400ft to 100ft Bulk Film Respooler

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I designed a bulk film respooler to help convert 400ft rolls of film to the more commonly available 100ft spools. This was designed to be as small as possible so it can fit in your dark bag. **UPDATE:** Version 2.0 without sidewalls Version 1.0 with sidewalls I designed a Version 2.0 after learning that the Version 1.0's sidewalls from the 100ft spool would rub against the bulk loader which made it difficult to pull the film when the film gate is in the closed position. Version 1.0 still works as intended but I decided to remove the sidewalls for Version 2.0. Also Version 1.0 has only been tested on a Watson 100 bulk loader. Sorry I don't know if it will work on other bulk loaders. Version 2.0 has the following improvements over Version 1.0: • Removed sidewalls from the 100ft spool for reasons stated above. • Without the sidewalls, the new 100ft spool is more like what’s typically found in bulk roll films. • More glue surface to join the two base pieces together. • Taller shaft on the 100ft side to ensure a more secure and steady rotation. • Tighter tolerance on the 100ft spool so it spins smoother on the shaft. • Version 1.0 took about 13 hours to print. Version 2.0 takes about 11.5 hours to print and uses less material. In theory Version 2.0 should work on any bulk loader since the final 100ft spool will resemble what’s typically provided by Kodak and Ilford. My intent for designing these tools have been to help reduce the cost of film for film enthusiasts which hopefully signals to film manufacturers that this is a market worth investing in and hopefully expanding. Please understand however that these are still works in progress and to use at your own risk. I wish I could say that I’ve run thousands of feet through them and that they have been thoroughly test but so far I’ve only loaded 1x 100ft spool and rolled 4x rolls of Double-X using the Version 1.0 design. I will continue to improve the design and will, of course, share it with this awesome community for free. If you have printed either of these designs and would like to share your feedback or ideas for improvement, I would love to hear it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 2.0 Instructions The assembly consists of 4 parts: 1) Base #1 for the 400ft spool 2) Base #2 for the 100ft spool 3) 100ft spool 4) Crank handle No worries if you don't have a 100ft spool. Part #3 will make a 100ft spool. Roughly 140 turns of the crank = 100 feet of film. If you lose count, you can just keep turning until the film is about 2-3mm from edge of the base. Gluing (highly recommend Testors Plastic Cement) -Join the two bases (#1 and 2) by gluing the puzzle piece together. How it works: 1) Tools required: Scissor, tape, darkbag, bulk loader, 400ft film in the original tin, this respooler. 2) Put all items into the darkbag. If applicable, carefully unpeel the sealing tape on the 400ft tin but keep the tin shut. Stick and hang tape somewhere clean - not in the darkbag. 3) Within the dark bag, open the 400ft tin. If applicable, take the film out of the black bag, and place it onto the 400ft side of the respooler (left). The 400ft side will be stationary. Your 400ft spool of film sits onto the shaft on the left. The base of the circle was precisely designed to be large enough to support 400ft of film. 4) The 100ft spool should be on the right side. The bottom of the 100ft spool has a round hole and will sit on the shaft from the base. The top of the 100ft spool has a square opening. 5) With the 400ft on the left and the empty 100ft spool on the right, make sure the film feeds from the top of the 400ft roll to the top of the 100ft spool. The emulsion side always faces down towards you and is wound facing inward. Remove any tape securing the 400ft spool to itself then pull the film across to the right and tape it onto the 100ft spool. 5) Insert the crank handle on top of the 100ft spool by the square opening. 6) Memorize the handle's starting location. Turn the handle clockwise roughly 140 full rotations or until the film is about 2-3 mm from the edge of the sidewall. 7) Cut the film. Reapply the tape that was holding the 400ft roll. Place film back into the black bag and back into the tin. 8) Remove any slack from the film in the 100ft spool. 9) Remove handle from the 100ft spool by lifting it up. 10) Carefully lift the newly loaded 100ft spool up and out of the respooler and insert it into your bulk loader. Load your bulk loader as usual. Remember to hold the 400ft tin tightly as you remove it from the darkbag, promptly reapply the tape along the perimeter of the tin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 1.0 Instructions The assembly consists of 5 parts: 1) Base #1 for the 400ft spool 2) Base #2 for the 100ft spool 3) Bottom portion of the 100ft spool 4) Top portion of the 100ft spool 5) Crank handle No worries if you don't have a 100ft spool. Part #3 and Part #4 will make a 100ft spool with sidewalls. 140 turns of the crank = 100 feet of film. If you lose count, you can just keep turning until the film is about 2-3mm from the edge of the sidewall. Gluing (highly recommend Testors Plastic Cement) -Join the two bases (#1 and 2) by gluing the puzzle piece together. -Glue Part #3 and #4 to make a 100ft spool. How it works: 1) Tools required: Scissor, tape, darkbag, bulk loader, 400ft film in the original tin, this respooler. 2) Put all items into the darkbag. If applicable, carefully unpeel the sealing tape on the 400ft tin but keep the tin shut. Stick and hang tape somewhere clean - not in the darkbag. 3) Within the dark bag, open the 400ft tin. If applicable, take the film out of the black bag, and place it onto the 400ft side of the respooler (left). The 400ft side will be stationary. Your 400ft spool of film sits onto the shaft on the left. The base of the circle was precisely designed to be large enough to support 400ft of film. 4) The 100ft spool should be on the right side. The bottom of the 100ft spool has a round hole and will sit on the shaft from the base. The top of the 100ft spool has a square opening. 5) With the 400ft on the left and the empty 100ft spool on the right, make sure the film feeds from the top of the 400ft roll to the top of the 100ft spool. The emulsion side always faces down towards you and is wound facing inward. Remove any tape securing the 400ft spool to itself then pull the film across to the right and tape it onto the 100ft spool. 5) Insert the crank handle on top of the 100ft spool by the square opening. 6) Memorize the handle's starting location. Turn the handle clockwise 140 full rotations or until the film is about 2-3 mm from the edge of the sidewall. 7) Cut the film. Reapply the tape that was holding the 400ft roll. Place film back into the black bag and back into the tin. 8) Remove any slack from the film in the 100ft spool. 9) Remove handle from the 100ft spool by lifting it up. 10) Lift the newly loaded 100ft spool up and out of the respooler and insert it into your bulk loader. Load your bulk loader as usual. Remember to hold the 400ft tin tightly as you remove it from the darkbag, promptly reapply the tape along the perimeter of the tin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Printer Settings Material: MatterHackers Build Series PLA Printing Temp: 205C Bed Temp: 60C Infill: 25% Supports: Yes, I designed it to be as minimal as possible. Orientation: Print as loaded. Version 1.0 should take a little over 13 hours when all is said and done. Version 2.0 should take about 11-12 hours. I spent a good amount of time designing this and hope the film community can benefit from it. Tips are not required but would be greatly appreciated. Shoot film and be nice! Thanks! Good luck!