How To Make Homemade Lantern Slides (1947)

fade Lantern slides are inexpensive easily made teaching tools here are six of the most common types etched grass and colored crayon gelatin coated glass with India ink frosted plastic and pencil translucent paper and India ink the fame typed with carbon and opaque paper silhouettes primary and kindergarten teachers find silhouette slides especially suited to their grade levels use small sharp scissors to cut out the Silhouettes after the silhouette has been cut out fasten it to a piece of grass with glue place the glue in the center of the silhouette so that none of it creeps over the edges cover with another piece of glass and bind the ends with a temporary binding to make projection easy paper tape can be used for binding cut off the desired length and dampen slightly use just enough water to make sure that the tape is sticky otherwise the water will creep between the two pieces of glass and show in projection place a thumb spot on the lower left hand corner of The Binding to Aid in placing the slide correctly in a projector Silhouettes can also be projected in a hinged binding sheets of colored cellophane add to the interest of the slide and cut down illumination of the background silhouette should be made with clear outlines another very simple slide is one made with glass marking or ceramic pencil on a clean piece of glass the glass is placed over the drawing the picture is traced with a ceramic pencil which must be quite Sharp use a firm pressure do not remove the pencil from the grass until one line is completed otherwise the wax will pile up at these points many things make good Silhouettes pictures from magazines opaque paper and flat objects such as leaves they can be projected in a hinged binding simply two pieces of glass fastened together on one side silhouette slides are the simplest of all to make primary children enjoy making them from opaque paper and magazine pictures keep the outline simple so that the silhouette can be identified the elementary teacher will find many learning situations in which the handmade slag can make a definite contribution for example language arts and social studies it's well to build up a file of pictures from magazines and supplementary reading material an easy way to check the dimensions of the pictures to use a margin guide the same size as a slide with a half inch frame to make an etched glass slide place the glass etched side up on the picture use a margin guide a medium hard drawing pencil is best for initial tracing sharpen with a rotating motion on fine sandpaper wipe the point free of dust this will keep pencil smudges off of the plate place a blotter under the hand to protect the plate from fingerprints or smudges make the initial tracing with very light clean lines if too many errors are made the best thing to do is to wash the glass and start over it after the tracing is completed over a white paper the very light lines can then be darkened and shading added the shading is applied with soft brushing Strokes with a hand moving in the same direction the best way to check the slide is to project it frequently hand over plate by the edges at all times to protect it from fingerprints the tracing should be light enough so that the outlines can be modified then pencil shading added to complete the slide color used correctly adds interest to a slide it's easily applied with special slide crayons to begin Center the plate on the picture use a margin guide to protect the plate from fingerprints the tracing is made very light because this slide is to be colored with slide crayons this lessens the possibility of mixing pencil dust with the colors the tracing is checked by holding it over white paper coloring as well as shading can be done over this reflected light the slide plate is now ready for coloring a homemade light box which provides a lighted working area is Good device to use when coloring the coloring is done with special slide crayons which produce a soft clear color when projected the colors applied with a brushing motion using even Strokes which move in the same direction and touch overlap if spaces are left the white light will shine through and give a distracting effect when the slide is projected the Crayons must have a sharp point use a clean piece of sandpaper for each color and sharpen with a rotating motion wipe the points free of dust the color is applied right up to the pencil lines two heavy crayon application will project as shiny streaks black pencil shading over crayon deepens the tones and adds much to the drawing this shading is done as the last step a slide that is used many times should be protected with a permanent binding use gum tape fasten one end of the table come side up cut off a piece about 18 inches cover the drawing on the etched glass with a piece of clean glass hold the two pieces firmly together and stand them along the center of the tape flush with the free end keep the binding even on both sides before continuing press the tape into position on one end then continue to rotate the tape is cut diagonally across the end to make a smoother binding this end into place first bind both ends before the sides run the finger along the edge to smooth out the wrinkles smooth the tape into place with a pressing motion pinch the corners down firmly a thumb spot is placed on the lower left hand corner of The Binding as a guide in placing the slide in a projector slide crayons are the easiest means of applying color High School teachers can present much of the varied content in their field through handmade slides for example in social studies material not readily available or Limited in use because of size can be made into slides plastic slides light weights and unbreakable are made with pencil crayons or ink pictures slightly larger than slide size can be re-spaced first make a light tracing with a medium hard pencil always use a ruler when drawing straight lines lettering can be traced from the original picture