Archival no permanent adhesive for glass sandwiched paper based art

[Joetheframer]

Hi all, I have a persistent problem that I am looking for a more archival solution.
Occasionally I get asked to sandwich paper based prints between 2 sheets of glass in a frame (some old, fragile and valuable) because they have important details on the reverse. I presently thin out a glue dot and use on 2 discrete points on the back. The advantage of low tack glue dots is the can be removed from the paper by rubbing with the finger. The disadvantage is the sit a little proud of the surface even after some squishing. I am also concerned about the lack of archival providence. Also, less important is adhesive discolouration overtime but not a big problem unless discolours the artwork. I am looking for a solution that does not penetrate the artwork, can be removed easily and preferably liquid that dries to a tacky surface the will gently stop slippage against the glass. It only needs create a tack as the pressure of the two sheets of glass in combination should keep it from moving. Any ideas folk.

 

[JFeig]

What you are suggesting is not an archival framing process.

What exactly is on the verso side of the art? Is it a portion of the back or the total back? How large is this item?

Does it have to be viewed?

One solution might be to hinge the art to an archival mount board, just smaller than the art. If there is a portion of the verso that has to be seen, such as an annotation, a window can be cut out to show the annotation.

Another solution might be to use a procedure that I saw used to frame actual DaVinci notebook pages that were in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II that were shown some years ago in the Dublin, Ireland National Gallery. The entire pages were visible from either side. The frame was displayed vertical on the top of a pedestal vitrine. Four very narrow hinges were attached to the corners of the pages and were extended to their prospective corners of the glass or mats if you should use them. Yes, their was an air gap between each lite of glazing.

The link is for the collection https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/queen-elizabeth-leonardo-da-vinci-exhibit-buckingham-palace The Queen’s Leonardo collection opens largest exhibit in decades at Buckingham Palace
If you examine the image of his portrait, in the upper right and left corners you can see very small paper hinges that are barely visible due to the color match of the papers.

 

[wpfay]

Hi JoeTF, and welcome to the G.

Sandwiching art or documents between two sheets of glass isn't necessarily the best treatment for valuable items.
Depending on the environment where the pieces reside, humidity can (and will) get in-between the two lites of glass and if the conditions are right will condense on the interface of the glass and the item.
This can cause localized expansion and possible cockling. Worst case is that it hits the right condition for dormant mold spores to reanimate.
It is usually advised that such items never remain in contact with glass.

The solution would be to use a pair of matched window mats (mounts in the UK) that capture the item and affix it to one of the mats with reversible mulberry paper hinges.
There are other solutions that include Clear Film (Mylar/Melinex) encapsulation before sandwich matting which avoids any direct attachment.

Another solution for valuable documents is to scan them and print faithful copies, framing those any way you please while keeping the original document safe in a light-free archival folder in a tightly controlled environment.

 

[Jim Miller]

My first choice would be to frame the paper as usual and make a high-quality reproduction of the back of the paper to glue to the dustcover.

Direct contact with glass is never a good idea, due to the possibility of condensation forming on the inside surface of the glass, at least. For more on this hazard, look up "dew point condensation".

If you must sandwich the paper between two glazing sheets, use acrylic, instead of glass. Acrylic has better thermal properties and would be much less likely (slower) to condense moisture.

Another non-adhesive alternative would be to mount the paper using "rare earth" (neodymium) magnets. These photos show recto/verso framing of an antique document using four pairs of 1/8" cube magnets. The two glass sheets are separated by a 3/8" spacer under the frame's lip. In the front view, a piece of matching blue matboard was fastened to the wall behind the frame, similar to the piece of red matboard shown with the rear view.