P3D Re: Heat seal mounting questions

["Greg Wageman" <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>


>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?  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 use one Wess tab at the top and bottom of each chip.  It would be just
about impossible to keep the chips from moving without using some kind
of fastening approach before sealing the mount, regardless of the
sealing method employed.  There is a "well" in the mount and some small
debossed "stops", but they only function to hold the chip in the
depression once the mount is sealed (and even then not necessarily very
tightly).  And if your film has any "curl" in it at all, even the
depression becomes meaningless.

>The picture in the catalog also appears to show a
>split in one side of the mount.  Do you generally
>seal one side, then place the other chip relative
>to the first and seal the other side?  Or do you
>put both in and seal the whole thing at once?  What
>is the purpose of the split in the mount?


Since I use a laminator, I seal the whole thing at once.  But even if I
used another sealing method, I don't see anything to be gained by doing
half at a time, since you can simply hold the mount shut with two
fingers, hold it up to the light and freeview the pair to check the
window before it's sealed.

>How much time, temperature, and pressure are required
>to seal the mounts?

Too much. :-)  Seriously, the amount of heat required to liquify the
glue will also liquify the emulsion, so it's vital that the heat source
not touch the film chips.  Only a moderate amount of pressure is
required if you have enough heat.

I saw a very nice sealing iron demonstrated at NSA Bellevue, during one
of the workshops.  It was designed specifically for sealing stereo
mounts, so there was absolutely no chance of the film chips touching hot
metal.  It was free-standing.  You dropped the mount vertically into a
slot, and worked a handle.  Only a couple of seconds were required for a
perfect seal.

     -Greg W. (gjw@xxxxxxxxxx)