400ft-- 100ft Is there a easy way

[Team_f]

Hi!

Just got some expired 16 mm rools a 400ft eatch(120m) , vould like to do some experimenting. Thing is most afordble cameras only take 100ft, is there a good way to turn them in to 100ft daysreels?

I was thinking maybe i could use an 16mm wiwer/editor? Anyone tried? Any other samrt ideas?

I accept some scartches and dust. This is moustly for fun and experimenting)


Kind regards

[BMasson]

I assume your 400 ft. reels are wound on a core. For this you will need a split-reel. The two halves of the reel come apart so you can mount the film, you then place the two halves together again. This is placed on a 16mm rewind arm, and you can load the film onto 100 ft. daylight reels. This of course has to be done in complete darkness. Split reels are exspensive. I paid $50.00 for a brand new one. (400ft., 16mm). You may be able to find a used one. Another option is, if you live in an area where their is a lab that handles 16mm film, they could do it for you. This should not cost too much as it is fairly simple to do. Good luck.

[Team_f]

Thankyou. Can you link me to whre you found this?

So you can not normaly split ordinary 16mm reeels?

Would a split reals fit in to a home-use-amatuer 16 mm wiewer/editor?

[Will2]

A split reel is basically a reel than unscrews one side to let you place the core-loaded film into the middle then screw the side back on.

I would suggest you find a local lab and have them do it for you, offer to buy beer or something... shouldn't cost much if they charge you. Maybe just promise to process it there.

[woods01]

Split reels will work with any projector or editing system.

I was able to get a used 16mm split reel off ebay for about 15 bucks plus another 10 for shipping. Used ones do pop up frequently buying them new is always pricey but the lab is the better option because you'll need 100ft daylight spools and some empty kodak 100ft cases to keep them stored.

The labs usually give this stuff out for free with camera reports, black plastic bags & cores. Get more than you think you'll need, you never know when you'll need a spare for a short end and often cameras don't come with a take up reel (even though they should always have one).

Alternatively you could just leave the film in the core and lay it flat on a clean table and spool onto the 100ft reels. A bit more dusty and fiddly but is the cheapest option. Just remember that you'll have to spool the film backwards onto another reel after getting it off the core so that the film is wound the correct way for exposure.

[richard p. t.]

Unless the film is double perforated (which is called '2R' on the tin) you will need to wind the film twice. I suggest first winding the film onto a normal 400' spool, then break it down by winding back onto 4 x 100' spools. You can do the winding of the film from the core to the spool without using a split reel if you don't have one already. Just poke your index finger through the hole in the core, and hook your thumb around the edge of the film roll. This will work fine, especially for just getting the film onto the 400' spool in one pass.
Note that it is likely the last of the 4 x 100' rolls you make will most likely come out quite short if you fill the first 3 rolls all the way up. This is normal. There is more film on 4 x 100' rolls of film than there is on 1 x 400' as extra film is allowed for threading.
rt

[Herb Montes]

I did this before breaking down a 400 foot core to 100 foot spools. I mounted a set of rewinds to a board I could carry into my bathroom where I wound the film onto the spools from a split reel. I bought most of my split reels from eBay.

[chrisgavin]

I've just bought my first 16mm camera (the Kiev Alpha 16 is a tiny camera which takes 100ft daylight loads) and am now stocking up on some pretty cheap film from eBay.
I've bought a couple of 400 foot rolls of Fuji colour negative, because buying these larger rolls means the film can work out even cheaper for my DIY film projects.
I knew I'd have to break down the 400foot rolls into 100foot loads somehow, so I'm glad to have found this thread.

Looks like a little more investment is needed in a 400 foot split reel(s) and some extra daylight loads...

Thanks for the advice folks.

[doug]

Remember to check that the 100ft daylight spools are not bent as I found once too late after some edge-fogging. I always examine them now with a strip of white leader to see if the sides are parallel. Which brings me to ask please, does anyone know of a source of 100ft spools ? They are on Ebay but seem so expensive.

[Tscan]

I remember having to spool it from the split reel to another 400ft reel, then onto the 100ft daylight spools, in order to get the emulsion and perfs on the correct side. You will also have less film on the 400ft core compared to 4 100ft spools, because the 100ft spools give extra length (costumer allowance) for the front and tail end that gets exposed from loading and unloading.

[Will2]

I remember having to spool it from the split reel to another 400ft reel, then onto the 100ft daylight spools, in order to get the emulsion and perfs on the correct side.

Very good point, my lab gave me some 100ft loads spooled the wrong way once which was very frustrating and inconvenient. I was like a 1 year old trying to make a round block fit in a square hole. I thought I was going insane until I realized what happened.

Make sure you tell the lab to do the additional step to make sure perfs are on the correct side.

[woods01]

If memory serves correct its 63 winds to fill a 100' spool. Kodak puts about 105' on a daylight spool to account for loss when loading it in the camera. If you have a clean darkroom/bathroom then the dust you will pick will be minor in my experience.

[Pj]

The labs have always told me that the 100ft rolls of 16mm film have exactly 100ft of film, no more and no less and that the 400ft rolls have exactly 400ft, no more and no less, but I have never measured this. It is my understanding that dust is not really an issue for unexposed and unprocessed film and that dust becomes a greater is after the film is processed and dried, but I could be wrong.

Pav

[Tscan]

The labs have always told me that the 100ft rolls of 16mm film have exactly 100ft of film, no more and no less and that the 400ft rolls have exactly 400ft, no more and no less, but I have never measured this. It is my understanding that dust is not really an issue for unexposed and unprocessed film and that dust becomes a greater is after the film is processed and dried, but I could be wrong.

Pav

When you load a daylight spool, you have to run the camera for 10 seconds or so just to get to "0" on your footage counter. Same goes for the tail end. You end up with 100ft of actual frames that aren't fogged. The extra length is what John Pytlak referred to it as "costumer allowance". If you load a daylight spool using a film changing bag, you will have at least another 10ft of frames.

[JeremyC]

I remember having to spool it from the split reel to another 400ft reel, then onto the 100ft daylight spools, in order to get the emulsion and perfs on the correct side. You will also have less film on the 400ft core compared to 4 100ft spools, because the 100ft spools give extra length (costumer allowance) for the front and tail end that gets exposed from loading and unloading.

Hmmm, I guess 2R has some advantages after all.