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(I will make pictures for this article as soon as possible)
This article will attempt to explain the different ways to mount paper
art, such as photographs, posters, prints, and other such pieces. All
works of art in picture frames have to be mounted to the backboard or
mounting board in order to hold the art and keep it positioned in the
frame.
No matter what type of art you decide to frame, some form of mounting
is required to keep the art positioned correctly and held in place in
the picture frame. There are many different methods to mount art. The
method you choose depends very much on what it is you are mounting.
There are two main ways to mount art in picture frames, archival mounting
and non-archival mounting. Non-archival mounting is permanent and it reduces
the value of the art since the art cannot be removed from the backing
and be returned to its original condition. Some art such as paper art
that is printed on thin paper, newsprint and even many photographs are
permanently mounted so that the articles will stay flat and not bend and
wrinkle due to changes in humidity in the air.
Some examples of items I would use non-archival mounting techniques
on are:
Newsprint
Posters
children's art
Magazine pages
Many cheap prints
Any other low value art works
Some Fabric art works
Anything I want to stay permanently flat
Many photographs
Inkjet prints
Some examples of items I would only use archival mounting techniques
on are:
All limited edition prints
Many photographs
High value items
Any item I want to preserve for as long a time as possible.
Anything I would want to return to the customer in the exact same condition
as it was brought in, if he should ask to have it returned.
Below I will give you several different ways to mount works of art. Please
practice these techniques once or twice, study the pictures and reread
the directions if you have questions. Some people e-mail me asking me
to explain this stuff all over again to them, when it is already all right
here. I really cannot explain these directions any clearer in any e-mail
than I have already done right here. Nor can I answer a large volume of
e-mail. In almost all of the e-mails I do get, it is very easy to see
that the person never actually tried the process out. Do it! Try the process
out once or twice on a small piece of art, make your mistakes, and reread
the directions and things will almost always become clear. Until you actually
try the process out, all the instructions and e-mails in the world won't
help you. You learn by doing. If you're afraid of that, don't bother to
e-mail me. I can't help you until you learn to try and help yourself.
Mounting materials for paper art:
No matter which method of mounting art you choose there are some materials
that are necessary. You will need a mounting board and various types of
tapes and glues to mount your art. It is best for me to describe each
type of mounting, and then explain the materials you need to mount the
art as I describe the various ways. The one absolutely necessary item
used in all art mounting is the mounting board used.
There are many things used for mounting boards. In low cost frame it
quick places in malls and such, and using other cheap methods, just plain
ordinary cardboard is used to mount the pictures on. No work of art should
ever be mounted on cardboard ever. Cardboard is full of acid and what's
worse is that it passes this acid into the art very quickly and the art
is soon ruined. A piece of art mounted on cardboard can be ruined in as
little as six months. The art will turn brown due to acid burning, get
brittle and be ruined beyond repair. I repeat cardboard should never be
used to mount any art on.
So what choices does that leave us to mount art on?
There are a number of choices left such as regular mat board, rag mat
boards, form core board, and mounting boards made just for mounting. There
are other mount boards that can be used, the list continues. The average
home picture framer though will usually be left with the choice of material
they can acquire locally. This is usually mat boards and form core boards.
Form core boards come in two grades; there are regular form core boards
and acid free foam core boards. Professional frame shops use acid free
foam core boards to mount expensive pieces of art. The regular foam core
board is used for just about everything else. All the foam core boards
you see in craft stores and department stores are regular foam core boards.
You will almost never run across acid free foam core boards unless you
go into a professional frame shop and ask for it. The reason for this
is because it is a lot more expensive than regular foam core boards. There
are lots of frame shops that don't even stock it, they use other materials
instead such as rag mats or using other archival mounting methods I won't
go into here. Regular foam core board is a good board to use on most works
of art because even though it is not completely acid free, it does not
contain much acid and it is very slow to pass it onto the art. Almost
all posters are mounted on regular mat board. It is a good choice for
many mounting needs. Items mounted on regular foam core board will out
last your lifetime.
Another choice is regular mat boards. These boards are made of cardboard
and have a good quantity of acid in them, but they are slow to give pass
the acid onto the art work so these make suitable boards to mount many
things too, such as children's art, newspaper clippings, anything you
don't think you want around more than twenty five years or so.
