Self-adhesive board

[ARTAT41]

I recently framed up a print using Arqadia's permanent fast-mount. About a month later the work cam back covered in creases and air pockets. This has happened with two prints recently. Is there something I'm doing wrong or are other people finding they are having the same problem?

Does the fastmount need to be stored/used a certain way.

Thank you in advance.

[markw]

Self adhesive boards need to have some pressure applied to make the contact adhesive bond properly - failure to do so results in the sort of failures that you are getting.

Simple solution - with the application release paper put back over the artwork use a small roller to apply pressure by rolling over the artwork. If you have a Jet mounter or similar - applying the artwork using this machine puts in the necessary pressure. Hotbed press set to cold will also apply the necessary pressure.

You can put weights onto it - but not really enough pressure to get a reliable bond.

The reverse is always true - try removing something that hasn't gone down well..... it always seems to have stuck very well without any pressure. Sods law I think.

Bear in mind this is not a process recommended for anything of value.

[David]

Mark's right a bit of pressure can improve the situation, but I gave up using adhesive boards years ago for this very reason even when I had used a roller. Sometimes it works sometimes not whether it's down to the board or dirt or grease residue on the photo/print being framed or changes in temperature or humidity I don't know. May be I was doing something wrong but I couldn't work out what it was so I never use it.

[markw]

I have a Jetmounter and a hotpress so applying a little pressure is not difficult - unless its something too big to fit those machines. In this case I use a self adhesive foam core - The foamcore version tends to give a better finish - too much "orange peel" effect using normal boards. I have a flat plastic tool used by signwriters to burnish down adhesive lettering (same problem - no burnish - no stick). As long as I have sweated a bit on getting a good pressure down on the board I've never had one lift yet. (had a few before I did this).

[prospero]

I've always avoided this type of pressure-sensitive mounting. Unless you use a Jetmounter and even then I would be a bit windy. Using a hand roller doesn't allow you to get enough even pressure down. There are going to be parts that are stuck firmly and other patches that have not bonded how they should. The bigger the print the bigger the problem. So you get the situation where the paper gives way parts and bumps will form. To make things worse you can't get the thing off to have another go because where it has stuck it's stuck very hard. You can't flatten the bumps without forming half-moon creases because the paper in the bump is bigger and won't fit back where it came from.

It may be quick and convenient, but is fraught with disaster.

At best this stuff is best confined to temporary exhibition displays.

[pramsay13]

This happened to me once when I used this board with a hand roller. It was a print that had been folded up / stuffed in a drawer for years and the customer wasn't expecting too much. When they brought it back in they had hung it up straight away above a radiator, so I think the combination of not enough pressure and the heat variation caused the issue. I stuck it down again but some of the bumps wouldn't go totally flat.
I have since bought a jetmounter and now I often stick down photographs. The rollers provide a decent amount of pressure and I haven't had anyone back since.

[Not your average framer]

The gallery where I was trained used quite a lot of self adhesive board, but pressed it down in a heated press at 60 degrees, which makes the bond totally permanent. As far as I know they never had any failures. It also helps to be aware that low temperatures in your workshop will affect all of the self adhesive materials that you may use in that environment, so make sure that you workshop is up to normal room temperature.

I have an earlier manual version of the Jetmounter and use the cheap Simons self adhesive board with perfect results every time, but I avoid using self adhesive board for sizes above 16" x 20" as I have read that self adhesive board is not considered a good move above a particular size. I'm not sure why this would be, but it does become more difficult to get the artwork down flat with larger sizes, so perhaps this might be the reason.

Another thing to consider is the shelf live of all self adhesive materials. Over time the adhesive grab of self adhesives will decline, until one day the self adhesive is no longer effective. For those who do not use their self adhesive materials all that quickly, it is sensible not to order such large quantities that the materials become ineffective when you eventually get round to using anything which has bee in stock too long.

Self adhesive board is a useful this to have when customers bring in a photo that they have printed using their personal ink jet printer. Usually, by the time the photo has been passed around the whole family (who usually don't take any care to keep it flat), it is going to look rubbish when framed and when you point this out, the customer is usually more than happy to pay you to solve the problem. Fortunately with a Jetmounter, this takes no time at all, but generates some useful extra cash.

[Graysalchemy]

If it has come back after a few weeks then the glue will probably have cured and you won't get it to flatten now. You do need a lot of pressure ie a jet mounter. You may be luck with a jet mounter or even a hot vacuum press but I wouldn't hold my breath.