Manually developing Inatax Mini

ciniframe · May 25, 2018

I wonder if one could use a hard rubber roller to burst and spread the developer on Instax Mini film.
Of course this would have to be done in total darkness, I understand that. I was just thinking of extracting and loading sheets in a 6X9 box camera. A one shot at a time sort of set-up. Have to rig the lens for a ND filter too, in view of the film speed. I know some folks have slipped the exposed film back into the cartridge, loaded it into a camera and developed it through the motorized rollers but I was looking for something simpler.

Has anyone done this?

Billy Axeman · May 25, 2018

I have no experience with that, but I was looking into this too.
I guess it's difficult to get an even development when doing it manually without the constant pressure from two rollers. Here is an example of someone trying it:

Instax Experiment
http://www.packpeelpour.com/2017/05/12/instax-experiment/

ciniframe · May 25, 2018

Thanks Billy, he really didn’t explain how he attempted to spread the chemicals. But if that’s the result I don’t think I’ll try it.

Billy Axeman · May 25, 2018

He (she) used a rubber roller in the same way you wanted to do.

I wonder if you could use a Belair Instant Back (intended for the Belair X 6-12 camera). It has a crank on the side to transport the film:
https://shop.lomography.com/en/belair-instant-back

ciniframe · May 25, 2018

Another idea would be to find a old Kodak Handle and use the crank operated developing rollers in that camera. I've read that Fuji Instax is very similar to the Kodak instant film so the pressure on the rollers should be close if not identical.

hsandler · May 26, 2018

I recall seeing a youtube where the instax sheet is sandwiched in a paper wrapper which is pulled through the rollers of a Polaroid pack film camera or back. Personally, I bought an Instax camera to be my processor. It's easy to put a sheet into an empty cartridge in the dark, especially with the light seal foil pulled off, put that in the camera, turn it on, and get it squeezed through the rollers.

I would go for a 6x9 camera with a better shutter than a box camera. Instax s ISO 800, so for bright sun, you need 1/200 at f32 or a neutral dnsity filter or polarizer to avoid overexposure.

Daire Quinlan · May 28, 2018

I spent a while doing that, sandwiching it between two pieces of paper and pulling it through the rollers from a Pola pack camera. I had mixed results.

I ended up just buying a cheap instax on a 2nd hand site and using it instead. Shoot as many shots as I had plate holders for (3 ) and then reload an empty instax cassette, stick it into the instax, and fire off the three shots (while covering the lens of course).

That proved awkward enough that I eventually just got a decent lens and bunged it onto the front of the instax:

peter k. · May 28, 2018

Yep.. got a Instax wide from Goodwill Seattle for ten bucks + shipping, and it is a bit awkward.

Daire Quinlan said:
That proved awkward enough that I eventually just got a decent lens and bunged it onto the front of the instax:

Hmmm... how about some more info... on how to do, and what lens ya got.

erian · May 28, 2018

hsandler said:
I recall seeing a youtube where the instax sheet is sandwiched in a paper wrapper which is pulled through the rollers of a Polaroid pack film camera or back. Personally, I bought an Instax camera to be my processor. It's easy to put a sheet into an empty cartridge in the dark, especially with the light seal foil pulled off, put that in the camera, turn it on, and get it squeezed through the rollers.

This is the video.

Daire Quinlan · May 28, 2018

peter k. said:
Hmmm... how about some more info... on how to do, and what lens ya got.

Basically ripped off the lens assembly completely, there's an interior rubber bellows that I super glued to the edges of the remaining hole. There's a little microswitch inside that turns on the instax when you extend the lens, so I brought those two wires out through a hole in the case. Everything else I pretty much left as is, so you shoot the shot using the lens shutter, then hold those two wires together (I REALLY must get a wee little latching switch) until the light goes green, then hit the instax shutter so that the film gets ejected.

Oh, also unsoldered the flash contacts.

The lens is an 80mm taking lens from an old Mamiya C220, the helicoid you'll find if you do a search on Ebay for "M65 Focusing Helicoid 25 to 55mm" I think it was. Bit hokey, but it works. Bit of hot glue and you're away. Rangefinder is an old Watameter I got a while back.

Manually developing Inatax Mini

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