The choice between regular mat boards and regular foam core boards is
yours. The regular foam core board is by far the better choice and is
very much used in professional picture frame shops. Almost all mounted
posters and photographs you see are mounted on regular foam core board.
Then there are rag mats that are sometimes called museum boards. These
boards are made using pure cotton. They are 100 % archival and acid free.
They make a really good choice when you want to mount something and want
it to last permanently.
Mounting Art
There are several methods to mount works of art that are available to
the average home picture framer but before discussing those methods, it
would be best to devote a short discussion about using professional mounting
systems. It will give you a background in mounting art and allow you to
make better decisions.
Large picture frame shops use what are called mounting presses to mount
works of art. This is considered non-archival mounting as I discussed
at the beginning of this article, because once mounted this way the art
cannot be returned to it's original condition.
The large mounting presses are very expensive and not every frame shop
has them, and many do not really have much need of them as well.
The two types of presses are the vacuum wet mount system and the dry
mount systems. Using the wet mounting presses the mount board (usually
foam core board) is put into the press with glue applied to the board.
The art is placed on top of the glue, and the board inside the press.
Vacuum and heat is applied and the art is sucked onto the glued board
and dried leaving the art smooth and flat and permanently attached to
the mount board. Several items can be put into the vacuum mount press
at the same time.
Dry mounting presses work differently. Using these presses the mount
board is placed into the press, then a sheet of glue tissue is placed
on the mount board and the art on top of that, then release paper to protect
the press. When closed the press applies heat and pressure. The heat melts
the tissue that is actually a sheet of pure glue. The glue gets hot and
melts and the art is permanently bonded to the mount board. The process
is quicker and cleaner than the wet mount process and is used by more
shops. Usually only one item is done at a time.
Both systems above are expensive and out of the reach of the average
homeowner who wants to mount and frame a few pictures. In fact many frame
shops do not use either system, they use other methods to mount most art
and when they really need to have something done using the above presses
they hire another frame shop with a press to mount the pieces for them.
The other methods to mount works of art bring us to how the average homeowner
can mount their own works of art.
Methods of mounting your art:
There are several common mounting methods of mounting art for the homeowner
and small frame shop. Again, these methods can be Non-archival or archival.
Respectively these methods are called adhesive mounting and hinge mounting.
Adhesive Mounting:
Adhesive mounting is a very practical way for the home picture framer
to mount art and who lacks access to the large presses talked about before.
The most practical adhesive to use for the homeowner is the use of spray
adhesive that comes in a spray can. There are several types of sprays
made for mounting different kinds of materials. Some art such as photographs
have a smooth surface that requires a special spray that will stick and
hold the art in place. Other materials such as prints, posters and fabric
also use different adhesives.
To mount a photograph or print using spray adhesive.
After deciding which mount board you are going to use, cut it to size
leaving it several inches wider than your art, all the way around.
Next lay a sheet of Kraft paper or old cardboard on your workbench. Lay
your photo or other art face down on the above and make sure it is lying
perfectly flat. Using the spray can, spray the backside of your photo,
wait a few seconds for the glue to set up, then carefully pick up your
glued photo and place it glue side down onto your back board. After you
have the photo or print in place you need to cover the photo with a piece
of clean paper and using a hand roller, start in the middle of the picture
and roll the photo to press it flat against the mount board to firmly
bond your picture in place. Some people and the usual instructions don't
call for covering the art with a piece of paper, but I find it gives added
protection to the art from some stray glue getting onto the face of the
art.
When using spray glues on photos and art prints, it is very important
to not get any glue on the front side of the picture, as it is just about
impossible to clean it off without ruining the picture. If the photo or
print is not lying down completely flat when your spraying the glue on
the backside, you will find that glue will and can sneak under the edges
of your print. If you aren't careful you may create a mess of your art.
Some people even go to the extreme of lying the art face down and taping
all the way around the print using clear removable scotch tape. After
spraying the print they peel the tape away and continue with the mounting
procedure.
After getting your art glued down to the mount board, you can trim the
excess mount board off with your utility knife. Don't try to make your
mount boards the exact same size as your art to begin with, that almost
never works.
The above directions are almost the same as those giving on the cans
or what you normally read in books. At my shop I have grown tired of making
a mess and have devised an alternate procedure to using sprays and glues.
This procedure is also usable when using the dry mounting techniques I
will describe below. I find it works much better and I don't ruin any
art.
