Topic: Polaroid 55 question

[Mojave]

I did a search but didnt find this specifically.

Anyway, Im having fun with my Pola 55 and my 545i, thank you Diane!!!, and while the negatives are totally banging, the prints are solid white. Am I not letting them develop long enough? Maybe? I was guessing at the temp and counting but Im going to invest in a thermometer and use the second hand on my watch from now on.

Anyway, yeah, just curious about why the prints are all white. Only one out of 4 came out ok.

Thanks all!

[Francois]

If the goop side is OK, it could simply be that you're not letting it process long enough. This especially true if you're processing in the cold.

[Mojave]

Thank you Francois! It was very, very cold yesterday. Colder than I knew, so maybe that is the problem.

[astrobeck]

yeah, probably too cold,
put it under your armpit if you are outside, until you can get back indoors where it's warmer.
Good luck!

[Mojave]

Thank you so much Becky! I'll try that. I put it under my shirt but I dont think I left it there long enough.

[Francois]

Don't forget that the old rigid polaroids came with an aluminum plate sandwich they called a "cold clip". It was made to put inside your coat and avoid damaging the film.

[gregor]

on the 545 backs (and 545i), don't forget the turn the lever to "P."  Otherwise the emulsion won't spread over the paper and develop it.  I suspect that this may be why you are not getting an image on the paper.  

You can take your shots out in the 'field' and pull them without switching the lever to "P," go back home and put the sheets back in the holder pull them with the lever switched to P.  An easy way not to have to clear negatives while out shooting.

I was lucky enough to be given a box of 55 (exp 2005) last week. One sheet was marked "exposed."  It was shot months ago but never pulled with the lever set to p.  I pulled it proper and both neg and print were perfect... Gives you an idea of how long a sheet can sit until it's been pulled with the lever on P.

[Francois]

The last pack of those I had was feeling its age. I had to pull it out without using the rollers... the goop needed a lot more pressure to spread. So, I used a metal roller from an old copy machine on which I was putting all my weight. It was weird 'cause I could hear the crystals crunch in the goop...

It probably would have worked just as good with an old wooden pie roller.

[Mojave]

Awesome guys, thank you! How do you pull the sheet out without smashing the goop?

And congrats on the free pack of 55 Gregor! What a nice follow up to the bad luck with the stuff off eBay.

[gregor]

Francois what do you mean by goop side on 55?  There's the neg & the paper side. The neg side is a tad goopy but not in that definition of goop we usually refer to when talking about peel apart films like fuji-fp 3000b... There isn't a cold clip for 4x5 polaroid sheet film that I'm aware of. If there is I want one!

Erin: to 'not disperse' the emulsion just don't switch the lever to "P."  When you're ready to develop the shot put it back in the holder - set lever to P and pull!

[Francois]

Well, the goop is the alkaline reactant that sits in the pouch before you pull it through the rollers.

I forgot... type 55PN and not the old type 52 I had... sorry.

But still, the process works in a pretty similar way. You expose the negative and the reactant causes the migration of the unexposed crystals to the print (from what I remember). The only big difference between regular peel apart and the type 55pn is that the negative side is a film rather than paper.

[Mojave]

Thanks again Gregor!!! I will give that a shot. I would really like to try some different pull apart techniques here in my house because it would just take too much time, and I have found that carrying the negs around in the combiplan tank works a little too well. By walking I am agitating the tank and the goop comes off very evenly and the negative looks like any other 4x5 sheet film. Not that that is a bad thing but I want my T55pn negatives to look goopy.

Also, I am wondering my negatives look so blue or brown in places while no other type 55 shots I've seen do. I really love the look and want the mix of colors to become even more pronounced, but I think it might actually be a problem. I think I am not rinsing them enough and that over the long run, that will become a problem for the negative, but Im not sure. I dont think the blue color comes from the goopy side of the negative.

[Francois]

It might be the silver oxidizing... I really don't know (though it sounds like the old silverware when it starts tarnishing).

I guess re-fixing them wouldn't do any harm.