I'm trying to decide whether I should buy a custom Polaroid clearing tank for type 55, or just buy another CombiPlan tank which will be cheaper and have the advantage of double duty. Does anyone have anything to say about the Polaroid Clearing tanks? Thanks in advance Yaakov Asher Sinclair

-- Yaakov Asher Sinclair (sinclair@actcom.co.il), May 21, 2000

Answers

My several Polaroid clearing tanks (free with boxs of type 55 or 105) seem to have been made out of plastic designed to self-destruct. I was lucky when a handle broke off not to cover everything with a quart of yucky SS solution. What is a Combiplan Tank?

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 21, 2000.

Bill - you say you got free clearing tanks with the film? When I've bought film, I've been told that they are a special order. Anyway, I'd suggest buying a paterson orbital tank, it will only do four sheets at a time, but you can also develop B+W film in it, I suppose you could use C-41 or E6 chemistry, hey, you could even use it to process colour prints.

-- David Kirk (David_J_Kirk@hotmail.com), May 21, 2000.

Try a Tupperware bowl. They work just as well and it has a leakproof lid too. James

-- james (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), May 21, 2000.

So does a milk crock, but it doesn't have the little plastic gizmo to hold the negatives apart.

-- Bill Mitchell (bmitch@home.com), May 21, 2000.

Kodak hard rubber 4x5 tanks with film holders in a plastic pail.

-- Wayne Crider (waynec@apt.net), May 21, 2000.

I've got the Polaroid clearing tank and it's just a bucket with a watertight lid. The film rack drifts around inside. You are better off with the CombiPlan tank in my opinion, it is far more compact. The lid is easier to get off as well.

-- Julian Bell (job@webstar.nl), May 22, 2000.