The Framers Forum

HI there,

I've a few ideas floating artound in my head re floating mounts and artwork etc, and was wondering if PH7-70 ATG tape is OK to float an inkjet print by sticking it to a piece of foamcore (cut smaller so you can't see the foamcore) and the foamcore to the mountboard.

It's not a conservation piece by any means (a personal project), but I don't want it falling apart or tthe print turning a funny colour after a few weeks/months etc.

Thanks,

Steve

Given your limitations, sure, it's 'safe'. But self adhesive tape is pressure sensitive and ideally should be burnished on. This could leave an imprint of the tape on the front of the artwork - fine if it's covered by a mount, but maybe not for floating.

Therefore, even though it's not a conservation job, pass-through hinges and starch paste would be a better option. Easier too, as they slide through slits in the board easier than self adhesive, as they are dry - you apply the paste once they are in position. They will also last far longer than any self adhesive - mechanical bond vv chemical bond.

However, again given the linitations, why not just dry mount with PMA? That way it will stay flat too.

As for sticking the foam board to the mount - I'd use PVA; not hinges, and, when doing this, I also use a few dabs of double sided tape, just to hold it in place while the PVA dries.

Bevel the foamboard away from the artwork - that way you can cut it the same size as it.


PMA - http://www.lionpic.co.uk/Catalog/Produc ... search=PMA

(Edit - ah - I just saw the 'ATG' bit - no - ATG isn't really suitable for mounting - even though PMA is one great big roll of the stuff! I'd not use it alone - conservation issues aside, for anything that would show if it failed - I always back it up with PVA, not for mounting artwork, but for things like sticking double mounts together, sticking foam board spacers to rebates etc etc)

Quick question re PMA. How does it compare to self-adhesive boards? (Advantages/Disadvantages.... )

Well, for one you get to choose the board!

Also the adhesive is applied to the artwork first, therefore you can position it in the centre/whatever, of the board before applying pressure to fix it.

With a self adhesive board, if cut to the size of ther artwork, you'd have to make it flush, or cut a square of release paper out in the right place, or have a lot of exposed adhesive around the artwork, which you could say may be handy for sticking the windowmount on to, but is a waste of adhesive board - so PMA more economical.

I get ya. Good point about the boards! Further questions:

- What's the longevity of the bond?

- Can you use the vacuum function on one's press to bond the PMA to the board?

- What supports are suitable candidates for PMA. One would assume photos and paper-borne artworks.

- Any other benefits PMA offers?

Well, it's classed as 'permanent' and I have no personal experience to back that up, but, once you burnish it in place, or use a roller press, you won't pull it off without damage.

I''ve no eperience of vacuum presses either, but it's pressure that does it - it comes with a spatula and release paper, but a mechanical roller is as good and less messy - that's a disadvantage - 'messiness' you have to handle the artwork with the adhesive bonded to the back of it - easy to pick up a bit on a thumb or finger, I've tried all sorts of gloves to prevent this. You just have to be very careful.

You can use mount board, foam board, pretty much anything you can dry mount to in a press.

Other benefits would be convenience and storage space.

Roboframer wrote:messy ... you have to handle the artwork with the adhesive bonded to the back of it -

Does one have to remove all of the release paper from the PMA'd artwork prior to positioning? Presumably, one would have to be extra careful not to let "foreign bodies" get between the artwork and the substrate.

No, you can peel as you go, and that's the best way, however, you can still get a bit of adhesive where you don't want it just from lifting up a corner/end and you may still need to reposition the whole thing before final burnishing anyway.

To lay just one exposed part and have the whole thing bang in position first go is not easy and that's when you could get a bit of adhesive on your fingers - or of course if you remove all of the release paper first, which I indeed do on smaller pieces.

Hopefully you'd spot any foreign bodies before final bonding.

Instructions/diagrams for hand and roller application come with each roll.

Ta for all that information, John. Most helpful!

After reading this thread, I think I might go for PMA to drymount my Frazier & Ali piece (with a few trial runs on in-house stuff first). As mentioned above, what particularly attracts me to PMA is that I will be able to choose the board onto which I mount.

Presumably the 24" roll from Lion would be the better size to order?

Yes, there are no savings to be made regards price per sq ft, in fact it's fractionally dearer if my calculator is working properly!

But you can do larger things without having to worry about joins.

Oh - and be careful if using the spatula and foam board, press too hard and you can make indentations - don't ask!

Roboframer wrote:Therefore, even though it's not a conservation job, pass-through hinges and starch paste would be a better option. Easier too, as they slide through slits in the board easier than self adhesive, as they are dry - you apply the paste once they are in position. They will also last far longer than any self adhesive - mechanical bond vv chemical bond.

Also there are ready starched hinging tapes which are another option and besides giving you a superior bond compared to a self adhesive tape, with the right tape there's a helpful cost saving vs self adhesive tapes too! Robert Scraggs do a good one, it's acid and lignin free, with a ready applied water based starch adhesive. I haven't got an upto date price list, but it was £15 for a 350 metre roll, It lasts for ages and I use it on bog standard framing jobs too! Obviously japanesse paper higes and starch paste are used for delicate or fully conservation jobs.

I hardly even use pH 7-70 these days, but I still keep a roll in stock, just in case. After all there are some cases where you might not want to risk wetting the reverse of the artwork, such as not all ink jet printed media is printed using waterproof inks, or some artworks are produced on non-water porous paper and may not produce a satisfactory bond using a water based adhesive, due to the lack of liquid penetration.

To be honest just the piece of mind from using water based hinging and know that the adhesive wont fail at some future time is a pretty good reason not to use self adhesive hinging tapes.