665 film - negative processing

[Robin Harrison]

The newest addition to my rangefinder collection is the Polaroid 600SE. Not that this is a true rangefinder at heart - it's massive, and slow, and generally a big job to use! But it's a marvellous beast in its own right.

This is probably rather specialist knoweldge, but does anyone have any hints about treating the negatives from the 665 positive/negative film? The literature claims they should be treated in sodium sulfite solution, but I don't really want to have to buy and prepare chemicals before every shot. Is this the only way?

I love the idea of a big negative as well as the positive print, but I can see myself switching to the B&W film without negative that doesn't require coating.

 

[pshinkaw]

I think the Sodium sulfite solution is actually the fixer. It's not quite the same as the thick coating that goes on Polaroid B&W prints. There may be adequate substitutes fopr this solution, perhaps another type of fixer that is not quite so smelly.

However, instead of coating the negative, the process requires the negative to be dipped or soaked in the liquid fixing solution. It's still messy though.

-Paul

 

[pshinkaw]

Oops. I forgot about the print though. It does require coating with that thick smelly gel. It;s just the negative that has to go into a fixer.

-Paul

 

[Robin Harrison]

Thanks guys. I guess I should just order some. I think silverprint do it, but I was put off by their dislaimers aboiut chemicals. I guess it will be the same everywhere. For the time being, though, I have a negative sitting in a pint glass of water (I just couldn't wait)! All the gunk came off it with a bit of a wash, and it looks good. Will some normal film fixer do for the time being?

 

[rxmd]

Where do you get 665 film? It's been discontinued.

Philipp

 

[summaron]

I found a couple of discussions on Photo net about fixing and washing Polaroid 665, links below.

There seemed to be something of a consensus that you could use Perma Wash or some other hypo clearing agent to "fix" the neg. You would have to use a higher concentration than normal. That might indicate that using conventional fixer itself would be a bad thing, since fixer and hypo clearing agents are opposites. (Sodium sufite is an ingredient in developers.)

There was a minority opinion that you could just clear the negs in water until the gunk is gone, then wash in photo flo/mild liquid soap and dry. There is an outside chance that the emulsion might retriculate--which is what sodium sulfite is supposed to prevent.

The danger of leaving the negs overnight is that the emulsion then has a tendency to slip off the base. This once happened to my negs.

Hope that helps a bit. 665 is really beautiful film.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004Ddh&tag=

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000mBH

 

[Robin Harrison]

Where do you get 665 film? It's been discontinued.

Philipp

5 10-shot packs came with the 600SE I bought. It is out of date, but has been kept refrigerated. Seems a real shame this got discontinued.

 

[Robin Harrison]

I found a couple of discussions on Photo net about fixing and washing Polaroid 665, links below.

There seemed to be something of a consensus that you could use Perma Wash or some other hypo clearing agent to "fix" the neg. You would have to use a higher concentration than normal. That might indicate that using conventional fixer itself would be a bad thing, since fixer and hypo clearing agents are opposites. (Sodium sufite is an ingredient in developers.)

There was a minority opinion that you could just clear the negs in water until the gunk is gone, then wash in photo flo/mild liquid soap and dry. There is an outside chance that the emulsion might retriculate--which is what sodium sulfite is supposed to prevent.

The danger of leaving the negs overnight is that the emulsion then has a tendency to slip off the base. This once happened to my negs.

Hope that helps a bit. 665 is really beautiful film.

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=004Ddh&tag=

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=000mBH

Most helpful, Summaron. Thanks!

 

[peterc]

I used to use a lot of 665. Wonderful film and the negs are to die for.
You clear the backcoat in 12% sodium sulfite and then wash (not over 75F or you may wash off the emulsion) and dry the neg.
If you want, you can use an acid hardener before washing.

Peter

 

[Carrotblog]

Polaroid 665 is cool huh? It's the same Panatomic X film made back in the 1970's which made its way into Polaroid Type 55. I love this, but it's very small in medium format: most of the paper is wasted this way.

This is probably rather specialist knoweldge, but does anyone have any hints about treating the negatives from the 665 positive/negative film? The literature claims they should be treated in sodium sulfite solution, but I don't really want to have to buy and prepare chemicals before every shot. Is this the only way?

It's not the only way - common knowledge that the image in its Type 55 version can be tray processed rather than in field.

Sodium Sulphite (or Hyposulphite) works just fine for Type 55/665. If you can use larger format, then you can save the film for tray processing back at home - no need to carry the hypo with you then. If you only have Type 665 capacity, then you might have to just hope that the negative can wait an hour or two before you get back home to dunk in sodium sulphite.

The easiest way to carry sodium hyposulphite is to use a spent deodorant roll-on stick, and fill it with sodium sulphite 18%, carrying it upright, and applying as req.

Surely you use deodorant? 😛

xoxoxoxo

Miffy

http://carrotblog.livejournal.com

 

[jdef]

I never had one of those nifty Polaroid clearing buckets, so I just made up some sodium sulfite solution in a little condiment bottle, and carried it along with a supply of ziploc baggies. Each negative went into a baggy, along with a squirt of sulfite solution. This system worked well for me, protecting the negatives from scratches and preserving them until I could get back to my darkroom for the wash & dry. Beautiful negatives. I occasionally shoot portraits with an old Polaroid packfilm rangefinder camera loaded with 665, and the optional portrait lens. The results are very soft and beautiful, despite the contrasty nature of 665. Good luck, and enjoy your new outfit.

Jay