Off-gassing of photo's

[fineedge]

Anybody out there who indulges in photography or printing who has any idea about this problem - couple of months ago I had this image printed to 100cm tall and framed it up but have twice since then had to open up the whole thing to clean the glass - it must be off-gassing of some sort because the glass corresponding with the image becomes quite blue with haze - the photograph was printed with an inkjet printer ( not sure what make but they do a pretty good job) and is pasted down onto mountboard with a waterbased contact adhesive. I only noticed the problem after a customer brought in a job which I did for her of a Vietnamese sunset and her glass also misted up yet she used a different photographic shop for printing and her photo I mounted onto Scanstick sticky board from Moorman. Could it be the amount of black in the image because there is another of mine in my showroom which is a brighter image and the glass has remained clear.

[Roboframer]

Could be a reaction to light - black absorbs; white reflects. In the darker areas the light is being absorbed and the adhesive behind it is what's off-gassing; not the photo/ink.

[fineedge]

Interesting thought John - might just try hanging one to check the result although being such a large image it might just bulge towards the glass but worth a try even it is just to check the glass - the adhesive I use is water solluble, I apply it to a board with a sponge roller and it becomes sticky when dry ( called M E glue and made by my main supplier but they will not let on what the substances are which are used ) ..........just had a thought - framing up a photo which is hopelessly underexposed as well as one radically overexposed to compare and see if it is the adhesive

[Roboframer]

Some years ago, when I believed all I read in the trade mags, I wet-mounted (Lineco neutral Ph adhesive) a quite expensive silkscreen to foam board - framed it with bags of space from the glass and put it in the window for sale.

RIVERS (OK - rivulets) of water appeared on the glass - it was like some nutter had removed the mounted artwork, gone mad with a spray bottle and then sealed it all up again - I couldn't believe the amount of water.

I was considering phoning the Vatican to see if they'd class it as a miracle.

It was - I reckon - a combination of the adhesive not being dry - (as you say - when 'dry' it becomes 'sticky' - well, if still sticky, it can't be dry) and moisture in the foam board, which was not stored in exactly ideal conditions (my garage in Winter)

[stcstc]

the other thing to watch for is inkjet inks take a lot longer to cure than you think

i would say leave it 36 - 48 hrs before framing


another thing you could do is use one of the sealers from prints, hahnemuhle make a very good one for example

[Not your average framer]

I've encountered similar problems with water based adhesives on rare occasions. There may well be some unknown factors, which can also affect the outcome. Your photo or the backing it is being stuck to, may be absorbing water from the adhesive and then releasing it as water vapour into the air inside the frame.

It may be more of a problem at particular times of the year, when humidity and temperature are less than helpful. You could decide not to use the water based impact adhesive and use a double side self adhesive film product or self adhesive board instead, to see if this solves the problem.

Any differences in your workshop's temperature and the temperature at you customers premises, may also act as a trigger in releasing the water vapour into the air inside the frame.

[fineedge]

I mailed the suppliers/producers of the adhesive for info today and am waiting for a response . It is water solluble when liquid but on drying it becomes a sticky layer (which is then no longer affected by water ) before I apply the print with a rubber roller. Did a test strip with the glue and put the board into the oven for a few minutes - board hot and dry - glue layer sticky as hell. Also the prints which I framed lay open for about two weeks before they were stuck down - anyways, will keep searching for a better result.
Asked the boffin at the framing school who was involved with the development of this product if he knew of any similar product in the UK - will post it if I receive an answer.