RE: polaroid film

Ian,

You can use a rolling pin, but you need to do it on a
hard and level surface, such as a piece of plate
glass. Be careful not to exert too much force with
the pin though, either the caustic gel will shoot out
of the side of the developer pod, or with uneven
pressure it will develop only half of the print. Too
little pressure and the goo only reaches halfway.
Patience and practice will guide you.

The emulsion side of the film will have a square
internal edge about 1/8 in from the top and sides, and
about 3/4 inch up from the bottom. For convenience
we'll call this a matting. You can feel this edge
with your finger in the dark, and that is the side you
want to use.

Here's the good news, the emulsion side is always
facing out when in the cartridge, and with dry fingers
you can force each one out individually. (no need to
destroy the cartridge) With slight downward pressure,
push from the top and carefully force the film down
about 1/8 to 1/2 inch down. The bottom of the film
comes out of the top of the cartridge. Do not pull
the film out by holding the bottom edge, the caustic
gel pods seem to burst when you really do not want
them to. Hook a fingernail on the top edge and push
the film down about halfway, then you can pull the
film out of the cartridge from the sides.

Here's the good part. Remember how to reverse the
last steps you just did. After you expose your film,
you can load it back into the cartridge and the camera
will process it. It's a bit mickey mouse, but it
works wonders. Just remember what side is down,
because you want the pod to burst first, not last
(makes a big mess - really big mess). this works much
better than the rolling pin.

If you don't have a sx-70 camera let me know - I think
I have an extra stashed somewhere. I or someone like
me on this list will gladly swap you one for a
finished print. (woops, just spoke for everyone)

Best of luck,
Don

--- Ian Coleman <Ian.Coleman@altodigital.com> wrote:
> Don,
>
> Thanks for the reply, I have a couple of questions
> for you.
>
> The film I have does have the integral battery with
> contacts as you
> describe. I had planned on making several cameras
> out of various household
> items with a single sheet of film in each one and
> then taking pictures
> before going back to a darkroom in order to develop
> them.
>
> This means I would have to dismantle the film
> cartridge and remove the
> sheets individually.
>
> Will it be obvious which is the right side to
> expose?
>
> Can I use a rolling pin or similar to develop?
>
> Many thanks
>
> Ian
>
> P.S. I don't own any form of polaroid camera.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: D. Hill [mailto:zoppa29@yahoo.com]
> Sent: 18 October 2002 15:18
> To: pinhole-discussion@pinhole.com
> Subject: Re: [pinhole-discussion] polaroid film
>
>
> Ian,
>
> Is this the intregal film, for the one-step cameras?
> You will know if the film pack has two foil dots on
> the metal base (battery contacts)
>
> If so the easiest method is to build your camera
> around the entire cartridge - not just shooting one
> sheet at a time. You will need a polaroid 600 or
> sx-70 to develop the film. In a black room or
> changing bag load the camera with the cartridge and
> then expose your film. After exposure, in a
> darkroom
> or changing bag - remove the cartridge and place it
> in
> the polaroid camera. When you close the film door
> the
> camera will immediately eject the film, using the
> integrated rollers to develop the polaroid.
> Likewise,
> to get to the first frame of the film, you have to
> put
> the cartridge in the camera to remove the protective
> paper or darkslide. Once you remove this from the
> camera, you have to store the film in the camera or
> a
> light tight box.
>
> If your camera is an SX-70, it's a bit more painful
> to
> use the film. When inserting the film cartridge
> into
> the camera, you have to hold an index card or
> something similar under the cartridge as you insert
> it
> into the camera (it bypasses a lock-out so you do
> not
> shoot the wrong film - no big deal if you use the
> camera only for processing) then remove the card and
> close the film door.
>
> Some people have ripped out the lens of their
> polaroid
> 600's and replaced it with a pinhole, but whenever I
> have attempted this the face of the camera just
> shatters and I have to run for the band-aids. So,
> best of luck to you.
>
> Don Hill
>
> --- Ian Coleman <Ian.Coleman@altodigital.com> wrote:
> > I have decided to have a go at pinhole
> photography.
> > I have some 600 speed
> > polaroid film but I am unsure about how to develop
> > the pictures once they
> > are exposed. I understand you have to use some
> sort
> > of roller. Any advice
> > would be greatfully received.
> >
> > Ian
> >
> > Ian Coleman
> > altodigital South Limited
> > www.altodigital.com <http://www.altodigital.com>
> > Tel: 01489 781825
> > Fax: 01489 788441
> > Mobile: 07973 801375
> >
> >
> >
>
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Received on Fri Oct 18 22:17:03 2002