Digital BW, The Print

> Concerning type 55, when I shoot it does it need to be put in
the
solution right away ( I was told 4oz sodium sulfite to one quart
of water)?
Not very convenient this time of year in Michigan.  If so, I
better wait
until the summer or be inside when I shoot it.  Can I carry a
bucket around
with me and drop the film in and let more than one sheet soak, to
be removed
from the solution later?  Or, do I need to do them one at a time,
agitating
and removing promptly.  Also, what about shelf life.  How long
and under
what circumstances can the film be stored.  Can I buy a dozen
boxes and keep
in the fridge for a couple years like I have with Tri-X?  Thanks
again for
all the advise and learned opinions - you folks are a wonderful
resource for
information dealing with both digital and film B&W information.
If it was
not for this group I'd never have learned how to print B&W
without my
darkroom.

Roger Smith
East Lansing, Michigan  <

You can shoot the 55 and develop later (in the car, house,
hotelroom). There are some rules for the exposure lengthening for
the extra time between exposure and development. Polaroid had/has
a PDF by George DeWolfe on the subject. 1/8 stop loss for 24
hours, another 1/3 stop loss for 7 days. There's no choice to
develop later for the 665 package. As far as I know there's no
way to overdevelop the negative, given a reasonable temperature
for the process it is more a question of patience than timing. It
can still be under- or over- exposed of course.

I use the sodium sulfite but no further treatment. The 18 %
sodium sulfite solution has the nasty habit of creating crystals
all over the lid of even the best containers. There was a special
bucket available from Calumet for soaking more sheets. No
agitation needed.

Keeping the film cool is alright. Freezing the film will
crystalise the developer and there's no return to its normal
consistency. My son wished to cool some sixpacks fast and
destroyed a 665 pack that way. It wasn't even the household
fridg.

Ernst