Mounting Slides

RattyMouse · Aug 23, 2013

I have a question her for folks as I have NO experience at all in this matter. I have shot some slide film, both 135 and 120 (6 x 4.5) and the lab has returned the transparencies to me uncut and unmounted. How hard and time consuming is it to mount slides? How long to mount 36 exposures? How do you cut them? Are they permanently mounted (glued?) or can you remove them if need be.

I am thinking of shooting a lot of slide film but fear that mounting them will be an enormous task.

Thank you!

pcsaba1981 · Aug 23, 2013

It was two weeks ago when I mounted slides first time in my life.

For me mounting one slide takes approx. half-one minute, including cutting. Probably half hour per 35mm roll is realistic estimation for me.

pdeeh · Aug 23, 2013

I mounted a few 645 slides a couple of months ago as I couldn't find a lab to do it for me.

Perfectly straightforward to do with a sharp pair of scissors, decent light and a pair of gloves to help avoid fingermarks (I used nitriles as i do in the darkroom).

I used Gepe mounts, which are plastic and come in two parts. They snap together - no glue. They can be taken apart again, but I found it a faff. Not sure why one would want to do so anyway (I only did so on one or two because I had to rejig the placement).

If I were doing a lot regularly, perhaps a mounting press would be convenient , but it's not absolutely necessary.

jeffreyg · Aug 23, 2013

I don't mount slides as the lab does on the rare occasions that I use transparency film but I recommend using plastic mounts if available. Years ago Polaroid had slide films and part of the do it yourself system was a 35mm illuminated slide mounter. It was battery operated and had a magnifying glass and a built in cutter. They had snap together plastic slide mounts and it was a neat little system. I still have one and once in a while use it. You might be able to find one or something like it searching the net.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Roger Cole · Aug 23, 2013

I agree that 30 seconds each is pretty reasonable. I mounted a ton of 'em back in the 80s and early 90s when I shot a lot of E6. I too prefer the plastic slide in mounts, which make them easy to remove. That was important to me then because I was printing type R (and later, when I could afford it, Cibachrome) prints from them and didn't have a mounted slide holder. Other types may hold them flatter, however.

My experience is limited to 35mm slides. I would like to get a MF projector and shoot E6 in my 645 and 6x6 cameras but so far I haven't (well I've shot some E6, don't have the MF projector so they are still unmounted.)

benjiboy · Aug 23, 2013

If you project slides taken on 120 film Roger and you want them to be sharp on the screen you need to mount them in glass mounts to keep the film flat to stop them popping and distorting with the heat of the projection lamp.

Roger Cole · Aug 23, 2013

I understand that WRT medium format, but thanks for the reminder.

All the mounts I've seen for 120 film sizes have been glass mounts anyway though.

RattyMouse · Aug 23, 2013

The distance between images seems awfully close to use scissors. Is it really that easy to cut them without hitting an image?

wiedzmin · Aug 23, 2013

Use straight, not "thick" (it helps if you can see the edge while cutting ) scissors + gloves + dust blower and you will be fine. Slide mount covers edges of the slide therefore small mistakes wont be visible. I use gepe glass mounts.

Bill Burk · Aug 23, 2013

Even black and white 35mm needs to be cut into strips, which has its pitfalls...

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Yes you have to cut them into single frames if you want to mount them.

When I processed my own, I (and one lab I used to go to) used plastic "Pako" mounts.

Roger Cole · Aug 23, 2013

I cut them with scissors. Just be careful - I cut them over my lightbox - and take your time and it isn't too hard.

brianmquinn · Aug 23, 2013

There are LOTS of very cheap and almost new Polaroid 35mm Slide Mounters on ebay. They hold the film and allow you to cut it very easily. You can also the plastic mounts for them for cheap on ebay.
Just go to ebay and search "Polaroid 35 mm Slide mounts" you can get about 100 mounts for about $15 and the cutters are often cheaper than that.

