Topic: Help!!! Polaroid 545i problem.

[This-is-damion]

Ive just wasted 4 or 5 sheets of Pola 4x5 film.   The back was working recently, i tried an old piece of film which fell apart when i tried to pull it out of the holder.

Images are coming out black, which according to this user guide means no light getting to film   (http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:nFt9T2WiZoEJ:stephengrote.com/teaching/datasheets/storage/Polaroid%2520545i%2520Large%2520Format%2520Back%2520User%2520Guide.pdf+polaroid+545i+repair&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgR8UzTUWlrh72MbTsQpuSyM4KO1DcLlsvTSiZOKgL8547nmCitNrZBVF2KcEF9LMe_ffFm0fEFFRbfUnEGzU6D4n4t5pReDTxO4aQtIIVYUJIdHtXG6F-sJ19m85dXR3jMVo4r&sig=AHIEtbQsFc7Uh_dndEDM2n9AjhRn9ujr1A )

So it looks light might be some crap stuck at the bottom of the holder, stopping the film going in completely..although only by a mm or so.

Anyone had this issue before?  Or experience of taking one apart to fix.

or if not...one to sell.

[Mojave]

I think somebody else recently posted an issue with their 545i in that it wasnt grabbing a hold of film. They couldnt feel the film cartridge snapping into place so when they pulled the paper out, the film came out with it. I know that when I use mine, I can feel that metal piece on the film snapping into place. Not sure if that is what is going on with yours or not but just thought I'd mention it since the only thing I know. 

[Francois]

Mine used to do that a lot. What I did was simply bend out the bottom of the metal strip on each sheet of film with my fingernails enough for it to grab. Also, when I pulled the film, I would feel to see if the pod was in or out of the holder as that's the only way to know if the holder grabbed on properly.

But if you bend it too much, it will stick and not process...

To take apart the holder, you just need a wide flat head screwdriver. The entire holder is held on each side by 2 U shaped clips (they have the slots for the Graflock holder in them). Once you manage to remove those, the whole thing is pretty simple to fix.

There might be a film end strip stuck in it... It's always hard to see.

[sapata]

There might be a film end strip stuck in it... It's always hard to see.

It happened to me as well and I wasted a few sheets (from the only few boxes I've ever bought... ). At the time I went to the Polaroid site and downloaded the manual, it shows exactly what to do to open the back. When I opened I found a piece of metal strip that was preventing the sheet to go all the way down the bottom.

[original_ann]

Yup, I'm the one who posted about this.  It happens to me alot... and sorry to say, it often just feels like a crapshoot.  I confess to having FIVE backs... it's horrible when you've peeled the film and only then discover that it was never exposed. 

There is a visual and step by step by SK Grimes for the earlier 545 back here: http://www.skgrimes.com/about/545/index.htm

It makes it very easy to figure out how to disassemble but I could never figure out exactly what I was supposed to be doing to the clips - maybe it will make sense to you... 

Good luck!! 

[original_ann]

Oh and Sapata's right - I've discovered a metal strip in there a few times, not always but sometimes...

Here's the 545i disassembly (however it doesn't help with what to do to maintain the clips)  http://stephengrote.com/teaching/datasheets/storage/Polaroid%20545i%20Large%20Format%20Back%20Tips.pdf

[This-is-damion]

Hola!!

It worked, It was the end of a film strip.   All fixed in about 1 minute.

Happy days and many thanks for the responses.

[original_ann]

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