Diasec

[KAYMOUNTING]

Hello all, this is Patrick.

We have just joined the forum. I thought that this would be the ideal place to post a few facts about Diasec. Hopefully this will be useful to some of you, as there seems to be a lot of misconceived ideas about the process out there...

Diasec mounting is a time proven system that has set the benchmark for face mounting photographic and fine art prints. Diasec was the first system that allowed photographs to be bonded directly and permanently to Acrylic sheet. Diasec panels are backed with Aluminium, reinforcing the rigidity of the finished picture, giving a beautiful profile when viewed from the side.

The component ingredients and the process of Diasec are unique, patented and used exclusively under Licence in the UK by KAYMOUNTING since 1985.
Diasec uses a primer and liquid gel, not sheet film adhesive. The biggest advantage of this is that air bubbles, and creases in the final product will never be present. You are not limited to film sheet size and there are no added complications with large format images.

The exclusive primer for Diasec contains a closely guarded formula. It produces a higher image definition, with richer colours and a detailed texture made more evident to the viewer.

The Diasec gel is neutral curing and has an inbuilt Ultra violet filter. It contains no plasticizers and is resistant to fungicidal, bacterial agents, and air-bourne pollutants. After curing the whole airtight panel remains chemically inert and stable. The finished product remains flexible too, enabling it to withstand changes in temperature and humidity, which affect works on paper. We have some Diasec samples in the workshop that were made in the 1970's. There is no colour shift, the whites are still pure and there is no evidence of acid erosion visible.


The best type of paper/finish
A matt finish photographic paper will produce the best results when looking to Diasec works. Lambda, C Type, Lightjet or Duratrans are ideal for this process. Avoid fibre based papers if you can. These tend to be difficult to lay flat due to their tendancy to cockle. Even straight forward dry mounting on to aluminium can prove tricky, so when working with these we always suggest that there is good excess left to trim off around the image - the more, the better. For other papers especially when you want a Diasec to image it’s always a good idea to leave 50 mm (2 inches) excess all round.

Inkjets and heat sealing
When undergoing Diasec treatment all inkjets need to have a heat seal applied first. You won’t see this on the finished product but it is vital to the process. There is an added cost with sealing but unfortunately it cannot be avoided. Epson Black & White images however are not particularly suited to heat seal. Inkjets can sometimes show an unavoidable minor colour shift on occasion as a result of heat seal.

I'll be interested to receive your feedback on this information and wonder if it has answered a few of your queries about the process

Best wishes
Patrick

KAYMOUNTING
http://www.kaymounting.co.uk