Framing a linen backed poster advice please

[rhiannon framing]

I have been asked to frame a valuable linen backed poster with no mount. I know I need to make sure that I use a fillet to keep the poster from the glass. Is it ok if I wrap the excess linen around a conservation backing board and hold that wrapped over linen in place using Hayaku hinging tape?

[Not your average framer]

Hi Rhiannon,

You have not said how big this poster is, or how much surplus linen extends beyond the poster, but if there is sufficient surplus linen all round, then there may be an opportunity to lace the poster onto a sandwich of conservation mountboard and conservation foamboard.

Since someone has gone to the trouble of having the poster mounted on linen, then I would go suggest that a complete conservation framing job is likely to be appropiate and therefore I would not use wood fillets to space this away from the glass.

Instead I would use strips of conservation mountboard, faced with conservation mountboard to provide suitable conservation compatible spacers. Then for good measure if you are framing the poster in a wood frame, then I would line the inside of the frame with the Linco foil backed sealing tape.

[rhiannon framing]

Hi Mark,

Thank you so much. If I am going to frame these posters I want to do it properly, if I am not confident I can do that I won't do it. The customer has taken the posters back while I source moulding and find out the best way of doing the framing. She is keen for me to do it. The posters are about 700mm x 100mm with about 15 -20mm excess linen. Is that enough for lacing? Do you know if there is a guide to lacing available?

regards

Sharon

[Roboframer]

No, it's not enough and IMHO nor is it a suitable thing for lacing, lacing is for stretching fabric items and this is a paper item; even though bonded to linen there is no movement, it's not something that can be stretched.

If you fold the excess around the back and fix it in place using any method, that won't mount it, the spacers/fillet will apply pressure all the way around leaving it not free to move and it will probably buckle/cockle.

The poster is already stuck to something so is no longer in its original condition, even though this treatment may be beneficial. It may be a reversible adhesive or not but if it comess to it, it'll be a restorer's job. Therefore I wouldn't see anything wrong with wet mounting this - starch paste and a vacuum press with no heat, not that I've got one and not that I'd do it anyway.

Here - if the customer really didn't want a mount, or to see the small excess of linen, I think I might turn it away, but I'd have a good go at selling a mount, and a decent width one too, and then fixing from two points at the top, hinges, stitches, whatever, but would explain that the thing may not lay perfectly flat and if that's a problem then they'd definitely need to go somewhere else.

[IFGL]

I would not attempt to stretch it if there is any stretch in the linen (canvas) then that would run a very high risk of tearing the bonded paper, I have framed many of this type of poster, but always advised a window mount. I think if my customer really wanted it without, I would run it through the jetmounter and bond it to something stiff, but I would rather window mount it.

[IFGL]

on second thoughts, if it is on a course canvas running it througa jetmounter could also damage the paper.

[Not your average framer]

I lightly stretched two Great Western Railway draftsmans maps two or three years ago. These were supplied pre-mounted on a lightweight slightly open weave cotton fabric. They were sepia / blue drawing office produced contact type prints from the 1930's which have survived almost intact from the days of the GWR. I assume that the sepia bits were once blue, but I don't know this for sure.

There was extensive discussion about how to do this before it was done, the customer stipulated that no form of adhesive mounting was to be used and he got professional advice before going ahead. These are on permenent display and I have seen them serveral times since then, when discussing other framing jobs. They still look great and have remained resonably flat, considering that they were never flat in the first place.

[Roboframer]

If they were "supplied pre-mounted on a lightweight slightly open weave cotton fabric" then a form of adhesive mounting had already been used.

Can paper be stretched, dry? Or is it more a case of tensioning, wet or dry?

If there is adhesive on one side of the fabric, to fix it to the poster/whatever, then what's wrong with the same adhesive, or a better one even, the other side of the fabric to fix it to a rigid board?

[Not your average framer]

The adhesive appeared to be a starch paste and I would not have wanted to wet the paper at all, in case anything bad happened to the printing on the paper. Besides that the customer would not have agreed to anything which involved any change to the original state of these maps whatsoever. Apparently his wife would have a fit if she knew how much he paid to get these maps.

You are correct in saying that these maps are just lightly tensioned, not stretched.

[IFGL]

I have stitched on fabric hinges in the past (when window mounted), as paper ones I fitted failed on 2 occasions.
defiantly think bonding is better than any attempt at stretching, no matter how lightly pulled, but mounting better still.