Mike Wilde · Aug 23, 2013

The nice thing about mounting your own is the ability to pick the winners, and only mount them. I process my own e-6, and cut them to fit neg filer pages. I contact print them in B&W to have a visual reference page that I can write note on that gets filed with the slide page.

When the urge strikkes me I either scan them, or mount the ones I want to project. The Polaroid cutter is handy. Mine has a build in light and loupe. Polaroid mounts in them make you expect that you will mount every image.

My 6x6 MF I mount in fold over heat seal paper mounts.

I was given a Byers automated 35mm slide mounter, but ended up dumping it after finding no takers, and I had not used it in the three years it sat set up ready to run. It was a slick machine. Spat out mounted slides. Was a little noisy, needing a compresed air line and power to run it Spat out nicely fused paltic mounts though, and even with a frame number imprinted on the mount when I remembered to refresh the inking pad.

edp · Aug 23, 2013

Something like this is a useful tool. Widely available, I got mine off ebay more than likely.

http://www.berezin.com/3d/images/cuttermedium.jpg

benjiboy · Aug 23, 2013

Roger Cole said:
I understand that WRT medium format, but thanks for the reminder.

All the mounts I've seen for 120 film sizes have been glass mounts anyway though.

You can get plastic and even cardboard ones.but for projection they are about as much use as a one leged man in an ass cicking contest

Roger Cole · Aug 23, 2013

So what use are they, then? For scanning I'd just use the same film holders as for negatives.

Light Guru · Aug 23, 2013

Roger Cole said:
So what use are they, then? For scanning I'd just use the same film holders as for negatives.

Exactly if your just going to scan them why bother mounting them. The only reason to mount them is if they are going to be put into a slide projector.

railwayman3 · Aug 23, 2013

I tend to leave my home processed transparencies in strips nowdays, as I rarely use a projector, and strips are as convenient for scanning and storage. In the past I used mainly GePe mounts with a GePe mounting press...they used to make a great variety of sizes, both glass and plastic, not sure what they supply now.
I've never found mounting slides too tedious ( put some classical music on in the background)....just needs reasonable care, try to avoid any dust.

brianmquinn · Aug 23, 2013

If you get a digital audience together; and set up a slide projector; and make them turn off their smart phones; and show them some slides.. WOW
Try it; I have.
P.S.
Is WOW OK to tap on twitter?
I think the answer is NO Google says it is: World of Warcraft

AgX · Aug 23, 2013

Illuminated film cutters, including thumbwheel transport, are much older than Polaroid slide film.
You will find a variety used in those countries where self-mounting was wide-spread.

There have been manual mounting systems designed for rapid mounting.

MattKing · Aug 23, 2013

edp said:
Something like this is a useful tool. Widely available, I got mine off ebay more than likely.

http://www.berezin.com/3d/images/cuttermedium.jpg

+1!

They work great for cutting negatives as well.

KennyMark · Aug 23, 2013

I have an automated mounter for hinged plastic mounts that I got from a lab several years ago with some other things. I've never used it, but perhaps I should blow the dust off it and give it a try. Perhaps I could mount rolls for people here that need it.

Something else to do this weekend.

benjiboy · Aug 23, 2013

Roger Cole said:
So what use are they, then? For scanning I'd just use the same film holders as for negatives.

They are used for storage in slide file sheets either in book form or hanging files in a filing cabinet so you can view a whole page of slides on a light box.
Glass mounts are expensive and are usually only used for actual projection.

destroya · Aug 23, 2013

I put my negs/slides in print file sleeves. Broke out the projector last week for the first time in a long time. mounted the best ones and then projected them.

NOW, I have to put them back. I'm not really looking forward to un-mounting them, figuring out which slide goes in which sleeve (forgot to take notes) and then putting the gebe mounts back in the box in an organized fashion. I guess i could get some print files sleeves for mounted slides, but that's just another binder in the ever growing film shelf.

benjiboy · Aug 24, 2013

When I worked in a photographic store years ago and customers brought E6 films in for processing one of my staff used to ask them "do you want them mounted, unmounted, or just holding hands " ?

Mounting Slides

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