Polaroid - Polachrome / Polagraph

delphine · Mar 14, 2009

Hi

I have been given two different boxes with the following:

1/ Polagraph 35mm (instant Black and white slide film. High contrast. Processing pack included. HC-135-12. Iso 400)

2/ Polachrome 35mm (instant Color slide film. Processing pack included. Iso 40).

I know nothing about these two products but yet I am being curious about them. The 35mm film cans look like standard 35mm cans, and they have their processing pack. Was the exposed film meant to be processed in the processing pack? how was the film inserted in it? what were these slide films used for?

Any information about them would very welcome as I would like to know more about them.

Thank you

Delphine

Whiteymorange · Mar 14, 2009

Polaroid 35mm film was meant to be processed in a small machine sold especially for the job. There were two models, a hand-cranked one and an electric one that timed things for you. It was a simple process from the user's side, just load the film into the machine, load the processing packet then line up the two leaders on the spool at one end of the chamber. It would whirl and crank and voila! you had finished positives in a minute or two. There was a separate piece of gear for mounting the slides in plastic holders - without ever touching the film itself. The machines are still around (I think we have one or two at school) but the film, while very nice and lots of fun, had a short life span. I came across a few rolls fairly recently but found that they were no longer usable. The developer packets had dried up. Perhaps the film could be developed in conventional chemistry, but better minds will have to chime in here as to how that is done.

AgX · Mar 14, 2009

That type 135 films are a spin-off of that 1977 Polaroid project of designing and marketing an amateur instant cine film system called Polavision.

All films were of that peel-apart system, all based on b&w Diffusion Transfer Reversal. The colour film was of the additive type with a regular filter array.

That Type 135 however was, to my understanding, aimed at professional users.
There were:
-) 2 panchromatic b&w films (one medium/one high-contrast)
-) 1 orthochromatic high-contrast blue-on-white film (for making text/graphic slides for lectures)
-) 2 colour films (one medium/one high-contrast)

Stephen Frizza · Mar 14, 2009

when processing this film type be very careful as its scratches super easy when freshly processed.

Stephen Frizza · Mar 14, 2009

You are spot on about this!!! the film can be developed in other chemistry.
I developed a roll of polachrome in dektol 5 minutes 20 degrees. I was hopeing it would process and colour neg rather than colour positive. Sadly something totally unexpected happened. the film was positive and very flat.
It could be scanned to make a good image but as an image to view it was terrible. The Film also had to be fixed and carefully washed to remove the black backing material which was a pain.

Whiteymorange said:
Polaroid 35mm film was meant to be processed in a small machine sold especially for the job. The developer packets had dried up. Perhaps the film could be developed in conventional chemistry, but better minds will have to chime in here as to how that is done.

AgX · Mar 14, 2009

Stephen,

In contrast to the b&w system, where negative and receptive layer are apart, in the colour films negative layer and receptive layer are on the same film. After processing by means of the counter-film and pod, the negative is peeled off with the counter-film, leaving the receptive layer with the filter grid.

In your case a DTR process must have taken place in your process. As you got a somewhat readible positive, the negative must have come off during processing. There was a split-off layer on the camera film to get the negative layer released via the counter-film. This must have released the negative layer in your processing.

See also this post of mine:

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

To explain what has happened in your processing, I assume that you did not use a stop-bath.
In that case at the beginning of the fixation process there was a period where both, developer and fixer, were active. Maybe you even used a neutral or alkali fixer, which would have prolonged physical development in the receptive layer.

removed account4 · Mar 14, 2009

hi delphine

i have 1 roll of polapan left ..
and the processor ..
the processor i have is the electric one, not the hand crank.
if you are interested, i will send you the processor,
for the price of the shipping.

you probably will need a converter to plug it in ...

- john

delphine said:
Hi

I have been given two different boxes with the following:

1/ Polagraph 35mm (instant Black and white slide film. High contrast. Processing pack included. HC-135-12. Iso 400)

2/ Polachrome 35mm (instant Color slide film. Processing pack included. Iso 40).

I know nothing about these two products but yet I am being curious about them. The 35mm film cans look like standard 35mm cans, and they have their processing pack. Was the exposed film meant to be processed in the processing pack? how was the film inserted in it? what were these slide films used for?

Any information about them would very welcome as I would like to know more about them.

Thank you

Delphine

delphine · Mar 15, 2009

jnanian said:
if you are interested, i will send you the processor,
for the price of the shipping.

Thank you so much for the offer !. If it needs a voltage converter as opposed to a plug adapter, it may not be worth it. John, I am sending you an email direct.

If anybody based in Europe had an autoprocessor, raise you hand ...I'll pay for shipping and return the autoprocessor with something weird and wonderful, and promise to take great care of it

For completeness, and in case somebody researches about polachrome and polagraph ; here are some useful links that I found since yesterday:

- Well documented and very entertaining, failed attempt to process a polachrome. Useful photos to evidence the process:
http://moominsean.blogspot.com/2008/05/polachrome-fail.html

- 7 polachrome photographs processed in 2007, from a pola film with expiration date 1986.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfobrien/sets/72157600249037407/
In the notes on the blog at the following link, one user says that he managed to process in Aug 2008 a pola film with expiry date 1986: http://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2007/05/playing-with-polachrome.html

With my friend Rachele, we managed to tip touch the small pouch containing the processing gelly. Out of our two polas, one seems dry at touch, but not the other one which got us both gagging.

Will update, when we manage to process.

Thank you all for your pertinent and helpful input.

Delphine

DarkroomExperimente · Mar 15, 2009

I made my own processor once & it worked pretty well for a simple gadget

it was just a pair of polaroid rollers attached to a board with alignment pegs to keep the film together & a jig to keep the chemical packet thingy in place

ya had to connect the end of the film to the strip of plastic in the chemical packet thingy....smush down & pop the chemical packet.....then ( in the dark ) gradually draw the film & plastic backing slowly through the rollers

after the required time, just peel apart

delphine · Mar 15, 2009

I tend to have square fingers when it gets to DIY

Are your polachrome visible anywhere?

DarkroomExperimente · Mar 15, 2009

none online

I only did it a few times

hopefully you can find someone to loan you a processor...if you only have a couple rolls of an extinct film---too risky to experiment with

Dear · Jun 30, 2013

Found this threat via a specific search.
Did you ever get your film developed?

Polaroid - Polachrome / Polagraph

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