rb67 w/ polaroid back first tests and failures

[norayr]

Hello,

 

I just tried to shoot fp-100c with rb67 and polaroid back.

First several shots went okay, while fifth photo had the white spot in the corner, some undeveloped or overexposed area, and then later photos, all of them, just contained some part of the image in the corner, and the rest was white.

The last image went out completely white.

 

 

 

The fp-100c film was only expired one year ago.

I have a guess that may be first photos were successful because there was pressure inside the back, and then there was no pressure, and the photo paper was not pressured to the black paper, thus the image was not printed on it.

 

I had an impression that only the part of the picture with the image was a bit wet, and the rest was dry.

May be chemicals for some reason did not cover the whole picture? Or was it because the paper was not pressured good enough?

 

I don't know.

 

Can you suggest something to improve this situation?

This is very frustrating, and the film itself is very expensive to waste like that.

[AJG]

Processing these takes a bit of practice. It is important to pull the packet slowly and smoothly through the rollers since pulling it too quickly or starting and stopping can lead to uneven development. If you have a corner cut off like your first example that is the likely cause. Another potential problem is rollers that are gummed up with processing chemicals from previous use. Once you're done with the pack, open it up and take the roller assembly out and clean it with a soft cloth and alcohol. Do this every 2-3 packs to avoid streaks and scratches. If you have a changing bag or a darkroom you can take out the pack in total darkness and clean the rollers and put the pack back in. That said, this is still outdated film and it may not have been stored well, which may account for your problems.

[JDMvW]

My first guess would be that the developer 'pod' has mostly dried up.

 

Second guess: AJG may be right that there is something wrong with the rollers....

[norayr]

JDMvW, what is the 'developer pod'?

 

AJG, thank you for reply!

 

i also suspect the polaroid back itself.

can it be a light leak? does not look like right?

so it must be the rollers or me pulling it wrongly.

the polaroid back i have has some cracks on it,

i have a feeling that there is some connection with the quantity of the photos, first five photos came out well.

the problem was with the last five.

 

anyway thank you all very much for sharing your experience and thoughts.

take care.

[AlanKlein]

I have a polaroid back for my RB67. Is there still instant film available for it?

[JDMvW]

In the film envelope, there was a 'sac' of developer gel. When you processed the film by pulling it out of the holder, the two stainless steel rollers crushed the pod and spread the gel over the image surface. That's why it was critical to pull steadily and carefully.

the Polaroid "turtle"

[ben_hutcherson]

That said, this is still outdated film and it may not have been stored well, which may account for your problems.

 

I have a half dozen boxes of FP-100c that are in date through October, and I'll probably buy some more. It's still in stock at the major retailers. The best I can tell, Fuji made a TON of it before they shut down the line, and it seems to have a fairly long rated shelf life.

 

With that said, I agree that the subject film may be "past prime." It looks to me like uneven distribution of developer from the developer being partially dried.