to scare you off though... If I can do it then ANYONE can do it!!)

[fabian628]

thanks for the tips. Ill have a go tonight, see if i can get anything onto a roll.

Is it ok to have a red light on or should this be done in complete darkness?

[TOM]

No red light, complete darkness.

[hoffy]

As Matt said, I bulk roll. As has been stated above, it needs to be done in complete darkness. I use an old Watson loader much like this one - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mpclemens/3421533259/ (not my picture!). The good thing about this loader is that it doesn't have a felt light trap. Felt is too easy to get dirty which = scratches. The biggest issue, though, is the leader is pretty long, so you will lose a few shots at the end of each roll. I try and compensate for this by starting the process in side a film loading bag. Sometimes this works, but I still tend to lose the last shot on most rolls.

As for canisters, the generic ones from places such as B&H or freestyle are pretty cheap. Even though I am still going through my first roll, I think that when I re-load, I will get new canisters each time (I bought 10 @ $1 a pop). This way, the felts should be good and I shouldn't need to worry too much.

So, if I can do it, anyone can!

[fabian628]

Where exactly did you get the cannisters from? Thanks.

[hoffy]

I got them from B&H in the US
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/83091-REG/General_Brand_NPMC400DX_1_35mm_DX_Coded_Metal.html

Be careful, though, as they can really sting you for postage (as do most places from O/S - the cheapest shipping for them is $41 for 5 cartridges!!!!). What I typically do is make up a big order and keep on adding things until the shipping price starts to rise!

If you don't have a big order, try Vanbar:
http://www.vanbar.com.au/catalogue/index.php?item1=DARKROOM&item2=BULK-FILM

[richie4540]

there are different types of re-loadable film cannisters, some use a clip on steel end covers and there are others that are plastic that have a twist off type end and are quite easy to use. you can also put more than 36 shots into you film cans but i suggest not going past 40 shots or you will cause scratches on the film and also when you go to develop the film it wont fit onto a standard film reel. also clean your reels and check the felts before you reload each time, willl make every thing more reliable.

richie