Clearing / Fixing Polaroid Type 55

[blevblev]

I made a few Type 55 exposures and washed the negatives in distilled water. I have since read here that they should be cleared with Sodium Sulfite (which I purchased) and fixed in a hardening fixer. The negatives are obviously dry at this point. Can I put them back in the soup after-the-fact to make sure they are preserved?

There was also mention of using Heico Perma-Wash instead of the pure Sodium Sulfite (P-W has SS in it.) Has anyone tried this yet?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Perma-Wash works. I've done that occasionally.

It is not necessary to fix them. Hardening fixer in general is only beneficial when the negative is wet, so it protects the negative during washing. It doesn't do anything for the dry negative.

[Matt Blaze]

I made a few Type 55 exposures and washed the negatives in distilled water. I have since read here that they should be cleared with Sodium Sulfite (which I purchased) and fixed in a hardening fixer. The negatives are obviously dry at this point. Can I put them back in the soup after-the-fact to make sure they are preserved?

There was also mention of using Heico Perma-Wash instead of the pure Sodium Sulfite (P-W has SS in it.) Has anyone tried this yet?


I've found type 55 to be very forgiving, but have no experience with long term storage.

If the negatives look clear you might be OK by re-diping them in Sodium Sulfite to finish off the clearing. If they look dark with brownish gunk, you may be out of luck, but it's worth trying, since you'd have nothing to lose at that point.

I don't bother with the hardening step, but it's recommended because the negatives are fairly easily scratched and have a thin emulsion. If you're very careful with them, you can safely skip using the hardener (and can do it later if you want, but it really isn't that important if you're careful in storage and handling).

-matt

[darr]

I use Perma Wash instead of straight Sodium Sulfite. Here is a link (http://www.cameraartist.com/words/2006/07/how_i_shoot_polaroid_55_pn.html) to a page I wrote about my process if interested.

Darr

[Ole Tjugen]

Type 55 negatives are already fixed, so the only reason hardening fixer is recommended is the hardening.

Sodium sulfite solution washes the gunk off the negatives faster than plain water, and also clears away the fixing byproducts.

But I have negatives somewhere here that were only washed with water, and they are still fine after ¤% years.

[IanMazursky]

Ive been using the Sodium Sulfite bath for a while.
Its simple to use and rewash type 55 in. Ive had to do it once or twice with no ill effects.
The sulfite bath also keep the emulsion hard. I tested it in regular water and the emulsion will become gelatinous as it absorbs the water. In sulfite, it stays hard and does not seem to absorb as much or any water.
I was able to rub the gel pack off in sulfite without scratching the neg. It was ruined when i tried it in water.

[davidb]

where are you buying the film these days?

[IanMazursky]

Me, I have a deal with a local lab and i buy through B&H, Adorama & Sometimes Calumet.
I have some other sources for type 55 but i cant remember them now.
I try to support my local labs even though i end up paying 10-30% more.

[Colin Corneau]

Can anyone recommend one place (B&W, Adorama, Freestyle) over another? Does it matter much?

Polaroid no longer ships to Canada, since I guess we're now a Third World country or something - necessitating me buying American.

[Renato Tonelli]

Darr - thanks for posting your link - lots of helpful suggestions.

[matthew blais]

I just use HCA full strength

[Charles Hohenstein]

Can anyone recommend one place (B&W, Adorama, Freestyle) over another? Does it matter much?

Polaroid no longer ships to Canada, since I guess we're now a Third World country or something - necessitating me buying American.

Be sure to check the price at Badger Graphic. When I was looking a few months ago, they had the lowest price I could find on Type 55, among the more reputable dealers. But their price may have gone up since the last time I looked.