Beginner needing advice

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Damienfox
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Beginner needing advice

Post by Damienfox »

Hi,

I am trying to frame some limited edition concert posters. I have bought the frames and mounts but do not know how to fix the art work to the mount. I have read in some websites that I need acid free art tape, which I have now bought. However, reading the instructions it says that the adhesive may be permanent and only intended for low value and replaceable art. I want the option of being able to reframe or sell my posters at a later date and don’t want to use any tape that can potentially tear the card. Please could you advise what I need to do as I am worried about ruining my art work?

The tape I have bought is the following:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PH7-70-Conserv ... op_d_pd_t2

Is this safe to use?


Damien Fox
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Rainbow
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Rainbow »

Hi Damien, welcome to the forum (and the world of framing!)

How big are the posters?

This is what the manufacturer says about the tape you've got: "Adhesive can be reversed from some surfaces using Zest-It citrus based removal fluid. Due to the high initial tack, the tape is permanent and can be difficult to remove." I must admit I wouldn't like to risk using removal fluid myself. If you want to sell the posters at a later date, you could just slice across the hinge to remove them, but this will leave the tape on the poster which might affect the value. There are conservation tapes which are removable but I'll leave it to the experts to point you in the right direction on those.

If the posters are valuable and you're thinking of re-selling, you might want to think about UV-resistant glass rather than the glass which came with the frames, otherwise the posters risk fading in the light.

You'll need to place either an "acid-free" barrier sheet or a sheet of "acid-free" mountboard behind the poster so that acid from the back-board doesn't seep into the poster.

Incidentally are the mounts you've bought of conservation quality or at least ph-neutral? Otherwise acid from the mount could leave a mark on the poster.
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prospero
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by prospero »

Hi Damien. :D

What you have to consider when framing something of value, or potential value is that it is more valuable in the original
state. If you do something to it that changes that state then you have knocked the value down. A good principle to work to is
"can I take it out the frame and not tell that it had ever been in one".
Of course, a great deal of stuff that passes though a framer's hands has no great intrinsic value. In these cases doing the
archival/conservation/museum standard thing is mostly OTT. It's up to you to be able to tell what level of framing a piece needs.

As for hinging tapes, the best practice is to use starch paste and torn Japanese paper. This is a technique that needs to be practised
and learned. It's not just a question of slap it on. :lol: For most jobs I use Filmoplast P-90 and P-90 Plus. It is (allegedly) reversible.
I have tried reversing it and it does come off with a bit of care and leaves no residue.
Beware a lot of so-called 'art' tapes that claim to be ideal for hinging. They are often far too heavyweight and the adhesive is iffy. They'll
do the job OK, but there will be consequences.

Many people say, "It doesn't matter if the tape won't come off. It will never be unframed....". That's not the point. The fact is that even
if it is unlikely that it needs to be unframed, the critical thing is that it can be. I have in the past dealt in a lot of limited editon
prints which were highly collectable. If a collector has a choice between two copies where one is 'mint' and the other has a tiny crease
in it, he is going to buy the mint one. Pick a print up carelessly and put a mark/crease in it and you could be shaving a couple of hundred
pounds off the value. Start sticking the wrong tape on it and you could render it worthless. I've seen it. I could tell horror stories. :shock:
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
Damienfox
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Damienfox »

Thanks for your responses. That’s really helpful
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Not your average framer »

Another consideration is the thickness, or strength of the paper from which the poster is made. In the event that the frames falls to the floor during an accident, it should be the hinges that break, not the paper of the poster. It is often common practice (with some framers) not to always overlap the edges of the poster with a mount, so that if the poster is removed at a later date, there will not be a darker (unfaded) area where the mount prevented fading by blocking the light. There are some skilled framers, who specialise in framing posters and have clever ways of doing this, so that the poster still remains fairly flat against the mountboard behind the poster.

You should be aware that there are glazing options, which will provide various degrees of ultra violet light protection and therefore remove a major source of fading to the poster from damaging light exposure. You should be aware that even the highest levels of U.V. blocking can be of limited value if the poster is to be hung where it will be in direct exposure to sunlight, as the amount of U.V. coming from the sun is so massive that even the tiny percentage of U.V. not blocked by the U.V. glass can still be very significant.

With anything that is being framed as a collectors item, you should be aware that condition is very often everything and little matters which seem of little significance, become more significant will the additive effects of time. Therefore pay attention to All of the properties of All of the framing materials that you are employing to frame such items and this includes the standards of mountboard using behind the poster as well as in front of the poster. Also take precausions against the entry of insects.

Backing board materials are also significant and it is not uncommon to see impervious materials between a backing board and the contents of the frame. Do not assume that customers will not have damp walls, or conditions where heat may lead to condensation and therefore degradation to the artwork as a result. The wood of the mouldings will also contain lignen and an adequate space around the poster will increase the time needed for acid generated within the mouldings to travel through other materials an have an effect upon the artwork.

Take the usually required precausions and instruct customers accordingly. Conservation is easy, and many of us follow best practice as a normal way of working, and raise our game a little more when we know it really matters. I don't know how true this is, but I was told to expect one inch of alkaline buffered conservation mountboard to provide at least 40 years of protection against the travel of acid from the frame towards the artwork. Learn as much as you can from those who can advise you, it is precious knowledge and will help you to maintain the value of these posters.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
kartoffelngeist
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by kartoffelngeist »

Don't want to sound like I'm having a dig, this is a very general comment.

It's a good example of what you're paying a professional framer for. Not just materials and labour but specialist knowledge and experience.
Thanks,

andrew
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Not your average framer »

Yes, I would not argue with that, it is true as you say it is a very general comment. I'm moving into my new shop starting from next monday and I think I left my brain some place else. So, I am sorry to need taking to task and thank for saying so.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Steve N »

kartoffelngeist wrote

"Don't want to sound like I'm having a dig, this is a very general comment.

It's a good example of what you're paying a professional framer for. Not just materials and labour but specialist knowledge and experience."


It's at time like this when I think that this forum should have a 'Thumb Up' or Thumb Down' buttons, so you can show if you agree or disagree with a post, and in this case I would be pressing :yes:
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Not your average framer
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Not your average framer »

It was not a dig, look at the second sentance. I needed a second look to get what was being said too!

Thanks Rosie.
Mark Lacey

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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Framemaker Richard »

I'm confused... Mark (NYAF) I think kartoffelngeist was making a general comment to the starter of the topic, not you... unless I am the one who is mistaken!?!

In fact your detailed reply to the topic posted is kind of showing that there are many things to take into account! and therefore that's why a knowledgeable framer would be better than doing yourself! which is exactly what kartoffelngeist is pointing out...

:? :!: :?:
kartoffelngeist
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by kartoffelngeist »

Ah, sorry, yes. That makes more sense now!

My point was to the original post rather than NYAF. I appreciate the poster's willingness to give it a go, but I thought it demonstrated nicely that there's a lot more to framing than putting four bits of wood together.

The detailed reply that NYAF gave really demonstrated it. Most non-framers would have no idea that you need to consider the weight of the paper etc. That's what you're paying for when you pay someone like NYAF to frame something for you, not just some wood and the use of a saw.

Hope that makes more sense!


I wanted to point out it wasn't a dig because I didn't want my reply to come off as 'go away and pay a real framer to do it.' It was meant as a genuine observation rather than a judgement.
Thanks,

andrew
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Re: Beginner needing advice

Post by Not your average framer »

I'm easily confused you know, it's my age, I should have been put out to grass long ago!

:giggle:
Mark Lacey

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