I am going to be developing photographic paper using the reagent from Instax film. Any advice?

Prof_Pixel

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The Kodak (now Fuji) color instant print material is very different from any of the Polaroid instant print materials. As I mentioned in my earlier message, the Kodak/Fuji ‘goo’ does not contain any fixing agent. The ‘goo’ is alkaline in pH which is needed to activate the development process. The images are shot through a clear cover sheet on the back of the print which has an acidic layer behind a timing layer that dissolves. This allows the acidic layer to neutralize the alkaline ‘goo’ shutting off any further development process.
 

Prof_Pixel

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If you want to experiment with B&W processing, I think you would get better results working with monobaths, as was mentioned in your initial posting.
 

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Isn't there a monobath PASTE that begins with an H .. Hubliel or something? You might make pods with that stuff or something similar.
Sounds like a fun project !
John
 

koraks

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Hübl paste. It's not a monobath, but a glycin developer that is in fact a suspension instead of a real solution. I think it dates back to the 1920s or thereabouts.
 
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nascarfann

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I have news! I contacted Polaroid Originals and they said that all of their films including their color films contain fixer. They would not tell me what type though. I was reading through old Polaroid MSDS sheets and wow, some of those chemicals are so obscure there is no information available on them! I am giving thought to doing a double development, where I first develop the film in instax reagent and then in Polaroid Originals reagent.
 
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removed account4

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koraks said:
Hübl paste. It's not a monobath, but a glycin developer that is in fact a suspension instead of a real solution. I think it dates back to the 1920s or thereabouts.
Click to expand...
excellent ! the op can mix that with some old fashioned hypo and make his own pods
 

nmp

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Pretty sure no one has tried this before. The question is where one gets these reagents from.
 

Photo Engineer

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The amount is critical!

Good luck.

PE
 

Prof_Pixel

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Just because the Polaroid goo contains a silver halide solvent, it doesn't mean it contains what would normally be considered to be a 'fixer'

good luck
 
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nascarfann

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Is there any way to easily know if a print has been properly fixed?
 

koraks

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An easy way is to chuck it into a developer bath or a sepia toning bath; if fixing is incomplete, it will fog and stain. It'll ruin the print though.
 

Photo Engineer

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There are retained Silver kits out there. You put a drop on the edge of the print and if it turns color there is not enough fixing. The Formulary sells one.

PE
 
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nascarfann

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Thanks all for the information. I have everything in place so I can try this on Saturday with Polaroid Originals color film reagent and Instax reagent. I will post back after I am done.
 
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nascarfann

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I tried it. Here are some photos. https://imgur.com/a/EkQwTN2. I used a two step development with instax reagent first and polaroid originals second. Next I am going to try some more detailed photos, some fp100c negatives, and shooting it as a paper negative in as sx70 camera.
 
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nascarfann

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koraks said:
You got an image, very nice.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insights. After a night of some unsuccessful attempts and black reagent under my fingernails, I have decided I have given up on this and am going to get a mono-bath! Here are some tips if anyone wants to try using instant film reagent to develop photographic paper.

The Instax reagent expires very fast once it is removed out of the pod. Basically, after an hour of sitting it will not develop the paper.

It is very important that the reagent is spread out consistently. if you put a drop on it and spread it out, it will develop inconsistently.

If you mix the reagent with water and there are clumps, you will end up with an inconsistently developed image.

If you put polaroid originals reagent on paper and it is fresh, it will turn the paper blue. If the polaroid originals reagent is spent, it will look pink on the paper.

You probably want to get a commercial fixer.

Polaroid originals reagent will dry out your skin. Instax reagent will stain it.

Do not get instax reagent on carpet!

Get an enlarger. Led video lights are way too bright for even slow photographic paper.

Thanks for your help. Moving on to solargraphy now.
 

MattKing

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christislord said:
Do not get instax reagent on carpet!
Click to expand...
In my experience, this good advice applies to just about everything photographic!
Good luck with your explorations!
 

Photo Engineer

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The pod goo is very very caustic and toxic. It can burn skin and cause blindness very rapidly, and is hard to wash off.

PE
 

Theo Sulphate

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Photo Engineer said:
The pod goo is very very caustic and toxic. It can burn skin and cause blindness very rapidly, and is hard to wash off.

PE
Click to expand...


It's surprising that in the 1950s and 1960s, before integral Polaroid film, campgrounds, parks, and other places were filled with the peeled-apart halves of Polaroid film along with those little black tubes and pink-coated fixer brush. An ecological mess that Polaroid took some flak over.
 

Photo Engineer

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The film pack and remains are designed to "self neutralize" to some extent. And, the package was supposed to be child resistant.

During tests of PR-10, prototype dummy packages and prints were given to young children to see if they could rip them open and get at the contents. Some engineers guaranteed that they were indeed child proof. I have forgotten the statistics, but in a very short time, all of the components were open.

Finally, they did come up with one that could not be opened. It had square corners and an engineer was injured by one and so the dies were changed and PR-10 had round corners.

PE

PE
 
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