The Framers Forum

Hi
I have been learning different framing techniques by trying it out but this one has me stumped.

I have a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle that I want to frame however, i do not want to use any adhesive to hold it down or have it flat against perspex or glass to hold it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a fully reversible way of mounting this other than 500 hinge mounts
Thanks
Jay

I think you are asking for a magic spell here.

Even hinging 500 pieces involves adhesive. The only thing I can think of is to use some sort of reversible drymount tissue
whereby the pieces could be released by heating.

Maybe suggest a coffee table, instead - and use gravity instead of glue.

Agree with Prosperous here. Mine always get stuck down with the offer of a spacer if they want to lift the glass off the jigsaw.

Thank you for all of the suggestions perhaps it is a levitation spell that I need

The reversible dry mount looks interesting but i do not have access to a heat press.... yes I do I have a veneer press at work that normally operates at 1000psi and 60deg, both are adjustable; i will have to check how low the pressure will go.

If I were to trap the jigsaw with glass/perspex, is there a material less likely to stick over time?
Jay

DCO (Direct Contact Overlay) is an excepted method - if you use plastic glazing. It has different thermal properties to
glass and won't attract condensation in the same way glass would. In a stable environment you shouldn't suffer any sticking
of the pieces.

Do you want to show the edges? If you do then it makes it a tad more complex using DCO. Straight in the frame, simpler.
You could actually use glass on top of the whole thing, but space it away from the acrylic or you'll get weird optical effects.
I did this once on a set of tiny saucers set it holes in mountboard. Acrylic on top of the saucers held them in position and glass
on top. With a jigsaw you'd have to use a quite rigid back.

I've framed a few jig saws over the years and for myself I would say that it's all about the right presentation. Unfortunately, I have not found that the presentation is what I am looking for when the jig saw is going to do it's own thing, gravity closing up the gaps above and below each piece, while allow the gaps at each side to remain much more noticeable. I just looks wrong like this!

Another thing that I don't like is the visual effect produced by anything being in contact with the face of anything which can be called an artwork. Can't you persuade your customer to accept a reversible means of fixing the jig saw onto a suitable backing board. There were a number of products available which really fit the bill, but I'm having trouble remembering all the details.

These included removable wax based adhesives, so called fugitive adhesives (I seem to remember there might have been something called gummy gum, but I'm not sure this was right) and there are sheets of little adhesive dots, but make sure that you get the conservation variety and check that it remains long term easily removable.

There was also something called "Cow Gum" that was used by paste up artists in the advertising and graphics industry, I used to use this stuff on a regular basis with several companies I've worked for and even tens of years later, we could still peel stuff off paste up boards and re-use all manner of images and materials on other paste up jobs for camera ready copy.

I'm posting a few links for Cow Gum Below. Some just enable you to order the product, but others tell you a bit more about it's uses.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=cow+gum&hv ... 0717k6rf_e

http://www.forgottenartsupplies.com/?wh ... age_id=272

https://hullabaloo.co.uk/blog/whatever- ... d-cow-gum/

https://www.davidthedesigner.com/davidt ... appen.html

https://dreamkatcha.com/cow-gum/

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/ ... um/1091897

Thanks for all of the great info Mark, i have never heard of cow gum.

I am the customer and i am being picky about choosing a fully reversible method

I might give the Kool Tack a go. I have access to a veneer press and apparently it can be removed 3 times with heat
Jay

Acid free and photo safe? That's OK then!

I used Cow Gum years ago. At one time a staple in publisher's offices for 'paste ups'. It's a tad messy and has a smell
that you either love or hate. After a while it has a tendency to spontaneously 'reverse'.

You might be better off with a Pritt stick.

That is the product safety listing for Elmer's Rubber Cement, from the link Mark posted.

Justintime wrote:That is the product safety listing for Elmer's Rubber Cement, from the link Mark posted.

Ok thanks for posting it - sounds like wonderful stuff

Speaking of non-intrusive mounting, I have two framed sets of cig cards that need new frames. Last night I took them
apart and got a surprise.....

The cards are set in a mount with square-cut apertures with glass either side. No attachments, they are loose. I didn't realise
this until I took the top glass off to give it a clean. They just sit in their own little holes. If I had flipped the thing over the whole
set of cards would have tipped out. It must have been a fiddly job for whoever did it.

The stamped out mounts the same thickness as the cigarette cards are available from a company called Barrington-Smith. They are made for different sizes of cards and different numbers of apertures to suit all sorts of different sets of cards and orientations. They also sell complete sets of reproduction cards as well.

Stuff like this used to be popular with the interior designer people fitting out and creating a theme for pubs, restuarants and the like at one time. Antique dealers used be keen on stuff like this too. Framed up sets of cigarette cards were a good thing to sell through the local action houses and I bought some of these sets in the distant past.

Eventually, the market for this sort of thing died off and with it any meaningful profitability.

Framing original cigarette card sets are my passion

Another way of mounting original sets of cards completely adhesive free is to sandwich the cards between two mounts cutting the bevels in revers. This technique requires precision and allows handling without the cards falling out

I find cigarette/trade cards still sell well and are extremely profitable if you take the time to search out your customer.

As for stamped out thin mounts and repro' cards one word "anathema"

Peter.

The ones I have are not stamped. It appears that the mounts were cut by hand with a knife and straightedge.The pencil
working-outs are on the reverse. The board is what used to be called "4-sheet" thickness, about 1mm. 200 cuts without making
a boo-boo. The framer must have had stamina.