Attaching wood to dibond

Gayle Madeira

Grumbler in Training
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Feb 4, 2024
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Astoria, NY
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Hi everyone - I need to add small pieces of wood to the back of some 6" x 12" Dibond in order to float them in a float frame that requires screwing on from the back. I read in this Grumble thread the recommendation to use a very high bond double sided foam tape. In the past I have glued small dibond panels like this to little wood trim pieces using Gorilla heavy duty construction adhesive, first scoring the dibond, then cleaning with alcohol, then clamping for 24 hours after applying the glue. Is that not a good way to do it? Should I switch to using "high bond double sided foam tape" and if so, is 3M the best kind? Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
The 3M brand VHB tape is what those in the industry use to secure sub-framing to ACM panel.
It's probably easier, quicker and less messy than any kind of liquid glue.
This kind of tape bonds better to non-porous surfaces, but I've seen plenty of wooden strainer frames on the back of ACM panels, so it must hold.
The caveat is that there is no room for error in placement. Once contact is made, that's it.

For general information on attaching stuff to other stuff there's a website called thistothat.com
 
Thanks very much @Rick Hennen ! I'm wondering if the tape would be best for smaller panels but maybe the Loctite would be better for panels bigger than 12" or 16"
Note that when using wood and VHB tapes the wood needs to be sealed in order to have a non porous surface to hold properly.
An artist I work with does large, 4'x8' and much larger pieces. He bonds aluminum channel to Di-Bond. As an added precaution I will do all the edges "as like caulking trim" in connection with the Di-Bond with a Loctite type outdoor product, as his art is mostly used outdoors. This extra step aids in security of the bond and prevents water seepage that could affect the VHB bond over time. This is extra security that I feel comfortable with as the art is usually displayed above high traffic areas.
 
Thanks very much @Rick Hennen ! I'm wondering if the tape would be best for smaller panels but maybe the Loctite would be better for panels bigger than 12" or 16"
All I can suggest (which I'm sure you've already considered) is to test each process. On the plus side - the loctite per unit cost would probably be less but on the other hand, if you use only a small amount it is a PIA to plug the tube for future use. For some reason, no matter how well you plug the spout, when you go back to use it in the future it has somewhat hardened.
 
All I can suggest (which I'm sure you've already considered) is to test each process. On the plus side - the loctite per unit cost would probably be less but on the other hand, if you use only a small amount it is a PIA to plug the tube for future use. For some reason, no matter how well you plug the spout, when you go back to use it in the future it has somewhat hardened.
You should expense the cost of a whole tube for the job, assuming it can't be re-used.
:cool: Rick
 
I was going to ask the same question about attaching Dibond to a wooden frame, and also about acid-free foam board.

This would be instead of gluing the picture to thin plywood that's screwed onto the frame, using acid-free Lineco white glue (which works very well, but I'm always looking for better ways to do things).

How permanent is 3M VHB? Is it strong enough for larger pictures, say 44" x 60"? They're not especially heavy, but obviously I don't want the thing to fall apart.

TIA
 
Hi Nick, Welcome to the G.
Could you please clarify your question?
It sounds like you are attaching art to backing, but the processes suggested are rather permanent, and if the art has any value or can't be easily replaced, permanent mounting is generally discouraged.
Generally speaking, glues and pressure sensitive tapes should not touch the art.
 
Hi Nick, Welcome to the G.
Could you please clarify your question?
It sounds like you are attaching art to backing, but the processes suggested are rather permanent, and if the art has any value or can't be easily replaced, permanent mounting is generally discouraged.
Generally speaking, glues and pressure sensitive tapes should not touch the art.
Thanks.

My pictures are prints on fine art paper, which I have mounted on acid-free foam (and then cut with a bevel) - although in another thread people suggested using Dibond instead.

The frames, which I make, are simply a rabbet (an L cut out), and I screw a piece of thin ply maybe 1/4" smaller than the edge of the foam, which I glue onto the ply using Lineco. So the picture floats.

I absolutely want it to be totally permanent, and the tape would touch the back of the foam, not the art. The Lineco glue works very well and can be repositioned, but I'm not sure it would work for Dibond.

(People here commanded me to put the prints behind museum glass, but please let's leave that aside for now. :) In any case, I'm not going to display them that way in the show I have upcoming this summer.)
 