Reimond's alternate mounting method
This is the method I use many times when using spray glues or using dry
mount papers which I will explain below. I got tired of glue getting onto
the surface of photos and other works of art, your fingers, the rollers
and everything else. The method is simplicity in it self. What I now do
is take the photo or art and cut the finished top mat out first. Then
I cut out a mounting board several inches bigger than the finished top
mat by several inches all around. I place the picture on the mount board
about where should be when finished. I mark out on the mount board this
location with a pencil. Then using either spray glue or the dry reposition
able dry mount tissue I will describe next, I spray or place the glue
onto the mount board first. Notice I am spraying the glue onto the mount
board, not the art. Then I place the art on the board, on the glue, and
put a piece of paper over all and roll everything flat. Using dry mount
tissue, I will use release paper, using sprays I will use a clean sheet
of paper. The paper will stick to the glue that is left exposed along
the edges of the art. If it doesn't peel off when I am finished rolling
the art I leave it there. Then I put ATG tape on the back side of the
finished top mat, and place it onto the photo exactly where it should
go and press that down to lock it in place. When this is done it is very
simple to trim the excess mount board off around the finished mat and
your photo or art is now mounted, matted and ready for glass, and I have
never gotten glue on the front of my art using this technique.
Spray mounting sprays are useful for many home picture framers because
you can buy a can of spray and it can be used for doing a number of pictures
without much waste. The can also be saved for use for another time. It
works great on photos as well as the glue holds real good.
There is another method of mounting works of art using a product called
reposition able dry mount tissue. This glue tissue works very nicely,
but wasn't used much by homeowners due to the cost because you were limited
to buying a hundred foot roll at a time. Now we are selling this tissue
in smaller quantities making it possible for anyone to try it out.
Reposition able dry mount tissue works great on all paper products such
as prints, paper, newsprint and what not.
Reposition able tissue is named as such because it is possible to lay
your glued art down and if it isn't in the right spot you can reposition
it. This is true if the paper has not been pressed down any, but I find
that in using lightweight papers you better get it right the first time.
The directions for the use of this product are as follows. You take the
reposition able glue paper and place your art on top of it. Then you place
a sheet of release paper over the picture and squeegee over the art using
the squeegee tool and this forces the glue to stick to the backside of
your art. Then you slowly peel your art away from the paper containing
the glue and the glue should remain stuck to you art. After you remove
the art from the sheet of reposition able tissue, place it onto the mount
board. Then again placing the release paper over the art, you press the
art onto the mount board. Sometimes photographs were not done using this
method very often because when the photo was lifted off the tissue, many
times there would be spots left on the photo where the glue did not stick
to it. This could cause a bubble later. The glue on the reposition able
paper gets stronger as is sets up.
I have found a way to make photos stick good using dry mount tissue.
It is simple. I always use my alternate mounting procedure as I explained
above and below.
What I do is use the Reimond's alternate procedure above. I cut the mats
first, then cut an even bigger piece of mount board, I place the art on
the mount board and mark it's location. Then I cut a piece of reposition
able adhesive slightly bigger than the art and laying it on the mount
board in the right spot, I squeegee the glue onto the mount board. It
sticks perfectly every time to mat boards and almost always to foam core
boards. Then I lay the art onto this glue, put the release paper on top
and squeegee the art down onto the glue. Then I remove the release paper
and place the finished cut top mat on top in the correct place, the extra
glue around the edge of the art holds it there. I trim around the edge
of the mat board and everything is automatically done, simply, neatly
and with no glue mess. Studying the pictures will explain this procedure
easy enough once you also try it out.
Note: The release paper we supply looks the same on both sides and both
sides are usable, but we strongly recommend that you mark on side of the
release paper and make sure this side always stays "UP". It
will keep your art cleaner. Release paper can be used over and over. Only
a small piece is required for a whole roll.
My above method for using reposition able adhesive should be tried by
every home picture framer. It works great! Once you try it out you will
fall in love with mounting works of art this way.
Hinge Mounting
The last way I will discuss mounting works of art is by a procedure called
hinge mounting. If you use rag mats or foam core board and acid free hinge
mounting tape this method is completely archival. The art is always removable,
is not damaged or harmed in any way and preserves the full value of the
art. I use this procedure on much of the works of art I mount.
To do hinge mounting you need to mark, cut, and have your top mat board
cut and done. You can place it over your art and make sure the hole is
correctly cut as well.
