Diffusion Transfer Printing ("Polaroid" peel-apart) recipes

[analogwisdom]

Really impressive. Really.

Thank you. the images really remind me of tintypes.

 

[BrendanOrner]

really cool. thank you for posting all this info!

 

[thinkbrown]

This weekend I traveled to Seattle to attend a gallery event and demonstrate this process. I shot, processed, and gave away over 100 photos. It started off iffy with no transfer for a reason I'm not sure about, but I skipped a few social outings to lock in and figure it out. I had to switch back to Ilford paper for the negatives.

It's so cool to see someone doing this type of photography at an event. Well done.

 

[analogwisdom]

It's so cool to see someone doing this type of photography at an event. Well done.

Thank you! I would say I took about 60% of the people that got their photo taken into the Ilford darkroom tent to show them how it was processed as well. It was a lot of fun.

 

[Qebs]

Have you tried slowing the roller by hand to see if it improves your print density? What was the result?

It seems premature to go to a lot of trouble reengineering the drive when it's so trivially easy to verify if roller speed makes any difference.

I tried this a while back, but sadly, the machine jitters (stops and go), there doesnt' seem to be enough torque at the slowest setting.

Analog, when you shoot ilford paper, what lighting are you using?
And congrats on the demonstration. Your work is excellent!
What chemical mixtures did you end up settling on?

Thanks to both of you!

 

[analogwisdom]

Analog, when you shoot ilford paper, what lighting are you using?
And congrats on the demonstration. Your work is excellent!
What chemical mixtures did you end up settling on?

Thank you. The lighting from that shoot was a 4 light setup, with speedotron packs, a vflat reflector, and a catch light reflector for the eyes.

The paper used various heavy metal sulfides in silica hydrosol (Lead, Nickel, Copper, Zinc, Palladium), I didn't keep track which is which for the photos. The developer was extremely similar to the one you're using now, I believe.

Experiment with the levels of the various components, you'll eventually find a combo that works well for you.

 

[analogwisdom]

Here's a flatbed scan (Epson v850) from a friend of one of the images I took over the weekend:

No fading or color change apparent after 5 days, the print was never wiped or washed.

 

[analogwisdom]

Really great image from paper I coated tonight!

 

[analogwisdom]

Recipe for above:

10mL Ludox HS-30
500µL 1% Pb(OAc)₂
250µL 1% Ni(OAc)₂
3 drops 1% Na₂S
2 drops 10% polysorbate 20
Coat @ 10µm

 

[Qebs]

Today, I'm trying out the process with a modified laminator machine.

The machine now has a new motor and gear box that gives enough torque at slower speeds. The chain is binding once in a while, but my Mechanical Engineer friend and I will sort this out later.

Moving to Fuji Xray HRU film (8x10" for now).

I do plan to return to multitone paper negatives in the 20x24" size and then 24x32" with orthochromatic paper negatives later.

If all goes well this week, I'll be shooting an art project for a portfolio review here in Toronto. The project will be on my health problems.

I'll upload some photos of the machine later.
It was a simple solution and anyone going the route of ultra large format and bought the same laminating machine or will might like the photos.

@analogwisdom Quick question, for the 1P5MT.
Did you ever find a consistent way of adding it to the receiver formula.
I have no idea how to add it. Could you share some advice?
Thanks so much!

 

[Don_ih]

@analogwisdom -- not to really try to rain on the parade at all, but I notice you don't credit anyone else when you discuss this work on Instagram. I'm just wondering where you would be on the whole "peel-apart" resurrection without @alecrmyers ? (Note that this has nothing to do with me.)

(Edited to remove screenshots. I was mistaken and apologize.)

 

[analogwisdom]

@analogwisdom -- not to really try to rain on the parade at all, but I notice you don't credit anyone else when you discuss this work on Instagram. I'm just wondering where you would be on the whole "peel-apart" resurrection without @alecrmyers ? (Note that this has nothing to do with me.)

View attachment 421199

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from instagram:

from an already written instruction document I'm providing to people that I give materials to:

from a Q&A with my followers I did on Instagram the other day, that's also currently pinned to my profile as a highlight (where it says Photrio is a link to this thread):

I'm also working on documentation that will make the info in this long and winding thread more accessible to people in the instant film community that are outside of Photrio. I am passionate about instant film and this process and I want to help make it easier for people who may be less technical than I am. Credit to Alec is already throughout the draft of those documents as well.

I resent the implication. Alec and I chat privately fairly regularly - although it has been a few weeks, but that's mostly because it's been a few weeks since I've been in the cellar to experiment. I haven't done nearly a fraction as much as Alec (who has, seriously?!) but I feel like I've been a positive contributor to this process in my own right, even if it has been small.

 

[analogwisdom]

Anyway, here's a pdf I made that people who live in the US might find useful.

It's got links for most of the chemicals discussed in this thread, and also all the chemistry equipment and tools you'd need if you don't have any at all. For the chemicals not easily available, I've provided CAS numbers or links that you can contact Artcraft to purchase for you, he will be happy to help.

 

[analogwisdom]

@analogwisdom Quick question, for the 1P5MT.
Did you ever find a consistent way of adding it to the receiver formula.
I have no idea how to add it. Could you share some advice?
Thanks so much

I have not, I've been on a short hiatus from experimenting and testing during March. I'm going to get back to it soon and I will let you know, though.

