Polaroid Type 55 found in closet

[John Conway]

I am very excited about this! In my closet I found a box of type 55 unopened! The expiration date is 2/05.I don't want to waste a single sheet. I'm open to suggestion on what speed I should shoot at with the eleven year old film .

[santoroman]

John-

Don't waste your time and skills on that junk. I'll pay for the shipping and just send it to me in Seattle. I'll make sure it gets put in the proper place.

santo

[Huub]

As it is slow speed film i wouldn't worry to much about possible speed loss. What i would worry about is that the chemical pods are dried out and don't work anymore as intended. And there is only one way to find out....

[Peter Gomena]

I found some not too long ago and the pods were dried out and useless. You can, however, use the packet like a ready-load. Don't flip the processing lever and carefully work the packet back out out of the holder. Peel it apart in the darkroom and process the film in your favorite developer.

[John Conway]

I found some not too long ago and the pods were dried out and useless. You can, however, use the packet like a ready-load. Don't flip the processing lever and carefully work the packet back out out of the holder. Peel it apart in the darkroom and process the film in your favorite developer.

I didn't think the pods would be an issue with ten year old stuff. I purchased an unopened box of polaroid on ebay dated 1971 a few years ago and got prints from most of the packets. The contrast was pretty good but development time was very long. I think it was type 57. There were other strange and unique things on the prints that gave them a vintage look.

[goamules]

I got some recently, stored in air conditioning. I can't remember how old, about 10 or 15 years. I couldn't get but one sheet to work.

[EdSawyer]

I had some 55 from 2004 , all pods seemed dry. :-/

[Vaughn]

Also what position it was stored in can be important. The best way is standing on end -- worst way is on its side. On its back, or front, is not too bad, but can eventually ruin some such as Type 69. It has to do with the orientation of the pod and maintaining the chemicals evenly across the length of the pod. In the case of the color, Type 69, the pods resting against and putting pressure on the film (the packs are alternated in direction in package) caused discoloration in the print where the pressure was applied.)

[Bob Salomon]

You mean expired 11 years ago, it was made quite a bit earlier then when it expired.

[goamules]

I heard you can gently warm them up in the microwave. Just kidding....don't!

[Bob Salomon]

I heard you can gently warm them up in the microwave. Just kidding....don't!

Good way to blow up your microwave since their is some metal in those pods.

[Vaughn]

I put an SX-70 print in the microwave -- to try to extend the period one could work with it -- and just to see what would happen. Sparks and a slightly burnt print before I could shut the microwave off!!!! There's foil in that print packet! :p

[Bob Salomon]

I put an SX-70 print in the microwave -- to try to extend the period one could work with it -- and just to see what would happen. Sparks and a slightly burnt print before I could shut the microwave off!!!! There's foil in that print packet! :p

Wasn't there a battery in that pack?

[Vaughn]

Wasn't there a battery in that pack?

Sorry, by 'print packet', I meant just the print itself and the surrounding material needed for its support and the chemicals for processing -- basically everything that sort of squirts out of the camera when you press the shutter.

But tossing in a used SX-70 pack, with all its metal and battery, into a microwave would be quite exciting. I think my dear old departed Aunt Wanda would approve!

[Randy]

Good way to blow up your microwave since their is some metal in those pods.

Myth-busters did an experiment years ago with metal in microwave - sparked a lot but did no damage to the machine.

[Michael Mutmansky]

I am very excited about this! In my closet I found a box of type 55 unopened! The expiration date is 2/05.I don't want to waste a single sheet. I'm open to suggestion on what speed I should shoot at with the eleven year old film .

Hahaha... good luck.

I loved Type 55, but with old packs, (more then a few years old), I always found that the gel packs had dried up if they weren't refrigerated, so they were spotty, at best.

Be prepared to make 10 shots and maybe have one partially turn out, but I wouldn't be surprised if none came out at all.

Too bad they didn't keep better. You can't freeze them because of the developer pouch, and they dried out pretty quickly otherwise, so the best you could do is put them in the fridge and hope that extends them, which it did somewhat.


---Michael

[Vaughn]

I have used unrefridgerated Type 55 much older than that! But I was lucky! But sometimes I wasn't!

Speed Graphic w/ magnifying glass lens. Contact prints from Type 55 negatives.
Plus one that I solarlized the negative. Fun stuff -- hope it works for you!!!!!!!

[John Conway]

Well , it was fun and man I sure enjoyed using the Polaroid one last time. I ended up with six prints that looked pretty decent .I wish I had not found the type 55 now that it is over because it just reminded me of how much I miss it. I loved that film.It was so nice when you could walk into a retail store and there were so many choices with Polaroid film and at such reasonable prices. Type 55 and sepia were my favorite. The new55 film gave me hope , and it looks like the film is coming along very well, but the cost is just too much for me. So today was the final farewell to an old friend . I'll always remember the sweet smell of the print coaters in those little tubes.

[David Lobato]

Search YouTube for Jennifer Lawrence microwave. Funny scene from American Hustle. I'm not sure if its okay to post a YouTube link.

[David Lobato]

I learned 4x5 camera movements with Polaroid Type 52. It was a great learning tool and a great creative vehicle. I will miss those Polaroid films.

[jnantz]

you can still shoot it,
you will have to develop the film like
conventional film.
you will have to poke around for
developers, temps and times ...