Topic: Technical Polaroid film question

[moominsean]

anyone know, or know of a site that explains, exactly what happens with Polaroid 600 film (or any one-step Polaroid film). Is the film surface always wet, or does developer/fixer spread on the image as it is ejected? There is obviously something that happens when ejecting the film, or it would keep exposing after ejection. I have a few ideas, but the film is a bit too expensive to just rip open to see what's inside the pack. I understand the peel aparts well enough. One Step is a mystery with its magic developing image....and I'd like to experiment with it if I could figure out what is involved in the development process.
thanks
sean

[ann]

why not just call the tech support people at porlorid, they are very helpful.

[Francois]

I have in a book a description of how the old Time Zero film works... pretty amazing stuff.

The Time Zero film is completely encapsulated in plastic. Comes out dry and doesn't require any handling to develop and fix. Doesn't even need to be shaken (something I could never figure out why people did).

The film consists of multiple layers of negative material, receiving sheet, goo pod sandwiched between plastic layers.
(some books talk about a Polymeric Acid layer and a Timing layer which I have no idea what they do in the process.)

The negative layer is sensitive to red, green and blue. Each color sensitive layer is linked to a complimentary dye layer (cyan, magenta, yellow) and its own developper layer. So the negative layer has 9 layers!

The pod contains an opaque alkaline activator that is spread between the negative and positive layers. once development starts, the exposed dyes migrate to a receiving layer. Where exposed undeveloped silver halides are developed, they block the migration through the goo. Only unexposed portions are allowed to migrate through to the receiving layer. Once development is complete, the negative image is still in the print, only hidden from view by an opacifier in the goo.

So, if you count them, your time zero film has between 13 and 15 layers!
It must be incredibly complex to produce, no wonder they pulled the plug on it.
But still, even with today's electronic wizardry, this film is quite amazing stuff!

[beck]

Hmm, this would be a job for, Super Skorj. I think he made mention of this very thing....somewhere...I think.

[Francois]

I can just see him in the kitchen with a rolling pin making all those tiny layers   

[moominsean]

So I wonder what it would take to make one work if you removed it from the pack? As in expose it with something else and try to get it to develop. squish it in the dark? (hey!).