Re: How about Fuji mounting slides?

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Since Kodalux is having their problems, is there a Fuji 
> lab we could possibly convince to start to mount stereo 
> slides?  If we had some numbers or figures on how many 
> times people use this service in a year, or how much 
> money they could make off it, and if we told them how 
> Kodak is screwing it up, they might be willing to do a 
> better job for us.  Just a thought.....any comments?

The David White Company at some point used to be in the
mounting business as well.  Perhaps at some point they
had some machinery produced to semi-automate their 
lower-priced mounting service?  Might Zak have the 
machinery?  Might it be adaptable to something other
than Realist mounts (if it exists)?

Seems like the most likely candidate for mounting
service would be someone
with some existing machinery.  Although some recent
reports might lead one to believe that Kodak is mounting
almost completely manually of late, it's still hard
to believe there isn't at least some quasi-automation.

I also can't imagine Fuji or some other organization
funding the probable custom design and building 
of such equipment unless profitablity can be
shown.  Especially to initiate support for cameras
that haven't been built for a quarter century or more.

I suspect the only way to get Kodak (or someone else)
to spend money to build (or perhaps fix) equipment
is to show sufficient volume to justify it.  All of
us sending in film in Mid-October probably wouldn't really
be enough.  I think all of us sending in one or two rolls
*every* month for a year would be more effective.  Better
yet, a quarter of us do this at first, then another quarter
of us starting at 3 months, another quarter at 6 months, etc.  
This way both volume and a *growth* pattern can be established. 
Then you talk to them at about the 10-month point and
hope they make linear or exponential projections in their
spreadsheets.  :-) :-) 

At very least the volume may get people trained out of
sheer practice.

Mike K.


P.S. - Given liberty to guess, I'd say that whoever was doing the
       mounting for Kodak may have retired a year or so ago.  :-)


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