How on earth are you coating such giant receiver sheets? I'd imagine a mayer rod and granite slab big enough to coat 32 inches are massively expensive.

 

[Don_ih]

Excellent. I'm glad I was corrected.

 

[MCB18]

I would absolutely love to get a few pods and receivers sized to fit my 3x4 Polaroids back, I think it would be super fun to try and shoot some Aviphot with this stuff and get peel-apart IR film

 

[analogwisdom]

I would absolutely love to get a few pods and receivers sized to fit my 3x4 Polaroids back, I think it would be super fun to try and shoot some Aviphot with this stuff and get peel-apart IR film

Hey there! The problem with this is that the recipes contained in the thread aren't just "plug and play" for every type of film. In my experience, the developer and receiver both have to be tuned, so to speak, for every different emulsion.

I don't know the true reason, but I suspect it's a combination of many things: total silver content, type of silver salt, anti-scratch/halation layers, etc.

If you're motivated enough, I know you'd be able to figure it out! Check out the PDF I posted above for easy links to a bunch of chemicals.

 

[MCB18]

Hey there! The problem with this is that the recipes contained in the thread aren't just "plug and play" for every type of film. In my experience, the developer and receiver both have to be tuned, so to speak, for every different emulsion.

I don't know the true reason, but I suspect it's a combination of many things: total silver content, type of silver salt, anti-scratch/halation layers, etc.

If you're motivated enough, I know you'd be able to figure it out! Check out the PDF I posted above for easy links to a bunch of chemicals.

Unfortunately I just can’t justify the upfront cost

 

[analogwisdom]

Excellent. I'm glad I was corrected.

Thank you for apologizing and editing your post. I understand where you were coming from and the optics of the Instagram posts, IG is very much a surface level and "hype" kind of place. Rest assured I have never and will never claim I did this on my own.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks to all for resolving the misunderstanding between yourselves - us moderators really appreciate that!
That being said, it is never a problem if you think it appropriate to ask for our help by clicking on the Report link.

 

[analogwisdom]

Not sure how I didn't realize this before, but I was doing the normal rounds of looking at chemicals and noticed that Bellini Antifog Paper is just raw 1-phenyl-5-mercaptotetrazole. (1P5MT, or 1F5MT since Bellini is Italian...)

Wish I would've known this before spending an arm and a leg via my chemical supplier, but anyone interested can get it from Freestyle (currently on sale!)

Bellini Antifog - Paper 5 Gram

Bellini Antifog - Paper 5 Gram - Bellini Foto has been operating in the field of photo chemistry since 1988. They want to preserve and pass on the precious experience of the analog world. Bellini is one of the only photo…

www.freestylephoto.com

 

[flozki]

Hello everybody,

Thanks so much for sharing all of this—there’s clearly been a huge amount of effort put in. It’s really a big motivation boost.

I did some rather crude tests about 4–5 years ago based on the work of Laurent Eté Flickr Site (his Flickr site was a big inspiration). But we always had open questions about the receiver sheets. Also, I was working with 4×5 inch negatives using a large format camera and had to process everything in complete darkness—you can imagine what a disaster it was trying to manipulate things without seeing anything.

So this is just wonderful to see. I hope I can contribute something on the coating side once I manage to reinstall my lab.

Just one question about your negatives: do you use contact printing to always have a consistent negative, or do you use the photo paper directly in a large camera? As I understand it, you did the latter for the gallery shots, @analogwisdom?

Anyway, big hugs from the other side—where can I donate a coffee?

 

[analogwisdom]

But we always had open questions about the receiver sheets. Also, I was working with 4×5 inch negatives using a large format camera and had to process everything in complete darkness—you can imagine what a disaster it was trying to manipulate things without seeing anything.

I think the photos on his Flickr show the biggest reason for creating the receiver yourself - fixed out photo paper will never be able to be as controllable as one selecting and coating various metals to use as nuclei.

Just one question about your negatives: do you use contact printing to always have a consistent negative, or do you use the photo paper directly in a large camera? As I understand it, you did the latter for the gallery shots, @analogwisdom?

I don't think anyone in this thread has done contact printing, but I could be incorrect. I know @alecrmyers uses a step wedge.

Indeed, photo paper (and working toward consistency with x-ray film) as the negative, in-camera. This has the added benefit of being able to work under safelight, I would NOT want to do this process in the dark.

Anyway, big hugs from the other side—where can I donate a coffee?

Save your money to buy the equipment/chemicals yourself looking forward to see what you come up with!

 

[alecrmyers]

My reason for not using fixed-out photo paper as the receiver is ideological. If I was going to use a sheet of (expensive) photo paper to make a print, I'd just just develop the negative and make the print the regular way.

My goal was make the materials from scratch, or at least from materials that are not already "photographic" in nature, as far as possible. One is a bit stuck with the negative - I've played with making my own emulsions but frankly that's old news, "well understood" and even the best home-made emulsions are not anywhere close to as good as cheap x-ray film.

Contact prints from a negative: again, why bother? There's a perfectly good mechanism for making contact prints onto regular photo paper, there's no benefit to making a contact print onto another negative to make transfer print from that. I suppose a step wedge is a special case of a contact print, but at least with a step wedge I'm guaranteed to see Dmax and Dmin.