I was going to go this weekend and look for a film cutter. Are there any
good ones out there? Any I should avoid? (I know very little, other than
having seen some at one time in the past). My hands generally shake too
much to make a nice straight line between frames with just an X-Acto knife.
Since I now get my slides back unmounted in a single strip of 36 frames (for
ease of scanning), I need to learn how to cut and sleeve my film anyway.
So, from now on, I'll be asking the lab to no longer cut and sleeve my negs.
Thanks,
Gerald
p.s. - my first ever roll of Velvia came back today - WOW.
----- Original Message -----
From: "William Robb" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: Lab Sleeving machines and scratches
> Some films are more prone to scratching than others. Kodaks fast
> films seem quite easily scratched.
> Often, the knife and/or cutting block will pick up a film chip
> which can cause scratches on subsequent films. Also, the knife's
> pivot point can get a build up of crud which can cause the blade
> to retract insufficiently, and then the film scrapes on it as it
> is injected into the sleeving.
> The latter is the probable culprit in your situation.
> FWIW, I am not a fan of auto sleevers. I usually hand cut my
> films and manually insert them into the sleeves. Most good
> pharmacies and lab suppliers sell a product called "finger cots"
> which look just like small prophalactics. They go onto the
> fingers for film handling so as to not pass finger oil onto the
> film. I think we are paying about eight dollars for a package of
> a hundred from our lab supplier.
> William Robb
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gerald F. Cermak" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Pentax Discussion List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: May 11, 2001 1:17 PM
> Subject: Lab Sleeving machines and scratches
>
>
> > I've been intermittently using a lab near work (with a fine
> Fuji mini-lab
> > machine). However, initially they were not cleaning the
> machine well
> > enough, and I was getting occasional scratches and torn
> emulsions. After
> > some complaints, they cleaned things up. But lately, my print
> film has been
> > coming back with scratches along the non-emulsion (plastic)
> side of the
> > film, horizontal, except for one vertical scratch every fourth
> frame
> > (corresponding to the film strip width produced by their
> sleeving machine).
> > The prints no show signs of scratches (at 4x6's or 6x8's).
> The scans I make
> > later on are ruined though, because of the scratches. I even
> shot a test
> > roll in a new body, and had the lab manager run it end to end,
> and they also
> > had the same scratch pattern. They said I'm the only one
> complaining,
> > suggested I think about going digital, or go to a pro lab. I
> refused all
> > these. I'm probably their only customer that scans 3600 dpi
> film at home,
> > and most people don't get reprints of their film. They
> finally believed the
> > scratches were coming from them, but don't know why. It
> appears to me that
> > their automatic sleeving machine is dragging the plastic side
> of the film
> > across something, and then when it clamps the film for cutting
> every 4th
> > frame, producing a vertical scratch too. It really seems it
> couldn't be
> > coming from anywhere else in the process.
> >
> > Have other people noticed scratches on film coming from labs
> that use
> > automatic sleeving machines? Are their any particular quirks
> about using
> > these machines that can cause problems, things the lab may not
> have learned
> > about yet? I'd really like to continue using them, as they
> are quite
> > convenient to work, and when they get things right, the
> results couldn't be
> > better.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Gerald
>
>
> -
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