How to use gel filters without damaging them

[Shinnen]

Hi all,
I came across some Wratten gel filters. The one that particularly interests me is the #96 ND 0.60; it's about half as dark as and ND8. It's about 3" square; and I'm wondering how to use it without damaging it.
...... john

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day John

Golly - you are bringing back memories from long ago

The Wratten filter holder I remember from the 60s was something like today's Cokin filter holder - a square device with a slot and a means of attaching to the lens - usually via a push-on arrangement rather than today's threaded arrangements

For you today I would ponder a DIY cardboard thing to hold the very delicate filter and have this glued? to an UV filter so that it can be used

Another thought would be to carefully attach some sticky-tape to one edge for handling purposes - maybe with just enough on the filter to keep it there without encroaching into the centre / photo area

Hope this helps
Phil

[Shinnen]

Hi Phil,
OK. Thanks for the suggestions.
I was wondering if I had missed some obvious way of doing this.
I want to use it in conjunction with my IR pass filter, since the filter itself doesn't
blunt the IR signal enough to prevent over exposure.
(It's a Cybershot F717, which is crippled, by Sony, to prevent using the camera for seeing though clothing; which makes
it virtually useless for outdoors, unless one attenuates the signal to enable shooting 1/60th of a second or longer.)
However, if one gets into that range, it can produce some very interesting images.
..... john

[Shinnen]

Originally Posted by Shinnen

Hi Phil,
OK. Thanks for the suggestions.
I was wondering if I had missed some obvious way of doing this.
I want to use it in conjunction with my IR pass filter, since the filter itself doesn't
blunt the IR signal enough to prevent over exposure.
(It's a Cybershot F717, which is crippled, by Sony, to prevent using the camera for seeing though clothing; which makes
it virtually useless for outdoors, unless one attenuates the signal to enable shooting 1/60th of a second or longer.)
However, if one gets into that range, it can produce some very interesting images.
..... john

Hi Phil,
I think I forgot to mention that I'm using two circular polarizers in series (one reversed) to attenuate the IR signal to a usable level for the F717, So, I cut the gel filter to a size that would fit between the CPs, and that worked alright..
Thanks again for your suggestions.
...... john