Porous materials, such as mounting board and
rag-stock paper, absorb moisture from the air. This
moisture becomes trapped between the layers and
causes blisters and bubbles in the finished work For best
results, you should predry the materials before
beginning the dry-mounting process. This can be done
by heating the mounting board or paper in the mounting
press to remove the moisture.
The time required to form a good bond varies when
you are using a dry-mounting press. You should mount
the prints for a minimum amount of time-the time
required to squeeze out air and moisture from the
materials and to activate the adhesive. Because different
materials have different thicknesses and heat-
conducting characteristics, you must experiment to
determine what amount of time is required to form a
good mount. Whenever possible, you should use scraps
of materials that are the same as your finished work to
determine the best time and temperature for
dry-mounting prints.
The final stage of finishing for some photographs is
to frame them. There is an infinite number of colors and
materials available for framing photographs. The same
principles apply for framing photographs that apply to
mounting or matting prints. Keep it simple and choose
a frame that compliments the photograph, rather than
distract from the picture.
SLIDE MOUNTING
Unlike photographic prints, slides must be put into
slide mounts in order to be of any use. The process of
mounting slides ranges from a simple pair of scissors to
slide-mounting machines, costing tens of thousands of
dollars.
Whenever handling slides, you should wear cotton
gloves to avoid fingerprints on the image area. If finger-
prints do get on the slides, a cotton ball moistened with
film cleaner should be used to remove them.
Slides can be mounted in either cardboard or plastic
slide mounts. When using cardboard slide mounts, you
must heat them so the slide adheres to the mount. Navy
imaging facilities use plastic slide mounts. The slides
can be placed in plastic slide mounts manually or by
machine.
To mount slides manually, you must cut the roll into
individual frames. Normally, this is done on a light table
so the edges of the frame can be seen clearly. To mount
a slide, you simply slide the frame into an open slit on
the edge of the slide mount. On one side of the plastic
slide mount is the lettering, “THIS SIDE TOWARDS
SCREEN.” The lettering appears along the side of the
open slit. The slide is mounted properly when the
emulsion side of the film faces the lettering, and the slide
is straight. No light should pass between the edges of the
film edges and the mount.
When projected slides appear correctly on the
screen, they are placed in the projector (or slide tray)
upside down and backwards, as viewed from the
operator’s position. An operator’s dot is often placed on
the slide mount to aid in organizing the slides in the tray.
When the slide is viewed with the emulsion side towards
you and the image is upside down, the operator's dot is
marked on the upper right-hand comer of the slide
mount. The slides are placed into the slide tray correctly
when the operator's dot can be seen facing the outside
of the tray.
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