Re: HELP NEEDED IN MOUNTING MF STEREO!!!

[Greg Erker <erker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>I just finished building my Saturn viewer with a light source!! IT WORKS!!!
>I have the guide jig ,mounts and a roll of 120 shots and developed from my
>spud.  How do I align the slides in each window properly, using the jig? Do
>I draw some type of line within the blank?  Sorry for my ignorance!! Please
>help!!

  Here's how I do it.

  The mounting guide is taped on top of your
light box. I have a straight edge taped down
so that it lines up with the bottom horizonatal
line on the guide.

  Place the mount on top of the guide (shiny
side down). Orient it so that the rounded
windows are at the bottom. Slide the mount
down to be in contact with the straight
edge (this keeps it parallel to the guide).

  Figure out which is the left and which
is the right film chip. Orient them so that
when you freeview them you get true stereo
(not-psuedo) but the image is mirror image
from the original scene (because we are going
to tape the film chips to the back side of
the front side of the mount [make sense?]).

  Take the film chip on the left and position
it over the left opening in the mount. Move
it around until you like the crop and then
tape it down (4 corners) with silver mylar
tape or 3M Scotch Magic tape. Now slide the
mount left or right until the nearest or furthest
object aligns with the vertical line (sometimes
it's easier to use the nearest thing, other time
a tree or pole at infinity is easier).

  Now take the film chip for the right and place
it over the right opening. Move it vertically
and adjust its rotation until all similar points
are at the same position as on the left (relative
to the horizontal lines).

  Now, without vertical or rotational movement
(easy for me to say :) you want to move the film
chip horizontally until the point you picked
earlier is aligned with the near or infinity vertical
line (depending on whether you picked a near
object or an infinity one). Then double check
your vertical position and rotation and tack
down the four corners.

  Fold the mount closed and look at it in the
viewer (rounded windows towards you). Check that
nothing is cut by the stereo window (unless
intentional) and check that the top and bottoms
on L and R look the same.

  If not, untape one film chip and correct.
Repeat until you are happy then tape the chips
down permanently. Close up the mount and tape
bottom and sides with Scotch Magic tape (cut
with a scissors works better than the cutter
on the roll).

---

  I'm left handed, so for mounting I wear a
cotton glove on my right hand (only). With
my right I hold down the film chip and with
the left I do my taping.

  I always precut at least 4 pieces of the silver
mylar tape to that I can get the film chip tacked
down without moving it.

  I use an X-acto knife to bring the pieces of
tape into position and then use my finger to
rub them down.

---

  If you use the infinity mark your whole scene
should appear behind the stereo window unless
you have too much on-film deviation in the photo.
In that case the near objects will stick out of the
window and will be cut by it if they are at the edges.

  The options then are to live with it, re-mount
in a different sized mount to crop out the too-near
parts, or remount so everything is behind the window
(slide film chips apart). Then infinity will be too
far apart which may cause viewing problems for some.

  If you use the near marks to mount, make sure it
really is the nearest object. Otherwise the real
nearest object will stick out of the windor.

---

That's all for now - Greg