after the tracing is finished check for details before it is Inked in its final form thinking of the plastic slide should be done over a lighted surface a mimeoscope partially covered with a homemade mask makes an ideal light table use a ruling pen for inking in straight lines fill it about half full check the point on scrap paper before applying it to the plate to start the ink flowing smoothly when working with a rolling pin use a ruler with a raised Edge and apply the ink with firm continuous Strokes avoid an overlap of lines at the corners finish the detail with a fine pointed pen here also the point should be about half full notice that these lines do not overlap at the corners translucent paper and other type of slide material is so thin that it is possible to trace fine detail work on its surface with little error traced directly on the paper with India ink and a fine pointed pen keep all The Strokes moving in the same direction to avoid spattering the drawing before coloring allow the outlines to dry slide ink works best on small areas it gives brilliant color and can be used for accent mix the ink with a small amount of solvent on a pallet then bring the brush to a point work rapidly and keep the ink flowing until it is pulled out to the edge of the outline when changing colors dip the brush in solvent and wipe it carefully on a clean cloth while the ink is Flowing freely color the areas with sweeping Strokes on this Slide the lettering was traced from typed copy India inks can also be used to color translucent paper this gives a softer effect in projection than does the slide ink allow the ink outlines to dry thoroughly before coloring use a fine brush full of ink point the brush before applying the ink to the paper India ink can be applied to larger areas than slide ink but it too must be applied with sweeping strokes and kept flowing be sure to color right up to the outline slides with sharp outlines such as this one may be projected on the Blackboard and retraced typewritten cellophane slides are simple and inexpensive to make both cellophane and special carbon paper come already cut to slide size the copy should be worked out in advance on a piece of paper marked off to slide size the cellophane is inserted in the folded carbon paper with the carbon side in they're taped on a paper guide with margin lines marked off make sure the tape does not catch the cellophane notice that the margin lines extend well beyond the carbon paper insert carefully in the carriage to avoid rumpling the carbon and cellophane the type must be clean because it should make an impression through the carbon onto both sides of the cellophane the typewriter should be adjusted for stenciling follow the copy accurately errors cannot be corrected or erased use a firm light touch to avoid cutting through the cellophane take care and removing the finished plate from the typewriter remove the gum tabs from the guide being very careful not to smudge the cellophane the finished plate can be projected in a hinged binding or Bound in a permanent one handle the cellophane by the corners using typed cellophane slides with other kinds will help the person who does not let her well a gelatin coated slide is clear glass coated with gelatin solution allowed to harden and drawn upon with India ink science teachers find these slides a Time Saver in preparing drawings and diagrams and they're ideal for daylight projection coating the slides is simple to begin wash the glass thoroughly in hot soapy water rinse in hot water the final rinse is in a hot weak ammonia solution dry with a lint-free cloth being careful to handle the glass by the edges the glass is now ready for coating place a half teaspoon full of either photographic or cooking gelatin in a clean container dissolve the particles in a small amount of cold water and mix until clear dilute with about a cup of hot water hold a piece of glass by the edges over a clean container pour a tablespoon full of the solution onto the glass and spread lightly with the fingers tilt the glass and shake the excess solution off one corner of the plate place it in a rack making note of which direction the coated surface faces gelatin coated slides can be washed and reused pupils can prepare them with a little instruction let the gelatin coated slides Harden overnight these slides are prepared about the same as translucent paper or plastic slides the outlines are made with black India ink and a fine pointed pen the point should be about half full use a ruler with a raised Edge when drawing strains and keep the pen moving toward the body use very little pressure to avoid scuffing the gelatin after the outlines have dried the slide may be colored all the techniques are similar to those used with plastic and translucent paper a lighted working surface can be made from a cigar box coloring can be done with either India or sliding use a fine brush and keep the ink flowing until the entire area is covered black India ink on gelatin produces clear outlines ideal for daylight projection after teachers have mastered these basic techniques of slide making they can teach their pupils to make satisfactory slides for their own or other classes slides can be made which fit a specific purpose such as these slides of etched glass which illustrate a report on flower arrangement pupils on the fourth and fifth grade levels can make slides for their own reports or for use by the teacher producing slides as an individual or group project is a valuable learning activity slides which have been made and utilized successfully can be bound for permanent use once they are completed numbered and organized they can be used as direct or supplementary teaching material in many areas these pupil-made slides show how simple ones can be made at first the skill develops and the need grows the more advanced types of slides can be made the possibilities for the development of creative work by teachers and pupils in the making of handmade Lantern slides is unlimited