Mount Board & Mount Cutter

[Iggy]

Hi Tom,
I was wondering what the time line for ordering the mount card and procuring a Croydon Camera Club mount card cutter are. I guess these are largely governed by the date of the first CCC Print Competition possibly on 16th September 2015 if the old CCC calendar of events is anything to go by.

I for one will go for just antique card this season and initial requirements is just five A0 cards initially.
A0 card is difficult to handle. It would be helpful if this could be cut down to A2 if possible using the club mount card cutter before taking it home.

Kind regards,
Iggy

[Mike Farley]

I was wondering what the time line for ordering the mount card and procuring a Croydon Camera Club mount card cutter are. I guess these are largely governed by the date of the first CCC Print Competition possibly on 16th September 2015 if the old CCC calendar of events is anything to go by.

Details of the proposed mountboard purchase were posted last week and I have made it a sticky thread so that people can easily find it at the head of the General forum - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1697. To avoid issues with requests being inadvertently overlooked if they are placed via different channels, I will only accept orders made via the thread.

The dates for next season's programme will not necessarily be determined by what happened last year and are dependent on other factors such as the availability of judges. Not enough people are coming forward to replace those who are retiring, so with reducing numbers it is not always easy to find dates which are mutually agreement.

[toms]

Hi,

Just to put some minds at ease, the question of whether or not to purchase a professional mount board cutter will be raised at the next Council meeting next week. We as a club do have some issues regarding storage facilities and to date such a purchase has not been deemed necessary.

The pros and cons of having or using a cutter depend on individual preferences, but no member in my opinion should be penalised if the mount is not cut at a nice 45 degree bevel. Mounts can be cut square using a sharp craft or Stanley knife or images stuck directly onto mount board. At the end of the day it is the quality of the image that matters most.

Should it be decided not to purchase a cutter before next season, especially as we will need to purchase a new projector in order to fall in line with changes to SLF requirements, then there is nothing to stop this suggestion being raised again under AOB at the forthcoming SGM in September (date to be confirmed and members informed accordingly).

Regards,

Tom Sherrin

[Mike Farley]

...... no member in my opinion should be penalised if the mount is not cut at a nice 45 degree bevel. Mounts can be cut square using a sharp craft or Stanley knife or images stuck directly onto mount board. At the end of the day it is the quality of the image that matters most.

It is unusual for a judge to comment on a mount, the exceptions mainly occurring if it has been cut well or there are some issues, such as being untidy or an inappropriate colour. That said, the mount is part of the presentation and although a judge should only be assessing the image, a poor mount might just detract from the overall impression.

I do agree that window mounts do not need a bevel edge, although with a bit of skill acquired through practice it is possible to make these with a sharp blade, steel rule and a cutting mat.

[Iggy]

Tom said: Mounts can be cut square using a sharp craft or Stanley knife or images stuck directly onto mount board. At the end of the day it is the quality of the image that matters most.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions how to enter the print competition without the need for a professional mat cutter.

I will wait until after the Council meet next week and then decide how to proceed.
The Logan 350-1 is now only £112.50 including delivery, but only has a 32 inch board that can be used to cut A1 to A2 etc. If only it was 34 inches, it could then be used to cut A0 in half. Then I would probably have purchased it, even though it would only get limited use from me as It would fit under a bed in its box! The larger Logan 450-1 with 40 inch board is around £190.00.
I have written to Logan about producing an European 350 version with a 34 inch board!

If I did buy the Logan 350-1, I might be persuaded to bring it in once a month to the CCC meetings for use by other CCC members, in which case, I would also buy the 100 blade pack for just £18.

[GrahamL]

Hi Iggy,

You don't need a professional cutter to take the A0 or A1 board down to nearer 40 x 50. All your need is a suitable flat surface, a suitable board to cut it on. And a steel ruler with a suitably sharp utility knife. The best board I've found is an A1 cutting Sheet is nice, but I've used A1 backing board too.

You don't need the cutter to get the 40x50 size, it's . The really only vital when cutting out the frame for the photograph. Then the question is whether you have a simple 90 degree cut or a 45 degree bevel. The Logan 350-1 Elite Cutter's 81cm is fine for a 40x50 cm mount.

Hope this helps,

Graham

[Iggy]

Hi Tom,
Thank you for the very helpful demonstration of mount boards on Wednesday.
Thanks for your comments to Graham.
Kind regards,
Iggy