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We have a job in where the customer wants a modern papyrus, purchased on holiday in Egypt, framed in a silver frame on a pink mount.
They want the silver frame to match one they bought, they don't know where, in 1995. The papyrus clashes with the pink but there is no changing their mind, this is what they want!
The papyrus has been rolled up and keeps curling. They want it float mounted so that the ragged edges can be seen.
T hinging from behind the papyrus through holes in the mount is an option but the papyrus is "see through" and the hinges would be seen, as would the holes. Of course they don't want us to stick it down either , I was thinking conservation hot glue, parcel tape or staples!!!
Anyone else had a similar job and willing to pass on how they tackled it?
Rolf Lawson GCF “I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.” Eric Morecambe
pelican-picture-framing
Whenever I do papyrus pieces, I use black mountboard under the papyrus. If you cut the board slightly smaller than the papyrus itself, and then stick it to the pink board, per customer's request.
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
Dang. Forgot to preview and can't edit previous....
Meant to add that black backing board enhances details of the weave of the paypyrus, and should also conceal the slits necessary for float mounting. Not tried this method myself (I personally prefer not to float mount papyrus), but it may also help with making the hinging tape less visible.
........Áine JGF SGF FTB .Briseann an dúchas trí shuiligh an chuit.
Thanks Áine, that's certainly worth considering. I can see what you mean about the weave being enhanced and the holes being hidden but what of the white hinging tape or am I missing something here?
As to the Latin, I am a lost cause I'm afraid.... wotsit mean?
Rolf Lawson GCF “I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.” Eric Morecambe
pelican-picture-framing
Personally, I've never been all that sure about the viability of gluing or sticking anything to papyrus without abraiding the surface.
It would be interesting to know if anyone has any authoritive info on this.
I've just framed a rolled papyrus and it's still in the shop, (finks I should take a pic of it before it's collected. I stuck this one down using 2 inch wide D/S tape and some small blobs of PVA, just in case. (I've always had my doubts about how good it is long term).
BTW, I did one with a shocking pink mount about two years ago. Is this a trendy thing to do, or something?
We have had pretty bad luck in trying to flatten those papyri (?) once they’ve curled up. They don’t seem to respond as well as paper in a dry mount press.
Especially if they don’t flatten well, we have been known simply to sandwich the papyrus between two sheets of glass (acid free, of course ). This automatically makes it appear that the papyrus is floating above the colored mat board backing. Others might disagree but since glass is chemically inert, we don’t see a problem. Sometimes we will seal the two sheets of glass together with tape, though.
In order to keep the papyrus from slipping, we place a small square or two of mat board behind the decorative mat board backing and a sheet of foam board.
If you fit this glass-papyrus-glass-matboard-matboard squares-foam board tightly in the frame, the papyrus shouldn’t slip.
Don't take life so serious, son, it ain't nohow permanent! – Porky Pine
Not your average framer wrote:
Conservation hot glue.... Is there such stuff? I've never heard of it, but if there is such stuff, it would be useful to know about it.
Sorry, yes that was a little tongue in cheek. The glass sandwich sounds like a good way of flattening the papyrus without have to stick it to anything. Floating it above the mount (mat) sounds interesting too, although we might have a problem with lack of rebate (rabbet) in the moulding.
Papyrus can become brittle over time so I'm not so sure about the silicone?
Rolf Lawson GCF “I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.” Eric Morecambe
pelican-picture-framing
I almost always float mount papyrus to show the edges, even though some of the rough edges are now being faked.
Papyrus can be flattened substantially by misting the back with water (lightly) and placing it on a sheet of Alphamat, then place another 20 or so Alphamats on top with some extra weights. Leave it under the weights for five to seven days and then remove an hour before hinging. This can only be done successfully in warm weather and sometimes changing the mats under and on top of the papyrus after half a day then a day later will allow the water to dry out quickly.
I sometimes use P90 tape to hinge through a slit in the Alphamat that is directly behind the papyrus, but mostly Japanese paper and starch paste hinging is used. If it shows as a shadow behind the papyrus......tough titties.......we are NOT MAGICIANS! (stolen from Vivian Kistler)
Wow Ormond, it just goes to show you what can be achieved when the customer listens to us. I'll post the finished product in pink and silver when it's completed.
Tough tights it is then ..............
Rolf Lawson GCF “I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.” Eric Morecambe
pelican-picture-framing
Bill Henry wrote:We have had pretty bad luck in trying to flatten those papyri (?) once they’ve curled up. They don’t seem to respond as well as paper in a dry mount press.
I did the Hot Press course last week and they discussed using a vacuum press for steam ironing watercolours -- a technique that might work with papyrus.
Spray a sheet of mountboard with water and wipe over with a cloth so as produce a damp sheet of mount board. Place that in the heated press with the artwork on top (of the mountboard). Leave it there for 5 minutes for the moisture to penetrate the artwork then turn on the vacuum for 10 minutes.
Bill Henry wrote:Sometimes we will seal the two sheets of glass together with tape, though.
In order to keep the papyrus from slipping, we place a small square or two of mat board behind the decorative mat board backing and a sheet of foam board.
A square inch or so of Herma dots on the back of the papyrus will stick it to the glass well enough. They're almost invisible and quite removable.
). This automatically makes it appear that the papyrus is floating above the colored mat board backing. Others might disagree but since glass is chemically inert, we don’t see a problem. Sometimes we will seal the two sheets of glass together with tape, though.
