Film Tanks & Reels

Learn about the working of photographic equipment such as film reels and film processing tanks.

Sifting through our favorite photo albums is like traveling back in time by going down memory lane and reliving those precious moments spent with our loved ones. But what keeps our memories from fading away? Of course the camera--one of the best human inventions of all times.

Quiet a lot of work is involved before we finally get to see our everlasting fond memories on paper.

Film Reel

Once the film roll is complete and ready to be developed, it is loaded/ spooled onto a film reel in a darkroom. This step involves extra carefulness as portions of the film might not get developed if it has been improperly loaded. A film reel actually looks like a picture on a reel that would rotate and the photographs would show up, one after the other, on a cinema screen like the way cinemas showed movies long time back or like the Hollywood old film reel pictures as depicted in today’s movies.

Basically film reels are used for holding the roll film firmly so that it can be properly developed once inside the film processing tank. The roll takes the form of a spiral so that the film surfaces do not touch and it is uniformly spaced to let the chemical flow freely and touch every part of the film. The reel should be dry as any sign of dampness makes loading difficult.

Film reels are available in either plastic or steel and also in varied sizes to accommodate different films. Steel reels are more durable while the plastic ones are easier to handle by amateur photographers.

Film Reel Brands

Companies such as Peterson, Kindermann etc manufacture film tanks and reels for developing films.

Paterson positions itself as a user-friendly brand by offering the auto-load reel with a smooth finish and a twin ball ratchet system that make film loading very simple. 

The 35mm stainless steel reels manufactured by Kindermann are marketed as chemical resistant, easy to clean and unbreakable as they are made from strong chrome nickel steel. It also guarantees to prevent damage as the reel is designed in such a way that there is negligible contact between the film edge and the reel.

Film Processing Tanks

Once the film has been loaded onto the film reel, it is developed using a light tight container called a film processing tank. The photographic film has the tendency to get damaged if exposed to daylight while developing, but with a film processing tank it can be developed in a daylight setting hence these are also referred to as ‘daylight tanks’. The various chemicals required for developing the photographs can be poured inside through the opening in the tank’s lid.

Similar to film reels, the film processing tank comes with different tank varieties and reel sizes to cater to both 35mm and 120mm film. The varieties include stainless steel and plastic tanks. For beginners it is advisable to use plastic tanks as they are cheap and user-friendly. However when processing temperature needs to be controlled, only stainless tanks can be used. Moreover a steel tank can be used either wet or dry unlike plastic tank where the film sticks and gets ruined if the tank is wet.

The core steps for developing photographs are summarized in the following steps:

1. Prepare all the necessary equipment (tools, chemicals etc);




2. Spool the film onto the film reel in the dark;




3. Transfer the reel to the film processing tank sealed by a cap (once safely packed inside, film can be easily developed in daylight without getting ruined);




4. Pour the developer in the tank and start the agitation process till required;




5. After agitation is complete, wash the film;




6. Hang to dry in a dust-free area;




7. Cut the dry film into strips for printing.

In order to search for film tanks and film reels on sale, photography magazines or websites maybe consulted.