Help! Velvia doesn't fit in bulk loader!

[mjs1973]

I just got my first roll of Velvia 50 today. I went to load it into my bulk loader so I could roll some film for this weekend, but it doesn't fit in my loader. I have put 100' rolls in it before, but the center spool on the Velvia is making the roll to big for my loader. I tried to push it out but it feels like the film is attached to it some how so I didn't press my luck with it. Any suggestions? Do I need a new, bigger bulk roller?

[Clemmie]

Been a while since I've handled bulk rolls......but I do remember that the film is usually taped to the spool, so it's going to be difficult or impossible to push out. Your solution may well be to wind the film - the whole roll - onto a smaller spool. Or use something of smaller diameter, unattached, to re-roll the film around - then slipping the 'smaller something' out, and going coreless.

I'm only familiar with the classic Watson 100 bulk loader, which had plenty of clearance for anything that would fit in a standard metal film can.

[mjs1973]

Been a while since I've handled bulk rolls......but I do remember that the film is usually taped to the spool, so it's going to be difficult or impossible to push out. Your solution may well be to wind the film - the whole roll - onto a smaller spool. Or use something of smaller diameter, unattached, to re-roll the film around - then slipping the 'smaller something' out, and going coreless.

I'm only familiar with the classic Watson 100 bulk loader, which had plenty of clearance for anything that would fit in a standard metal film can.

Thanks for the input Clemmie. The film can that the Velvia came in was quite a bit larger than the one my T-Max 100 came in, so I was a little worried right away. I think what I'm going to do is to hand load a few cassettes until the roll is small enuf to fit in the loader. It's going to be a pain in the a$$ but it should get the job done.

[mjs1973]

I got it to fit! I hand rolled 2 cassettes and that made the roll small enuf to fit in bulk loader. Only problem is, I have no idea how much film I got on those two rolls. I now have my first 9 rolls loaded up and ready to shoot, and the rest is in the freezer for safe keeping.

[Clemmie]

Glad to hear you got something figured out.

I've never dealt with Slide film, so I wasn't aware of the larger roll size. The only sensible reasoning I've thought of for that, is that perhaps it is to help maintain the flatness of the end result (a Slide). Of course, the film still gets twisted around just as tightly as print film would when it's in the camera - so that theory suddenly 'doesn't get it', either.