Re: stereocards

[P3D <AndyBurr@xxxxxxx>]

Hello all,
Lot's of good stuff in digest 1650 about stereocards--still my favorite
format (despite having just gotten my first stereo camera--a View-Master!)

Jamie asked about home-made viewcards, and using archival materials. I'm not
an expert. Did stereoview makers in the 1850s and '60s use archival
materials? Probably not, yet many  examples of their work have survived in
excellent condition. Did the card-stock manufacturers back then use the
materials (acid?) that we attempt to avoid today?  I can't recall seeing many
stereoviews that have what appears to be problems caused by acid content in
the stock--unless that's the cause of the brittleness of many of the cheaper
views made in the 1870s and '80s.  I've used a variety of materials for my
own views, from the type of cardboard used as stiffeners in clothing to mat
material to thick 'construction'-type paper. I've used glue sticks and white
glue. I have no idea whether they'll last a hundred years. (I'll report again
then on how they're holding up.  :-))

Rich wrote
>....I have a collection of thin glossy cards from 1978 which are >replicas
of older sets from Keystone and Underwood, etc. ....

I have some of those views, too. Not great repros, but not that bad, either,
considering that many of them (like the Civil War views) would be waaay
expensive to get in the originals. Do you have the whole set? I have forty or
fifty... I wonder how many there are? I haven't seen any others like them.

Dave the photo processor wrote about making prints from Realist format
cameras. It's nice to hear from someone on the other side of the counter. I'm
among those who are looking forward to hearing the results of your printing
attempts!
best to all,
Andy Burr
Winter Park, FL


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