Next you need to cut a backing board and this time make it the exact
same size as the top mat board you are using. This is also the glass size,
because it is also the size of the piece of glass you will need. It is
also the size of the picture frame moulding you will order. The glass
size as you can see is a very important size to understand.
After cutting out the backboard, lay your mat on top and tape the two
together as shown in the photos, using hinge mounting tape or professional
framers tape.
Then close up the mat board and backing board up like a sandwich and
place your art in between the two in the proper place. Next line up the
mat board and the mounting backboard, if it isn't already lined up. And
while holding the two in the proper position, line up the art in the correct
position under the mat. It has to be in there perfectly with the mat covering
the face of the art, all around about ¼ of an inch.
With everything in the proper position, lay a small soft object on top
of the art. Carefully lift the mat up and lay it out up top so it is out
of the way. Then using a pencil mark the top and bottom edges of the mounting
board where the art is laying, so you can remove the art and later bring
it back to the exact same position.
Picking up the art, turn it face down and on the backside place a small
tape of hinge mounting tape, or professional framers tape. This piece
of tape should be about 1 ¼ inches long. Leave about ½ inch
sticking out above the art. (See the picture)
Now turn your art face up again and place it back on the mount board
exactly where it was, using the pencil marks you made as a guide.
Using another two pieces of hinge mounting tape, or professional framers
tape, place these over the top of the tape you left sticking out on the
picture. This makes your first hinge mounted picture. All you have to
do now is close the mat board, mounting board sandwich, place glass on
top and your done.
I use a piece of clear tape to hold the glass mat board sandwich together
while I am building the frame.
Please notice that in hinge mounting that the art is held to the mount
board by only the two hinges. You do not want any other tape or glue on
your art to help hold it to the backing, mount board. Don't put anything
on the bottom corners that sticks the art to the board. By only using
these two hinges, your art can breathe and expand with changes in the
humidity level in the rooms and your art will usually stay flat and smooth.
If you stick the art to the mounting board in any other place, other than
the two hinges on top, your art will eventually wrinkle and sometimes
very badly.
Another thing, please notice that the art is hinge mounted to the backing/mount
board. You never, ever want to hinge mount your art to the mat board.
The mat board is only to cover your art. Nothing is to get hinge mounted
to the mat board. Doing so will again cause your art to eventually wrinkle
and get damaged. Following the procedure I have outlined above will give
you great looking art that will be around long after you are gone, even
if you're young.
Hinge mounting is very popular now that they have come out with so many
good acid free tapes that are self-sticking. It wasn't many years ago
that in order to hinge mount art and get archival tape, you had to mix
up special glue and apply it to the special tape. Those days are gone.
Almost everyone uses archival, acid free self-sticking tape now.
Archival Clear Photo Corners
Another way to mount works of art is almost exactly the same as I have
stated above. Except that instead of using hinge mounts, you use archival
clear photo corners. These work excellent on photos or other heavy weight
paper like photographs. You just place one on each corner of your art,
then position the art on the mount board and press down on each corner
so that the self-sticking corners stick. I would encourage you when doing
this to leave the self-sticking corners slightly loose on your artwork.
If you make them too tight, your art won't have a chance to expand and
your art will eventually wrinkle.
ATG tape mounting
You should never ever, repeat never, use ATG tape on any art to glue
it down to a mount board. Not even the new Gold ATG tape that is acid
free. ATG tape is a fast quick way of mounting art used by frame it quick
places. It is the surest way I know of to ruin works of art. It is not
even suitable for a child's drawing. Even a first year old! Art mounted
this way I consider ruined. All art mounted this way eventually wrinkles
very badly for one thing. It is non-reversible. It is just bad. Use hinge
mounting or dry mounting instead. Even home picture framers can do both
these types of mounting!
ATG tape is very useful. It is one of the most useful tapes in the picture
framing industry. My shop wouldn't be without it. But it is never used
in mounting works of art, ever!
ATG tape is used to stick the backing paper to the backs of frames, and
sometimes to tack the top mat to a mount board, as long it never comes
in contact with the art. And is very useful in sticking mats together
when making double and triple mats. Since they came out with the Gold
ATG tape many are now using it to stick art down to mat boards. This is
a big mistake. The art can't breath and it always eventually wrinkles
causing great dissatisfaction later on. Useing the proper materials and
procedures and you will never regret it.
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