[photo-3d] RBT Mounts and film curl

[<donaldparks@xxxxxxxxxx>]

     Has anyone noticed a difference between Kodak and Fuji
slide films that effects slide mounting in RBT mounts or
using the RBT jig method for mounting to Spicer mounts?

     Thursday, I got around to mounting the first roll of
Provia F that I've ever taken.  I had the film processed in
early October and returned uncut.  It was in an acetate
strip and was not tightly rolled but not laid out or hung
straight either.  As I cut the 5p film chips off the roll I
could tell that chips had more curl to them than is usual
for the Elite chrome that I've been shooting since I got
back into stereo about a year ago.

     I've been practicing the RBT jig method for aligning
film chips to be transferred for final mounting in Spicer
mounts.  The RBT jig is simply an RBT mount that has had the
bottom cut off.  When I placed the film chips onto the pin
bars of my RBT jig they kept popping off the pins.  The film
chips acted like little leaf springs.  To place the chip
onto the pin bar you'd have to flatten it.  It may hold
there for a few seconds but sooner or later it wanted to pop
back up and off the pin bar.  I got out some Kodak Elite
chrome film chips to compare with these Provia chips. They
had much less curl and the sprocket holes were just a bit
smaller.  The Kodak chips would lock onto the pin bar much
more securely.  Even if I did reverse flexing to take most
of the curl out of the Provia chips they still would not
stay on the pin bar as securely.  I have decided that the
sprocket holes on the Provia and perhaps other Fuji films
are a little larger than the sprocket holes on the Kodak
film.

     I reverse rolled the film and put it into a film can
for a day or so.  This took some of the curl out but I still
found it nearly impossible to use the RBT jig method that
requires the film chips to stay secure when you transfer
them to the Spicer mount.  I think it would have been
possible to mount the film in all RBT mounts because less
handling would be required before the mount is assembled.

     I'm interested to know if anyone else has had these
problems.   Don Parks