Wet mounting paste

[Mary Lever]

Hi
Does anyone know where you can purchase wet mounting paste? I need to attach large prints to mountboard and I'm finding my usual method of using circles of filmoplast 90 not strong enough. It needs to be conservation standard and reversible. Is there other method of attaching artwork recommended? I've tried D J Simons, Lion, Arqadia and Neilsen Bainbridge for the paste. Any suggestions please? Thanks.

[JFeig]

Wet mounting paste is a thing of the past..... just like pay telephones or a typewriter in this digital age.

It was either wheat, rice, or dextrin(corn starch) based. A close second is wallpaper paste; however, that may contain many additives that are not "conservation grade".

[Mary Lever]

Thanks for that which might explain my difficulty in finding it!!! What do you use to attach large prints to mountboard securely?? Thanks.

[JFeig]

Wet mounting is still in use in the commercial packaging and manufacturing of mat board. Potdevin http://www.potdevin.com/ is one company in the US that make such products and pastes.

In the photo and custom framing world wet mounting has been replaced by dry mounting, lamination rolling with double sided adhesives and of course hinging and edge supports.

[Mary Lever]

Thanks for that but all the double sided tapes I am familiar with are either not strong enough or don't meet with conservation standards. I swapped a picture into a frame the other day and noticed that the very established framer who had framed it previously had used paste and it stuck very well so I think there are still people using it. Lion sells acid free, reversible, archival wet mounting paste but is out of stock at the moment but it is obviously still used. Thanks anyway.

[Roboframer]

Sticking something down - to anything, with anything, is not a conservation method but if you really want to do it, wheat starch paste is the best adhesive for paper and it's readily available in powder form from people like Preservation Equipment Ltd and Conservation By Design, it's also the cheapest. It takes some skill that comes with practice to get the right consistency for different types/weights of paper - also in knowing how long to let it go off before applying .............. and that's just for 'T' hinges that only touch a tiny part of the paper, which is what most do for artwork on paper.

Nothing is better than starch paste - so use .............. NOTHING!! That's an option too, with edge mounting methods already mentioned, like strips or a platform mount - put that in to the search facility.

[Roboframer]

put that in to the search facility.

..... and smoke it!

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[An Old Master]

Methyl Cellulose is the synthetic equivalent of wheat starch paste, but much easier to prepare, is completely reversible and therefore acceptable for conservation standards. Brittania Mounts sell it in very manageable quantities.

[An Old Master]

Wet mounting is still in use in the commercial packaging and manufacturing of mat board. Potdevin http://www.potdevin.com/ is one company in the US that make such products and pastes.

In the photo and custom framing world wet mounting has been replaced by dry mounting, lamination rolling with double sided adhesives and of course hinging and edge supports.

I'm sorry to contadict, but that is simply not correct. Wet mounting has not been entirely replaced by dry mounting, extensive use of it is still made and to great effect when consevation requirements are paramount.

[JFeig]

You are totally correct that it is used in the conservation field and Oriental art fields. I was referring to picture framing and photo mounting. If you are still doing wet mounting on conservation jobs, you have crossed the line into the realm of a conservator.

In regards to "being made", are you referring that you make the paste or that it is still being made and distributed by suppliers to the picture framing industry.

[Roboframer]

Comes in powder form, just add water, easier than cooking starch paste, yes.

Looks like it's on clearance at PEL http://www.preservationequipment.com/ProductSearch.aspx

[An Old Master]

You are totally correct that it is used in the conservation field and Oriental art fields. I was referring to picture framing and photo mounting. If you are still doing wet mounting on conservation jobs, you have crossed the line into the realm of a conservator.

In regards to "being made", are you referring that you make the paste or that it is still being made and distributed by suppliers to the picture framing industry.

The latter.

[An Old Master]

If MT is on offer, by a couple of tubs. A few grams will last a very long time.

[Roboframer]

You buy it ready-mixed then?

[An Old Master]

You buy it ready-mixed then?

' The Latter' means still being made made and sold in this industry. Britannia, to name but one.

[Roboframer]

You buy it in powder form and add water then? The two options I read were mix it or buy it ready-mixed and you said the latter.

[An Old Master]

[quote="Roboframer"]You buy it in powder form and add water then? The two options I read were mix it or buy it ready-mixed and you said the latter.[/quote
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Sigh. I said 'The Latter' to 'Still Made and Sold' It is in granular form. It needs to be mixed with water. It is very easy to do. Even I can do it.

[Roboframer]

Ah - glad that's cleared up then!

[An Old Master]

Even you can only wind up for a limited period John.

[The Jolly Good Framer #1]

I think you'll find that Robo can wind-up indefinitely.... he's very persistent like that.