Alex had a thread about copying old photos. I thought I'd post this, in case anyone might be interested.
Using a piece of glass to keep a photo flat for copying, is an option. But it might introduce it's own set of problems such as unwanted reflections, imperfections in the glass, problems when copying a photo in a vertical position, or other considerations such as dealing with sharp edges or breakage. I have a solution that I've used many times. Build a vacuum easel.
The easel is built with dimensional boards, such as 1 X 4s, a piece of hardboard, and a piece of pegboard. Please forgive the shortcomings in the drawing, but you'll get the idea.
Make the easel any size you like. You can make 1 or 2 sides of the easel longer than needed for the easel, to make a surface for clamping, if you decide to do a vertical copy. You probably won't really need to clamp it, but it's an option.
The bottom of the easel is a piece of hardboard. The top of the easel is a piece of pegboard. There is a hole drilled through one of the sides. This hole will be sized to fit a hose from a household vacuum cleaner.
Let's say you made an easel for an 8 X 10 photo, but you want to copy a 4 X 5 photo. Place your photo on the pegboard, then cover the remaining holes with a piece of paper or anything else (masking tape?) that will block them. Insert the vacuum hose, and turn on the vacuum cleaner. The photo will be held flat with the vacuum. It can be used in a horizontal position or a vertical position. Any questions?
Ed
Using a piece of glass to keep a photo flat for copying, is an option. But it might introduce it's own set of problems such as unwanted reflections, imperfections in the glass, problems when copying a photo in a vertical position, or other considerations such as dealing with sharp edges or breakage. I have a solution that I've used many times. Build a vacuum easel.
The easel is built with dimensional boards, such as 1 X 4s, a piece of hardboard, and a piece of pegboard. Please forgive the shortcomings in the drawing, but you'll get the idea.
Make the easel any size you like. You can make 1 or 2 sides of the easel longer than needed for the easel, to make a surface for clamping, if you decide to do a vertical copy. You probably won't really need to clamp it, but it's an option.
The bottom of the easel is a piece of hardboard. The top of the easel is a piece of pegboard. There is a hole drilled through one of the sides. This hole will be sized to fit a hose from a household vacuum cleaner.
Let's say you made an easel for an 8 X 10 photo, but you want to copy a 4 X 5 photo. Place your photo on the pegboard, then cover the remaining holes with a piece of paper or anything else (masking tape?) that will block them. Insert the vacuum hose, and turn on the vacuum cleaner. The photo will be held flat with the vacuum. It can be used in a horizontal position or a vertical position. Any questions?
Ed
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