Developing Your Own Film - Part 2 - Getting the Film Onto the Reel

This is probably the hardest part of the whole process and my best recommendation is to practice a few times with a throw away roll. I currently use plastic reels because I find the stainless steel reels more tedious to use. One positive thing about stainless steel reels is that they last a very long time. The plastic reels are so easy to use that I would rather buy new reels every once in a while than deal with stainless steel ones. Once you have your roll of film and the developing tank then its time to head into the dark. That's right. This whole step must be completed in total darkness. There are a few different ways to do this but this is what I do.

Before I start I lay out all the components used in order from left to right. The reel has a guide on where the film goes through and I place this towards me. The film is next to the reel, then the tank, followed by the light-proof lid. Once I'm in complete darkness I remove the seal around the film and start to roll away the paper backing. Once I find the actual film I carefully place it onto the reel and pull it through for about an inch (past the ball bearings). Once this is done you can slowly start to twist the reel. After every few turns I remove more of the paper backing and continue until I reach the end. The end of the film is taped on to the paper backing. Carefully remove the film and fold the tape over onto the film. Continue twisting the reel until the end has passed through the initial guides. I like to fold the tape onto the film because it later provides more grip for hanging the film to dry.

The key to all of this is the initial placement of the film onto the reel. If you do this correctly then the whole process should take just a few minutes.