Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

Tut AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER n 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER a previously been stolen by another person. The value of the camera was £14, but the odd thing was that the original possessor did not care about receiving the £14, what he wanted was his camera, and nothing else ; while as for the second man, being faced with an order by the magistrate either to surrender the camera or to pay £14, he chose to keep the camera and pay the £14, in addition to the money which he had paid in the first place for what unknown to him was stolen property. There is no suggestion that the camera was of exceptional value, and yet both these men esteemed it above money. It is almost a pathetic instance of the way in which an inanimate object may entwine itself around the heart. Will not some poet write an ode to inanimate things, to the sentimental hold which they acquire through familiar use ? They derive an al¬ most human value because they are associated with our days of quiet enjoyment, our little triumphs, our tantalising failures. The thought of their being in some other hand than ours, some hand that will deal roughly with their delicate mecha¬ nism, or put them to unsuitable employment, or leave them un¬ protected against the elements, or against moth and rust and thieves that break through and steal, is too dreadful' for words. Father’s Legacy. We were struck by the remark the other evening of a well-known photo¬ graphic enthusiast who is also a family man, when he said that he was intending to leave a legacy to his boys in the shape of some hun¬ dreds of lantern slides. Not a bad legacy at all, reminding his heirs and successors of events, occasions, family celebrations, old homes, holi¬ days together. Some unworldly persons would prefer such a legacy to one of stoGks and shares. And if one does want to leave a pictorial December 27th, 1933 legacy lantern slides are better than prints, for prints by some processes which shall be nameless here go yellow by degrees and beautifully fess, and some processes which are permanent might be thought too expensive, or too messy, or too difficult. But what can com¬ pete with the lantern slide ? Noth¬ ing can give such a glorious range of half-tones. No sunshine in a print ever looks so sunshiny as in the slide. The slide is a j 03^ for ever — at least for a very long time. We saw projected recently some slides which had celebrated their jubilee, and they gave the same pleasure to us as to our grandfathers. But our friend’s intention to leave his lantern slides to his children may be thwarted, he says, by the behaviour of lanternists at societies. Breakages are his common experience, though he has never yet met a lanternist who owned to them. Like Mary Jane’s crockery, the slides just come to pieces in the hand. Tracts and /formulae : NEW SERIES A selection of useful hints classified according to subject MOUNTING PRINTS. For exhibition and other purposes “fancy” mounts, and “multiple” mounting with tinted papers, have become obsolete. Almost universally used are stout papers of good quality, either white or of a very pale tint. Sizes of such mounts have been more or less standardised, the usual sizes being 26 x 20, 20 x 15, 15X12 and 12 X 10 inches. * * * Prints may be attached to the mounts in several ways — all four edges, top edge only, two or four corners, or all over. On the whole the last named is the best, as it prevents curling and cockling of the print. * * * Even a stout mount will warp if a print is attached to it ^11 over with any adhesive containing moisture. This may be counteracted by sticking on to the back of the mount two paper “straps ” running diagonally from corner to corner ; or by sticking on the back a piece of paper of the same size and substance as the print itself. * * * Starch paste, which should not be kept more than a couple of days, is prepared as follows. Mix good white starch into a thick cream with cold water, and pour into a warm basin. Stirring all the time, add boiling water till the starch jellies.” Stand till cold, and then peel off the skin which forms on top. This adhesive answers best with thin prints, and not those on double-weight paper. * • * * Gelatine is useful for attaching prints (including those on glossy paper) by the edges only. A suitable formula is : Gelatine . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 oz. Water . . . . . . . . " . . . . 8 oz. Glycerine . . . . . . . . . . . . \ oz. Methylated spirit . . . . . . . . . . oz. Soak the gelatine in cold water ; melt in water, the temperature of which is gradually raised in a water bath ; stir in the gly¬ cerine ; finally add the spirit. Thinned out with more water this is suitable for all-over mounting. The vessel containing the mountant must be stood in hot water during use. * * * Dextrine (British gum) is an excellent mountant. It can be obtained commercially, ready for use, cheap, and of good quality. It may be prepared as follows. Heat a pint of water to about 175 degrees Fahr., and keep it at this temperature while about 12 oz. of white dextrine is stirred in. When the liquid is almost transparent add 10 grs. of thymol. Filter through linen,*" and stand aside in wide-mouthed bottles till the mixture sets into a thick white paste. For use, work up with a brush that has been dipped in cold water. * * * Most gums and glues are best avoided for mounting, as they frequently contain acids which will in time affect any prints with a silver image. * * * O n the whole, dry-mounting is unrivalled. The print is backed with a sheet of shellac tissue, and print and tissue trimmed together. Contact between print and mount is secured by heat — about 175 degrees Fahr. — applied by means of a special press, or of a flat-iron. An electric iron is best, but an ordinary iron can be brought to the right temperature by plunging it into boiling water. * * * A shellac mountant can be made for applying to the backs of prints, or for impregnating thin, unsized paper to make “ tissue.” Prepare the following solutions, and mix. A. Methylated spirit . . . . . . . . 6 oz. Pale shellac . . . . . . . . 4 oz. B. Methylated spirit . . . . . . 8 oz. Gum elemi . . . . . . . . . . 1 oz. Syrupy Canada balsam . . . . . . . . 1 oz. 578 8