"Shake it like a Polaroid picture." Huh?

[International_Playboy]

@TheInterruptingCow

From what I remember, shaking the picture did absolutely nothing to speed up development. Once the negative was peeled off, you had to apply a kind of sealant with the applicator, or the image would degrade. I think it gradually got kind of sepia-toned without the sealant. That’s when you had to shake the photo, to dry the alcohol-based sealant. Smelled real bad, too.

I didn’t mean that the shaking was used to speed up development, but rather that some people might think it would help the residual chemicals dry/evaporate. I do remember they had to dry before they could be handled.

I think the sealant was what I remember my dad wiping on the pictures after separting the pieces.