Re: [photo-3d] Spicer Mounts

[Paul Talbot <list_post@xxxxxxxxx>]

jastuart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Spicer mounts, IMO, have one big drawback; no alignment tabs.

Sorry, John, IMO, that statement is completely backwards.  The lack
of alignment tabs is one of the many virtues of the mounts.

> life can get
> busy and, usually, I just want to get the slides mounted. (With heat
> seals, I use tape for the chips and, using a small piece of sponge,
> smear a thin coat of an archival white glue on the fold over side of
> the mount, very quick and easy.)

You can use tape for the chips and the same glue with the Spicers.

> For spicers to be convenient, they need alignment tabs. I'll guess
> that they don't have the tabs because the card stock is somewhat of a
> thinner grade then the heat seal mounts, and can't be made with tabs.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Spicers are "precision
tape shut mounts" intended for the stereo enthusiast who wants the
highest possible quality in an affordably priced mount.  Tabs diminish
the quality of a stereo mount in at least two ways:
  - They interfere with precision mounting (some users of heat seal
      mounts rub out the tabs to get them out of the way of their
      efforts at precise mounting);
  - They allow annoying light to pass through the mount, disturbing
      the stereo viewing experience.

> Even though they have a cleaner window and are just about the only
> source for mounts wider then 5p, they will never match the
> convenience of heat seal mounts until they make them with alignment
> tabs.

Personally I don't find heat seal mounts at all convenient, as the
hassle of ironing them shut without damaging the film is more effort
than I have patience for.  But no one can measure what is or is not
"convenient" for someone else, so YMMV.

> Using the modified RBT jig works fine, can be fun to use at times
> and, when used regularly, can be done relatively quickly, but you 
> can't mount spicers as quickly or as easily as heat seals.

For myself and others, the above statement is also backwards.  I
could not possibly mount as quickly in tabbed heat seals as with
Spicers.  It really depends on what you are used to; changing from
one system to another does involve a learning curve.  But to make
matters worse, if I relied on the convenience of the tabs for the
alignment of the film chips, I would not be happy with the accuracy
of the mounting, or the lack of sufficient control of the stereo window.
And if I used those mounts, I would sorely miss the cropping choices
that only the Spicer lineup offers.

Tabbed heat seals certainly have their place, but the high quality of
the Spicers would be diminished in several respects if they were converted
to a tabbed design.  Fans of precision mounting and high quality stereo
viewing experiences can rest assured that it will never happen.

Paul Talbot