For those interested, this is my adaptation of Fred Picker’s design for a gel holder. My appreciation goes to several forum members who responded to my request for a source for banding steel (which usually comes in very long rolls for a significant investment), and to Roger Thoms for several short pieces of 1/2-inch stock to use. What I have is not the black, magnetically active spring steel Picker used, but it works perfectly.
Aside from having to gently smooth edges, and prime and paint the shiny metal pieces matte black, I made two other adaptations. First, since my camera bag is too snug to permanently mount a Z-shaped holder to the back of the lens board, I made a little slip-in receptacle for each of my two boards by bending a piece of the metal into an almost closed “folder,” with a space just wide enough to slip in the Z piece and hold it securely. (Although I had originally thought the folder would have to have a flap bent over to enclose the open end, I found this unnecessary. The trick was getting the space between the sides open just enough, but the adjustment is difficult. The open end faces up.) After painting, I epoxied one of these to each board. Thus, I need only one Z for my two lenses, which have very similar back depth. Picker recommends 1/8 inch from back element to the filter; mine are close.
The other change is simply that, since the banding I have is not magnetic, I epoxied a magnet on the back of the Z “foot” surface that holds the filter. Another, removable one holds the filter in place from the other side. Small ,very powerful disc-shaped magnets are readily found for about $10 on the web in lots of 20 or 30. I got black ones. Keep some spares in your bag, and find creative uses for the rest. Or, just have fun playing with them.
Photos #1-3 show the filter holder assembled. Photo #4 shows the Z piece, back-end-down, with the epoxied magnet for holding the gel. The “foot” in the air slips into the folded piece on the board, shown in #5 (next post).
Photo #6 shows the gel in place, in a non-magnetic (aluminum?) frame. The little magnets are strong enough to hold it this way, or, of course, without a frame.
For those with limited tools and skills, I’m with you. I used a vice to hold the metal and also press the folder sides together, a hack saw to cut, a rather course file and emory paper to smooth corners and edges, a hammer and a pair of adjustable pliers to bend it, the paint and quick-set epoxy.
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