Suggestion Method to mount small hollow masks

[alacrity8]

A customer brought these in to be framed, along with documents.
What is the best method to mount them?
They are made of paper mache, and hollow on the back side.
They do not mind glue being used.


And, they need them in two days.


B

 

[tedh]

If you have offset clips with two holes, bend them to 90 degrees, screw them into a firm backing, then screw a tab of wood into the part that protrudes. Glue the mask to this wood tab.

or, just glue a block of wood to the backing, and glue the mask to the wood.

or, glue a strip of wood from side to side of the mask, flush with the back, then screw this to the backing, from behind.

 

[Jim Miller]

These are very lightweight, right? How about wedging a carefully-snug-fitting filler of foam board and gluing that to the decorative background?

Alternatively, you could glue a rare-earth magnet inside and mate it to another one glued to the decorative background.

In any case, I would suggest using an easily-reversible, obvious mounting method.

 

[wpfay]

Jim's suggestion would certainly be reversible and easy. You can use the objects themselves to trace onto the foamboard to cut out the tight-fit plugs and they would help to maintain the original shape.

 

[alacrity8]

Jim's method is the one my wife suggested.
Not sure why I didn't think of it myself.
Looking to see if I was missing other options.
Thanks for confirming that she is smarter than me.

Brian

 

[tedh]

I like the rare earth option, but in two days?

 

[Prospero]

My first thought is cold-setting modelling clay such as Das Pronto.
Jam a lump in the back and it should conform to the inside contours enough
to hold. It sets quite quickly. Before it sets push a wire loop into it which can be
threaded though the backboard. If the lump does drop out after drying you can
always use a dab of glue to fix it back in.

Or variations of that theme.

 

[Jim Miller]

My first thought is cold-setting modelling clay such as Das Pronto.

Yes, that could work. And as a variation on that idea, you could use polymorph plastic strips or pellets to make a snug-fitting insert, which could be softened for removal in the future by heating to 140-degrees F using a heat gun.

 

[Larry Peterson]

Although I would never do this my first thought was spray foam.

It's stupid and non-archival but I thought of making a hole in the back of the backing board. holding the mask tight against the backing board and fill the back through the hole with spray foam, letting enough overflow through the back to hold it in place.

The things I think of to keep myself amused.

 

[Prospero]

Spray foam crossed my mind too, but it tends to have a mind of it's own.
The danger might be that it would burst apart the masks as it expands.

It might work. And it's easy to slice off the excess to make a flat back....