adhesive for collaging old 35mm/120 slides onto clear substrate

Hello Apug,

I'm starting a project that will involve--as the plan is now--rephotographing projected slides as well as making collages from old "unwanted" slides.

Has anyone here had experience gluing slides together an/or onto a clear substrate? Any advice offered will be much appreciated.

The size of the collages would be around 4"x5" and larger. The substrate would either be polyester mylar sheets or plexi. My intent is to display the collages mounted on lightboxes.

My research has brought up the following adhesives:

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Thanks,
Gina

My recommendation is to buy both, and test them with some unwanted films. Some things to consider besides nondestruction of film, tack time, open time, repositionable(and how long), shrinkage, cure time, and heat resistance(if you plan on projecting).

Rick A said:

My recommendation is to buy both, and test them with some unwanted films. Some things to consider besides nondestruction of film, tack time, open time, repositionable(and how long), shrinkage, cure time, and heat resistance(if you plan on projecting).

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Thank you, Rick

I have not used those specific products but have done cold mounting commercially. Without using a proper laminator, it is very difficult to mount transparencies without bubbles. Even with a laminator there can be a high failure rate. Once a transparency is brought in to contact with the adhesive, it can't be moved and bubbles are there to stay. I used one product which had a very thick adhesive layer but all I remember is that it was of German manufacture. It was the most forgiving of the all. I suggest contacting the supplier for a product recommendation.

The clear adhesives are display products and somewhat cantankerous in my experience. They are high tac and prone to small imperfections. Not a real problem at normal viewing distance for a 30x40 but deadly for scanning. They have no margin for error and must be put down in one motion or a mark is left which does not usually go away. It was tough enough to do with a press I can't even think of doing it without.

Many moons ago there was a process whereby the emulsion of the transparency was coated with a varnish, the transparency was then taped emulsion down to a piece of glass and the backing removed with chlorox. The base was disolved in acetone and the emulsion coated with varnish. The resulting membrane was then stripped (cut and mounted) to a piece of gelatinized plastic. The finished strip up was then protected with the fixed out emulsion layer from graphic arts stripping film, ours was from 3m. This process was used to gang images for separation and for changing skys and the like. All in all much like the collage you contemplate.

The varnish was special and I'm sure no longer made, the films are also long gone but substitutes may be available, you may want to experiment. Just don't use acetone inside.

The product I used was made by Neschen called Filmolux. They make a complete range of mounting adhesives and laminating films.

Thanks for your input, everyone.

I will look into the Filmolux.

[The 3m #415 tape I discovered is not suitable for this project as the adhesive is blotchy.]