More on ' 2-1/4 x 3-1/4'

[Stephen Puckett <spuckett@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yesterday I said:
>I used a piece of heavy black paper in the top of the aperture to 
>mask it down to 2 inches in height. 

The paper used was actually the solid 'backs' from the Q-Vue 
mounts.  The color matches, the edge was straight, and I needed to 
use them up somehow.

I used the Q-Vue 'X' mount.  These have narrower-width apertures
for half-frame prints and prints needing more cropping.  I may have 
used a few of the regular, full-width ones but I'd have to dig them 
out of storage (some day).  I've considered using the full-width 
mounts to crop down transparencies made with my 6x12 cameras.

Rober Thorpe said:
>Now Joel, you will not only have to provide 6x9 over-and-unders,
>but Holmes-style mounts too.

I would prefer a fold-over Homes-style mount to hacking Q-Vues.  
Besides looking better (no mask), I imagine that I would do a 
better job of matching the front and back apertures.  Perhaps they 
could also be used for home-made 'tissue' views, however we would 
make these.

I got my idea from seeing a friend's antique glass stereoviews 
which were used in a Holmes-type viewer.  I suspect that a lot of 
our fellow 3D hobbyists have this kind of viewer and would 'only' 
need to get MF camera(s) and appropriate mounts, so maybe there 
would be a market for these.  I made a nice viewer for Joel's 
mounts, using lenses-in-holders I got from Sam.  I now prefer 
this to my Holmes-type rig because I'm taking 6x6 and 6x4.5 
sizes these days and I prefer seeing the bigger image (and I 
like the mounts).

>I bought a box of lantern glass to put protective glass on 
>each side

I also thought that using the glass would enable me to use just 1 
Q-Vue 'front' rather than 2 - the glass would be on the back. 
Besides being cheaper, this would also eliminate any shadows around 
the edges of the stereo window caused by seeing part of the rear 
mount.  I worry, though, that it might wobble in the center where 
the pieces of glass come together.

>The glass I got was rather dark but does not have noticeable (to 
>me) 'mottling' which can spoil the stereo image. 

I also thought about using clear plexiglass for the card holder and 
then mounting some very light diffusing material at an out-of-focus 
distance behind the holder.  I thought about gluing a plexiglass
box behind the card holder - the rear part would be or contain the 
diffusing material.  This would add some weight and ungainliness to 
the card holder but maybe not too much.  A small light could also
be mounted somehow behind the card holder.

Hope this gives us some more ideas.

Yours in MF 3D, Steve Puckett, Portland OR