Applying gummed paper tape

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Framar

Framar

WOW Framer
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
26,421
Loc
Buffalo, New York, USA/Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
I have been doing a lot of huge canvasses in equally huge frames. I fasten them in with a variety of offset clips and put a sheet of matboard on the back to protect the canvas from the back.

I used up all my Tyvek tape to go around the edges and make everything look neat. But in some cases it was not wide enough (I had 1.5").

So I started cutting left-over Lineco paper into 4" strips, and with ATG on the frame and Frank's on the inside, made very acceptable edges. Very time consuming, however.

So I ordered a roll of 3" reinforced gummed paper.

It arrived today - just as I needed it!!!

I am dipping it in a bowl of water, shaking off the excess, and wiping it on with a washcloth.

There must be a better way - how do you wet this stuff???

I am not about to buy a huge expensive machine for this.

There must be a better way......
 
I dunno. Seems stupid to put a dust cover on something so huge when it has a piece of matboard on the back. Only doing this to make it look neater.
 
The problem with a sponge is that it drags the adhesive with it. The machines all use a brush or roller to wet the adhesive.

You can buy the "replacement" brushes for the machines and use them manually or a "porcelain tongue" to moisten gummed tapes. They come in a variety of widths.

We use one for gummed linen tape when book hinging mats.

 
Cheapest one of these that I was able to find, $69. In my youth, I used a similar one packing for a moving company. If your going to use paper tape as a standard, this will save both time and mess.

http://www.packagingsupplies.com/pull_and_tear_gummed_taper.html


paper_tape_dispenser.jpg
 
The sponge is fine for today's job but you can bet I will be cobbling together some sort of roller system in the future (once I have recovered my strength....).

:)
 
:shutup: :party:

Um, no thanks, Anne - envelopes are bad enough - I can just see me licking these six foot long strips I have been applying today.
 
Rob Markoff said:
The problem with a sponge is that it drags the adhesive with it. The machines all use a brush or roller to wet the adhesive.

You can buy the "replacement" brushes for the machines and use them manually or a "porcelain tongue" to moisten gummed tapes. They come in a variety of widths.

We use one for gummed linen tape when book hinging mats.

Click to expand...

I love this thing! I have had a few I inherited from old framers, sadly my last one fell and shattered. I have seen them available from Talas.
 
I am el cheapo - I use a 2"-3" foam brush which sits in a shallow plastic bowl with just about 1/2 cup of warm water. Dip in water, rub against edge of bowl to remove excess water and run a couple of strokes along the length of the gummed paper to activate. Spread with dry towel. The reinforced tape is great for the long polystyrene frames or wood frames that tend to bow when ya pick em up by in the center of the long bar (the way most customers do). The tape helps keep everything together.

If I did this in volume, I would certainly invest in a dispenser ($$$).
 
I did discover that using the sponge allows only the adhesive side to be moistened. Lot less wrinkling and lumpiness than my first attempt at dipping the tape in the bowl.

For such limited usage, I will stick with the sponge in a shallow pan.

Thanks for the ideas and the support - I have been so busy lately my brain is spinning.
 
Framar said:
Thanks for the ideas and the support - I have been so busy lately my brain is spinning.
Click to expand...

I remember using a porcelain tape roller that had a round wheel for rolling the tape through the water, kind of like the picture of the white porcelain dispenser in the post.

I just worked my 9th day in a row with another 3 or 4 coming.:shutup:
It's all good. I have always told my employers that I want to be SO busy that I am complaining about it.:party:
I'm already there and it's not even Thanksgiving yet.

After the first of the year I have to drive up to Reno with my boss (about a 13 hour drive) to install artwork that we will frame.
Then we will fly back to Phoenix with all of our installation tools.
I kinda' think that the TSA will be wondering about our tools even though they will be checked as baggage.

I may have to board my 2 dogs for 3 days while we are gone.
They have never been boarded.
The company that is paying us to hang their artwork in Reno will pay for boarding my dogs as part of our contract.

The woman who previously employed me for 14 years has offered to take care of my dogs during that period.
How cool is that? :cool:
 
I've got a special machine. You pull a handle on the side and the tape is drawn over a wet brush. The handle has a measuring scale, so you pull the handle so far as you need and on release the tape is cut off nice and square.


:thumbsup:
 
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