How permanent is 3M VHB? Is it strong enough for larger pictures, say 44" x 60"? They're not especially heavy, but obviously I don't want the thing to fall apart.
VHB tape holds together parts on airplane wings, curtain walls on skyscrapers, it mounts highway signs, it is used in manufacturing to hold together industrial and electronics assemblies, and so on, and many of these applications involve extreme envionmental conditions, so VHB is definitely up to holding together parts of a picture frame. There are dozens of kinds of 3M VHB tapes. There are some PDF "design guides" on 3M which will give you sheer and peel strengths and so on. 3M also makes some retail double-sided "mounting tapes" not called VHB but which may well be sufficient for your application, and they are cheaper and easier to find.

The larger your dimensions when you bond dissimilar materials, the more you want to consider any differential in thermal expansion coefficients (different rates of expansion with temperature).
 
VHB tape holds together parts on airplane wings, curtain walls on skyscrapers, it mounts highway signs, it is used in manufacturing to hold together industrial and electronics assemblies, and so on, and many of these applications involve extreme envionmental conditions, so VHB is definitely up to holding together parts of a picture frame.

Thanks!
 
VHB tape holds together parts on airplane wings, curtain walls on skyscrapers, it mounts highway signs, it is used in manufacturing to hold together industrial and electronics assemblies, and so on, and many of these applications involve extreme envionmental conditions, so VHB is definitely up to holding together parts of a picture frame. There are dozens of kinds of 3M VHB tapes. There are some PDF "design guides" on 3M which will give you sheer and peel strengths and so on. 3M also makes some retail double-sided "mounting tapes" not called VHB but which may well be sufficient for your application, and they are cheaper and easier to find.

The larger your dimensions when you bond dissimilar materials, the more you want to consider any differential in thermal expansion coefficients (different rates of expansion with temperature).
All that is true. But with adhesives the other critical factor is the surfaces being joined. There may be 'contamination' of various sorts that could impede a strong or lasting bond. That is why mechanical fasteners are almost always more dependable than adhesives...IF they can be used for a particular purpose.
:coffeedrinker2: Rick
 
All that is true. But with adhesives the other critical factor is the surfaces being joined. There may be 'contamination' of various sorts that could impede a strong or lasting bond. That is why mechanical fasteners are almost always more dependable than adhesives...IF they can be used for a particular purpose.
:coffeedrinker2: Rick
This is wandering into the weeds of materials science and industrial processes... 3M's selling points and market for industrial VHB over mechanical fasteners (jump-off point is simply 3m.com/vhb) involve avoiding the stresses in some thin materials created by the penetrations of mechanical fasteners, easy conforming of foam tape to mechanically uneven surfaces, flexibility for thermal expansion where mechanical fasteners would need oblong holes, vibration damping, extreme environments where adhesive and environmental seal is one step instead of mechanical fastener + caulk, bonding very thin and very small substrates with laser-cut templates literally having no room for a mechanical fastener (think laptops, ski goggles, smartphones), etc

How much any of this is relevant to traditional picture framing is a valid question. I got into these weeds originally because I was looking for ways to bond Sintra to wood cradles and steel brackets and Velcro strips, stiffeners and cleats to aluminum panels, and the like. Most adhesives don't work well with low surface energy materials like plastics, and very few will claim they do. I understand and appreciate received wisdom about adhesives in the framing & conservation world, but I am also in awe of 3M's Olympus of adhesive and materials knowledge and the sophistication of manufacturing.
 
As I may have written in this thread, I've been using Lineco to attach acid-free foam backing to thin ply that's screwed into the frame. It works very well - I spread it around evenly, then cover the picture with cardboard and weigh it down while the glue dries.

But - and here we get to the surfaces - I don't think it would work if I were using Dibond instead of the foam, and VHB would. What makes me nervous is that you don't get a chance to reposition the picture, so I'd have to build a spacer "jig" to ensure it goes into the right place.

Front and back so you see what's going on. I make the frames, but so far I've been having the prints (my pictures are prints) mounted on the foam professionally... although it occurs to me that I should experiment just using Lineco, never mind that it would be very difficult for me to do the bevel when it's trimmed to the edge of the print.

frame.jpg
 
Hi everyone - I need to add small pieces of wood to the back of some 6" x 12" Dibond in order to float them in a float frame that requires screwing on from the back. I read in this Grumble thread the recommendation to use a very high bond double sided foam tape. In the past I have glued small dibond panels like this to little wood trim pieces using Gorilla heavy duty construction adhesive, first scoring the dibond, then cleaning with alcohol, then clamping for 24 hours after applying the glue. Is that not a good way to do it? Should I switch to using "high bond double sided foam tape" and if so, is 3M the best kind? Thanks in advance for any advice!


We switched to using 2-part epoxy for all attachments to Dibond. Although VHB tapes can hold tractor trailer trucks together, they inexplicably pose a challenge for framing.

We use ASI adhesives and two-part mixer applicators to achieve excellent results.
 
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