Self adhesive boards for mounting photos

[Overlander Matt]

Hi,

Another fairly basic question from a newbie...

I have a few photos to frame that are 30x20 and have a fairly significant curl. It's a non-conservation job and I was thinking about using a self adhesive board. I had a bit of Daler Rowney repositionable board which I used as a trial and found the photo had started to come off after a week. I'm very pleased I didn't do the whole lot in one go!

What would be a suitable option in this sort of instance? I have some of the Daler Rowney Xtra Tac board on order. As always there are so many different products out there...

Thanks in advance. It seems every new job throws up a learning experience right now.

Matt

[prospero]

The adhesive is pressure-sensitive. The operative word being pressure.

Fact is, you just cannot get enough even pressure down using a roller. In some places it will not bond while in
others it will stick like the proverbial. So if (when) you get bubbles you can't flatten them without creases and you can't
peel the thing off again. On a 30x20 photo - forget it, unless you have a roller press. I wouldn't use the board on anything
bigger than about 8 x 6". Same with spray glues. Regard these methods as a purely temporary 'paste up'.

[poliopete]

Hi Matt

If you can find them or, another member can bring up a link, our very own Mal Reynolds demonstrate three adhesive free methods of mounting photos

This is how I mount photo's and never use sticky board or some such. Ready made corners are available from a number of companies.

The videos are very easy to follow and under heading of "Rinaldin" if I remember correctly. And like all Mal Reynolds videos are excellent and a must see.

I hope that helps.

[Steve N]

Well I use the self-adhesive boards from ColourMount, get them from S&J Simons, they seem fine, I have some framed photos on display that I did when I opened my own shop (11 Years) they are still flat, no bubbles, I put them down with an hand roller (then) but now use a roller system, only used on low value/ easy replaced work

[Not your average framer]

It is worth knowing that self adhesives generally are not permenent. They have a limited shelf life and after that a limited service life, when the shelf life is up, you cannot be sure of an effective bond, when the service life is up the self adhesive medium starts to degrade.

Self adhesives have their uses, but they also have their limitations. I'm not saying don't use them as they are a way of doing some jobs at a price, where longevity is not that important. Another issue will be the fact that many of these self adhesive boards do not have as smooth a surface as you might think and result in an orange peal effect on the finished job, this is likely to be very noticeable of the majority of photos.

You should be aware that problems with self adhesive boards that have been to long in storage do not become apparent until you try to use the, so be very careful when using stock of unknown age and do not assume that all makes of self adhesive boards will be the same as each other. I use the key range self adhesive boards from Simons, but I only use them on low value replaceable items requiring not conservation framing.

I prefer to use conventional dry mounting and use self adhesive boards when the customer decides to save money, but the customer is told about the pro's and con's first.

[Overlander Matt]

Thanks for your ideas on this. I have a bit of homework to do in finding the three videos - thanks as always Pete.

A bit of background to what is being framed first. The subject is a military course photo that is not terribly significant. Course photos tend to be popular in the military and it's the done thing to get a photo from a good course - particularly if the price is a good one! In other words, the photos themselves are not terribly valuable and economy is the name of the game. Looking at course photos that my wife has had on her office wall that I have reframed the photos tend to be attached with a bit of double sided tape. Not that I don't want to do better but just looking for the sensible solution given my lack of equipment and general experience.

There's no immediate rush on this job so I have time to play around a bit...

Thanks again.

Matt

[David McCormack]

Thanks for your ideas on this. I have a bit of homework to do in finding the three videos

I think this is the video Peter mentioned.

I'll just say that for photos as big as yours, corners pockets may not be the best option. With corner pockets the photo has to support its own weight. You would be better off with paper hinges attached to the top for big photos so they are suspended rather than supporting their own weight. In either case, you will need a window mount to hide the corners or hinges.

The repositionable board you mentioned is no good (as you found out) and the extra tac stuff will be better. You can do this by hand but it is more difficult on big photos. As already mentioned, pressure is the key word. You will need one of these https://www.lionpic.co.uk/p/8440/Brayer ... ller-200mm and lots of elbow grease I normally use Aqadia Fastmount and a brayer roller with good success but not on anything as big as your photos.

You say "economy is the name of the game" so you will be ok with a hand roller and sticky board, just take your time and roll the photo onto the board rather than trying to slap it down in one go. This will help with avoiding air bubbles. Plenty of brayer roller pressure and you are good to go

[poliopete]

Thank you, David, that is one of the three videos I was thinking of.

For larger photos, video number 6 in the Conservation Framing serious demonstrates how "Paper Trays" using polygonal edge stripe can support the photo/image. Like many techniques that are difficult to explain in writing this is much easier to understand by watching the demonstration by Mal Reynolds

[David McCormack]

[poliopete]

That's the one David thank you again.

I used this method recently on an old and very tatty sepia photo (12" x 10" approx.). The photo was badly damaged all round the edges including the corners. This seemed the best option. The photo has huge sentimental value to the family and one of the grandsons is looking in to getting the photo improved in the future through "Photoshop" or some thing.

This was not a difficult job to do and the photo is completely retrievable and can be enjoyed by the family in the meantime.

[Overlander Matt]

I noticed that these replies are considering the photos as 'large'... I should perhaps clarify that they are 20x30cm rather than 20x30 inches which might make a difference. Apologies for any confusion caused!!

[David McCormack]

Yes, I still think in inches but measure everything in metric

Basically, we’re talking an A4 size photo here so no problem using sticky board with a hand brayer roller. But also the methods shown in the videos will be good too including paper hinges. It also depends on whether you are using a window mount or not?

[Not your average framer]

These videos are excellent, are there any more?

[Ed209]

Yes
https://youtu.be/ARiFnlfH-5w


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[poliopete]

"These videos are excellent, are there any more"? I couldn't agree more Mark Thank you, David and Paul, for the links.

IMHO Mal Reynolds GCF(APF) Adv is a first-class framing educator and his videos are a great resource for all serious framers.

In addition to those excellent videos shown in the above links, Mal has a serious of masterclasses published in earlier editions of Arqadia's 4walls magazine. These are step-by-step guides explaining all manner of framing and mounting techniques. Each article is accompanied by easy to follow photos showing different stages in the process.

So much can be learned from these videos and articles including, methods, materials, craftsmanship, and terminology.

I only wish I had access to such information years ago.