Re: Help with heat seal mounts

[P3D KENNETH LUKER <KLUKER@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Mark Josephson asked:
 
> My questions:
> 1) what do you heat-seal users do to get the film straight & mountable.  I
> know that reverse rolling is supposed to work...but in my experience it
> only seems to curve the film the opposite of the way it came.  I've got 3
> rolls hanging in my closet with binder clips weighing down the ends right
> now.  

When the film comes from the processor, it is rolled in one 
direction.  Roll it in the other direction about as tightly as it 
came from the processor, but leave it that way for no more than a 
day.  Loosen the roll and let it hang to see how curly it still is.  
Roll it in the reverse of any remaining curl, but this time do it 
loosely (maybe with a 6 inch diameter loop, laying the film on edge 
to "cure").  After another day, the curl should be all gone.  

The problem with hanging weights on the film is that the straightened 
film then curls longitudinally, with the film bulging up between the 
sprocketed edges, rather than along its length.  I find that kind of 
curl even harder to manage, because you can't reverse roll it out.  

Before I got my mounting lenses at NSA, I would use the back of my 
fingernail to flatten one side boss and the bottom boss that are 
cut/pressed into the heat seal mounts to align the film.  Then I 
would use the remaining side and top bosses as a visual (not 
necessarily physical) guide to chip placement.  Place the chip 
visually, fold over the flap, tack one corner of the flap with the 
iron, do the same with the other chip, then put it into a viewer for 
final positioning.  With the corners tacked, the chips are held 
loosely and can be moved rather easily.  (I used my soap-cleaned 
fingers and usually avoided fingerprints.  White gloves would be 
better.)  When the chips are placed exactly right as viewed in the 
viewer, gently move the mount to the pressing table and iron the 
sucker flat (not on the film!).  Don't bump the slide against the 
light box as you move it, or you'll start all over again.

Now, I have viewing glasses to allow me to precision-mount my chips 
without a viewer.  I look down on the chips in stereo, with a 
mounting gauge directly beneath them, and tape them to the FLAP side 
of the heat seal mounts.  I use the flap side to avoid messing with 
the raised bosses.  I place the left chip first, taping it down with 
two tape tabs (from Reel 3d), then place the right chip, taping it 
with a single tape tab at the top after alignment is perfect.  (I put 
the tab on the chip before I move the chip to the mount, so that when 
the alignment is right, I need only press down on the tab and it will 
fasten the chip to the mount).  Then I fold down the double, bossed 
half of the mount and iron it shut.  No viewer needed, alignment is 
right, and it's fast. 

Ken Luker_______________________________________________________________
Kenneth Luker
Marriott Library Systems and Technical Services
KLUKER@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


------------------------------