Adhesive For Negative Collages

Hi, I'm looking for an adhesive to bond cut 6X9 negatives (BW & Colour) on to blank 4X5 sheets.

My main concerns in descending order are transparency, flatness, cost & ease of handling.

I was originally thinking about using Kodak film cement, but I don't think that'll work with a lot of modern films.

I've also considered using two glass plates for sandwiching, but getting those made is probably too expensive and reduces my lap options for enlarging down the line.

If anyone has any ideas or experience on the matter I'd really appreciate hearing about it.

Thanks.

added question (if no one objects...):
how does one conceal the edges / overlapping areas? only by putting the cuts in dark areas of the print?

Phritz, I have no objections to any other related questions here. Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you.

I managed to figure out negatives down sandwiching two 6X6 or 6X9 or a combination there of. This is a logical progression of what I've been working on previously.

Someone messaged me this:

I’ve read your post several times and it’s unclear what you’re trying to accomplish. I think that most folks reading the post need further detail in order to understand your needs before we might offer useful suggestions.

Do you wish to enlarge these several frames simultaneously onto photographic printing paper? If so then the only practical solution is to place them between two sheets of glass. There are glass sandwich negative carriers for MF and LF enlargers that would make this easy. But it isn’t too difficult to cut a couple of pieces of thin glass to do the same thing. I refer, of course, to simply placing the negatives onto the bottom glass au you want them and laying the top sheet on top, and placing the sandwich into an enlarger and making the print. Gluing them together is going to be messy and ugly at best. Too, once glued the assembly is irreversible.

Click to expand...

So let me clarify a few things.

I want to compose elements cut elements of smaller negatives onto an unexposed and processed e.g. blank 4X5 negative. Not just sandwiching one or several negatives. I then want to be able to take these negatives for printing at any competent lab.

I really don't want to use negative carriers for several reasons. First off getting smaller pieces of negatives to stay in place while assembling is difficult. Film curls and things scoot around. Secondly I don't have an enlarger at the moment, and I won't be able to for the foreseeable future. I do not have the space to place one or the money to buy one. If something can't fit into one suitcase it's too large for me to own. Due to generally being itinerant I need an end result that can be printed at any lab.

I'm aware of the pitfalls involved in the process I'm attempting to figure out here: Negatives will be sacrificed. Results won't look that great until I figure out a good process, if that's ever. As well as it generally being a pain in the ass.

Thanks,
Chris

Interesting thread, along the lines of something I have been thinking about. My project involves contact printing several medium format negatives (b&w) onto a single 5 x 7 sheet to make a sort of collage. However, I have also been wanting to adhere medium format COLOR POSITIVES to some kind of light box for wall display.. Aside from the question of obtaining suitable light boxes, there is the question of how to adhere the slides to the light box. I'm looking forward to answers on this thread.

Jeff Glass

I have mounted BW and colour film to acrylic (large pieces) with special cold mount adhesive and also silicone adhesive. Trying to do multiple small pieces would not work with these methods. The only way I think you could do a good job would be to make masks in register for each element and contact one at a time. If you are using colour film the masks would have to be black. Mount your pieces of film on clear polyester and mask with black tape or pressure sensitive black vinyl.

Richard,

Thanks a lot for your input. Do you think that would work contact printing to a negative? That does sort of ramp up the difficulty by an order of magnitude, but if it's the only feasible solution I guess I'll just have to deal with.

What's the name of the adhesive that you used previously?

I used adhesives made by Drytac,Filmolux and Mactac. IIRC over $1000 per roll over 10 years ago.
I don't think you can use this unless you have a cold laminator because of air bubbles. Far easier to make multiple contact masks in register.

I don't know if this helps, but I've been doing something similar. I've been hitting 4x5 film with bursts from a strobe, developing them, then scratching & chiseling off the emulsion. I then place smaller negatives on them.
The part of the process which may interest you is how I combine them. I'm using laminating sheets. I cut them a little larger than 4x5, then trim them down after they're affixed to the 4x5. Here's an example:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

You could consider scanning the negatives (I know - Hybrid) and printing them on Pictorico transparent film and not risking your original negatives and slides. That could be used for printing. It would probably be best to print to the size of the print you want and contact print. I have done this with pt/pd and it has worked well.

How about this: negatives between two sheets of glass, sealed at the edges with tape, then built into a 4X5 negative holder of your own design (made from matboard, or whatever). You haven't done anything irreversible, and you can make it fit any enlarger.

FWIW, there is no need to develop unexposed film (i.e. waste film and money) to get your base material. There are several materials you could use instead. I am sure clear acetate would work fine.