Alternatives to mylar for wet mounting?

[philipus]

I received very helpful assistance in this thread regarding which fluid to use for wet mounting.

Now I am wondering if there are alternatives to the Aztek mylar which is pretty pricey. I've seen comments over at Large Format Forum that Dura-Lar gives the same results, but I can't find it in Europe. Does anyone know where one can find Dura-Lar, or something similar, here?

This for, essentially, flatbed mounting in my Coolscan 9000, not for drum scanning.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Philip

 

[sevo]

Any clear, glossy PET sheet will do. It is widely used for masking applications and as separator sheets in 3d-printing, model making and painting.

 

[brbo]

Now I am wondering if there are alternatives to the Aztek mylar which is pretty pricey. I've seen comments over at Large Format Forum that Dura-Lar gives the same results, but I can't find it in Europe. Does anyone know where one can find Dura-Lar, or something similar, here?

Amazon .

 

[Fernando2]

Now I am wondering if there are alternatives to the Aztek mylar which is pretty pricey

Clear PET sheets from fine art shops are OK.
Since they come in various thickness, choose the thinnest: no more than 100 microns.

Fernando

 

[philipus]

Thanks for the quick replies, I appreciate it.

I hadn't thought of Amazon. I only find 125 micron as the thinnest, though (here). Will that be too thick?

 

[WJJ3]

I used acetate when I was messing around with wet scanning. Can usually be found easily for a reasonable price...

 

[philipus]

Thanks Will.

I just received an email from a shop here in The Hague that sells these sheets, which I am now told are transparent, glossy "Polyethylenglycolterephthalat, PH = 7".

I hope they will work.

br
Philip

 

[sevo]

125 micron is perfectly fine - I've always preferred sheet in the 100-200 range. Upward of 250 may be too stiff, 50 or less is crinkly and hard to handle in sheet form - that ultra thin boPET stuff was widely used with drum scanners, but calls for a proper mounting station (with integral dispenser/cutter, vacuum holder etc.) designed to feed the Mylar from a roll.

 

[jzagaja]

Polycarbonate foil for screns is even better and cheaper 😉

 

[xvvvz]

Give Duralar or similar a try. Most every art supply store will have it which means you can probably get it locally. Keep the sheets of tissue paper so that you don't scratch it during transport. I put together a list of things you can buy at art stores to create a more reasonably priced fluid scanning kit compared to the all-in-a-box offerings:

http://www.betterscanning.com/scanning/cheapfluidmounting.html

Doug

 

[philipus]

Thanks for the further replies.

Doug, when I searched for for alternatives I came across your list which I read with interest. Thank you.

I went to the local shop and it turns out they have sheets (with separator papers) of sizes from A4 to A2 and of varying thickness. I ended up buying a bunch of clear 0,1mm sheets in A4 size to start with but will get A3 size later (they were out of those at the moment) because I think that will give me a better fit on the scan tray.

 

[philipus]

Just an update. The sheets I bought work like a charm, great money saving. Also, for flat bed wet mounting it seems unnecessary to use a new piece every time because the Kami fluid evaporates and leaves virtually zero traces.

 

[joeswe]

Hello philipus, I am looking for a supplier of Kami (or comparable wet mounting) fluid in Germany, where did you buy yours from?

 

[sevo]

Hello philipus, I am looking for a supplier of Kami (or comparable wet mounting) fluid in Germany, where did you buy yours from?

Why don't you buy straight from Kami? It is a German product...

http://m.kami-produkte.de/de/produkte-scanner.php

 

[joeswe]

Sevo, thank you, I admit I wasn't aware of that! 😱

 

[brbo]

What about the tape? Does anyone have a cheap(er) source for a tape that is safe to use on drums? I'm nearly out of my Kami 25mm tape and I ordered the wrong size from SDS 🙁

SDS sells Tesa 4104 transparent tape for 14 EUR per roll! How much is Kami tape? Any other good alternative?

 

[MarinB]

What about the tape? Does anyone have a cheap(er) source for a tape that is safe to use on drums? I'm nearly out of my Kami 25mm tape and I ordered the wrong size from SDS 🙁

SDS sells Tesa 4104 transparent tape for 14 EUR per roll! How much is Kami tape? Any other good alternative?

Scotch/3M 600 ("Crystal") and 810 ("Magic"). Both are safe on the fixed drum of my Scanmate 3000 and I also tested them on two Scanmate 11000 drums. No residue, they hold like a m**********r. 19mmx33m size should be mega-cheap in your local shop.

 

[brbo]

Thanks! I have Scotch/3M 810 at home, but I'm hesitant to use it. Might try it on the edge of the drum and see how it does...

 

[MarinB]

You're welcome. BTW, what exact materials did you use for polishing the drums of your Howtek/Crosfield?

 

[brbo]

BTW, what exact materials did you use for polishing the drums of your Howtek/Crosfield?

I got another drum. Tried Novus polishing solutions and extra fine sandpaper and now I believe those that say that a drum with crazing can't be reconditioned. So, now I'm extra paranoid about anything that touches the drum.