# Bent rollers?



## PlasticSpanner (Jul 29, 2006)

I'm having a problem with a Polaroid 340.

It takes the photos fine but when I pull out the film the paper tab tears off so I have to "fish" for the film to get the remainder out! When it's developed the sides are fine but the centre 1/3 doesn't look developed enough.

I suspect the rollers may be bent or maybe too tight together?

Is there a way to get the opened film pack out without exposing it to light and can I adjust the rollers for tension?

Many thanks for any help.:thumbup:


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## terri (Jul 29, 2006)

Have you inspected those rollers? They could be dirty, and dirty rollers can cause all kinds of problems, including unevenly developed prints. 

Once you've popped in a film pack, I don't think there's a way to remove it and then reload without compromising the rest of the exposures. I'm not familiar with that model so I could be wrong.


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## PlasticSpanner (Aug 15, 2006)

Thanks for the reply Terri.  I finally got this problem all sorted out at the weekend.

I cleaned the rollers and inside of the camera completely and even checked the rollers on my lathe with a dial test guage to make sure they were straight!  Looked on the Polaroid website and google for an answer and all I could find was bent & dirty rolles being the culprit!  

Unfotunately there isn't a way to save the remaining 2 exposures in the film pack so they were lost to the big bright light! 

Finally I was flicking through a 1974 Time Life photography book called light & colour (part of a set I picked up at auction with other camera "junk"! ) and came across a picture demonstrating the Polaroid peel apart film and how it worked in the camera.  The answer was staring me right in the face, I had loaded the film wrong!:blushing: 

My paper tab was going through the rollers first & dragging the next tag through along with the film!  A fresh pack of film properly loaded has now produced 3 excellent test shots!  

BTW Don't you just love the smell of the developer in these peel apart films!


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## terri (Aug 15, 2006)

bahahahaha!! Don't ya just love it when it all comes down to "operator error"?  

Seriously GLAD there's nothing wrong with the P-cam, though. :thumbup: I really will have to get another one, just because they're so beautifully made. I really miss being able to shoot Time Zero through my SX-70.  

All my use of Polaroid now is through the Daylab film pack holders. But yeah....I DO love the smell of the developer from those peel-apart films!


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