Problems W/Polaroid Back/Type 55

[Josef Isayo]

I'm shooting a Littman 45 single with a Polaroid 545i Back. I do alot of location shooting with Type 55 film but would like to shoot and process at a later time. I was told you can process your film (I'm new to LF Photography) at a later time but have no success pulling the film out without tearing it.
Could it be that I have a bad back? I did buy it used.


Thanks!

[Gene McCluney]

It is possible you have a bad back, or just a dirty back. Notice on the back the swing lever for loading and processing. when you swing the lever down for processing, it presses on a little "L" shaped lever. If you leave the swing lever in the "up" or "loading" position, and you manually depress the little "L" shaped lever, the film should pull right out. It is this little "L" shaped lever that releases the film from the back. If the film does not pull right out in one piece, then you probably have dirty rollers that are catching on the film. You can open up the back from the camera side (a swing-door over the rollers) and inspect the rollers, which can also be separated with two catches, for cleaning.

Later when you want to process the film, insert the film into the back with the swing lever in top position. Move swing lever to bottom position and smoothly pull out film and start timing the development.

[Ted Harris]

LOL, Gene wish it was as simple as that. It should be but it isn't. In fact Polaroid has a tech bulletin just onpulling the film out for later processing. I posted it here once but can't find it right now soif someone else can great.

Meanwhile, here is what works. 1) Flip the lever to P for process and very slowly and carefully pull the film out just far enough to see the metal tab (you need to do it this way to be absolutely sure the film and the packet disengage). 2) Flip the lever back to L and carefully and slowly wiggle the film back and forth as you slowly pull it out.

[Gene McCluney]

As a side comment...I have noticed that the current production of Polaroid 4x5 film have metal tabs that are either thinner or softer metal, and I get many more sheets where the metal tab will not stay in the camera when I pull the tab for exposure. When this happens I remove the film and I see that the metal tab has been bent in the area where it is gripped by the Polaroid back. Sometimes I can bend the tab back and it will work, others not. I have compared older Polaroid with current, and it is quite obvious that the current metal tabs are thinner, lighter metal.

[Ted Harris]

FYI, when you have problems with the tabs, as long as your film is not expired, you can get a free box from Polaroid.

[Gene McCluney]

FYI, when you have problems with the tabs, as long as your film is not expired, you can get a free box from Polaroid.

I know that, but since I use JIT (JUST IN TIME) delivery of materials for my studio, and replacement stock is 1/2 the continent away, when I get down to the last few sheets, I can start to sweat, if I have a client waiting for the Polaroid. Oh, well, that is my problem..not wanting to stock large quantity, in general.

[BrianShaw]

Meanwhile, here is what works. 1) Flip the lever to P for process and very slowly and carefully pull the film out just far enough to see the metal tab (you need to do it this way to be absolutely sure the film and the packet disengage). 2) Flip the lever back to L and carefully and slowly wiggle the film back and forth as you slowly pull it out.

I know that you know what you are talking about, Ted... but the first step makes me cringe. There isn't too much space before the chem packet gets to the roller. If it ruptures, you know what happens!

Here's my method with a 545 back:

1. Flip lever to "L" and press the release button
2. Put thumb squarely on middle of the film packet and gently push (down, to hold the neg in the packet, and toward the opening - at the same time)
2.4 When meta clip becomes visible, push the metal clip toward the opening while simultaneously gently pulling on the tabs.
3. When metal clip gets near roller, grasp the film packet between fingers (making darn sure that the chem packet doesn't get squeezed) and ease the metal clips through the roller. This requires the wiggling that Ted describes -- except I would call it 'side-to-side'.

This probably is not Polaroid-endorsed, but works 99% of the time.

[Alan Rabe]

Check out www.skgrimes.com/about/545/index.htm for instructions on how to clean and repair your back.

[Ted Harris]

Brian's method works just as well and he is correct that there is just a tiny bit of space before you engage the chemical pod. The major point that we are all trying to make is that just flipping the lever and holding in the release button while you blithly pull out the filmwill not always work.

There have also been several intimations about cleanliness of the holder and that is a very important consideration when processing Polaroid film. Make very very sure all the rollers are clean. The cleaning instructions mentioned above are excellent. Note that the repair instructions are applicable to the older, all metal 545 and not the current 545i and 545pro holders.

[PViapiano]

I basically do what Brian says, only I lick my thumb to create more of a bond to push the envelope. I've never had to jiggle the envelope through the rollers, though.

My biggest problem has always been that the metal tabs get stuck together/ inside each other during transport (if you're not transporting them in the original box) or else get stuck with the pull-tab part of the envelope...depending on which way you stack them. So now I make paper separators by folding sheets of paper in half and sticking the metal tab end in there. Keeps 'em nice and separated with no chance of opening/exposing accidentally.