142 THE BOOK OF THE LANTERN. 



The black masks can be bought ready cut at about three- 

 pence the dozen, or the worker can cut his own if he prefer 

 it. Zinc patterns are sold for this purpose, together with a 

 clever cutting tool, which consists of a little steel wheel set 

 in a handle (see fig. 43). The pattern is placed above the 



FIG. 43. 



paper to be cut, the little wheel is run round the opening 

 in the zinc, and a cleanly cut mask is the result. A sheet 

 of glass is the best bed upon which to lay the paper when 

 cutting it. The gummed slips can also be bought, but 

 those who prefer to be self-dependent will make their own 

 in the way described. 



Not long ago I compared one of my slides with a wet 

 plate one taken from the same negative by a first-rate 

 operator, who is used to this class of work, and hardly 

 does anything else. He was bound to admit that the 

 gelatine picture was the better of the two, and said that he 

 should think of relinquishing his bath after seeing what 

 gelatine plates could do. I advised him to do no such 

 thing. A wet plate is so certain in its results, that an 

 unskilled hand, if he be furnished with the materials, can 

 produce picture after picture without difficulty. I cannot 

 say the same of gelatine plates, for they are such ticklish 

 things that oftentimes something or other will go wrong. 



