One-Minute Reads about Film Photography

A quick and easy tip for trouble-free film reel loading.

Patterson tanks and reels are ubiquitous in most film developing darkrooms. But have you ever been loading a reel only for the film to get stuck or buckled? Or pulled your film out from the tank to see a large blotch where the film was touching another part of the reel during development?

There is a quite simple solution to this and all you need is a hairdryer. Even a small amount of moisture (humidity) can make the reels sticky. By using a hair dryer on the reel prior to loading film, you are assured of a clean load…the film literally will slip onto the reels. I generally heat my reel up with a hair dryer for about a minute. I think the warmth of the reel adds to the ease of loading too.

So happy developing with no fuss or muss!

• gregory gammon / www.vinylfye.com