P3D Re: Heat Seal Mounting Questions

[Bruce Springsteen <bsspringsteen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Talbot asked:

>In the pictures in the Reel-3D catalog, they appear to
>show Wess tabs being used with heat seal mounts.  How
>common is it to use something to hold the chips in place
>before sealing?  Do most folks use the Wess tabs or
>something else? 

I started with heat seals, and most of my slides are in them, most with
the positioning tabs rubbed flat and using the trimmed RBT alignment
method.  I used the Wess tabs once, found them fussy and awkward and had
trouble keeping the slide from wiggling when I had only tabbed the top -
and if I wanted to remount, the adhesive was messy.  So I got a tiny, low
heat hot glue gun and would tack the chips in place with two quick touches
in the sprocket margin.  (No glue in the gun you understand, it's just a
hot tip for this purpose.)  A quick touch and you only leave the tiniest
little dents in the film edge.  But I don't recommend this method, not for
economy or ease or anything. I had some bad heat seal mounts with the fold
out of line with the rest, and there is no way to mount well in that case.
Heat-sealing takes too darned long no matter how you do it, and they are a
nuisance to unmount.   

>How easy or difficult is it to keep
>the chips from moving around in the mount before and
>during sealing if you don't secure them first?  Does
>it vary depending on whether you are using an iron
>versus a laminator device?

I used a flat-bladed electric hair iron from the thrift store.  Eight
seconds on each of the four sides and eight up the middle on the high
setting, about a minute a slide - not great, but tolerable then.  Now I
would do nothing but RBTs or the Spicer/Mylar tape/RBT jig method, if I
ever get around to mounting again.  I'm in the same circuit with Paul and
Dr. Dave, and their slides are fast and fine looking.  Do I understand
that the taped Spicer mount is safe for projection?

BTW, Paul said he is sometimes too lazy to remount in an RBT!  Too cheap
maybe, but how can you be too lazy for an RBT?  I remounted a slide
perfectly last night in an RBT, on my lap in bed, with lousy light and
past my sleepytime, with a glass of nice red wine in my head.  If an RBT
mount isn't dead easy foolproof, I don't know what is.

Also, what is the purpose of the 2 horizontal slits in the front of the
Spicer mount?  Seems they could do without that.

Bruce
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