Duct Tape for Framing? I don't believe...

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MitchelC

MitchelC

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Posts
707
Loc
Charleston, SC
Business
Custom Framing
On an average of one a year, someone comes in with an item they framed themselves, someone framed it for them, a flea market purchase, or eBay, etc. in which DUCT TAPE was used. Usually it is duct taped to hold the paper seal on the back of the frame. But, last year i had a customer bring in a framed signed and numbered print (16x20) and 2" wide duct tape was used to attach the print to the matboard... ALL AROUND THE PRINT! Today, a customer comes in with a framed photo (11 x 14) she got on eBay about a year ago. It had no mat, the photo was up against the glass sealed with one layer of duct tape all around to seal it AND another layer all around to seal the glass, photo, and cardboard backing all together. Wow, was she shocked when i was taking it apart while she watched. She said they stated that the photo was in "mint" condition. I was unable to remove the duct tape from the back of the photo... it was "baked" on and the photo was extremely warped. She came out in the hole when she won this bid. What a shame. :nuts:

Anyone run into a frame job where duct tape was used?

(One time I saw piece of duct tape was used instead of a saw tooth hanger! It was doubled (glue surface to glue surface), nailed with tiny brads to back of the frame and a small hole was cut out to attach it to a wall.)
 
Numerous needleworks from one BB store in the area. Shop sticker on the back and the needlework was stapled down and duct taped over the edges to hold it down.

I would have given them the benefit of the doubt and thought that the customer had "mounted" the needlework themselves and had the BB "just put it in" the frame, but I know the customer, she doesn't stretch her own work :)
 
[video=youtube;uO-g_7wUrrU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO-g_7wUrrU[/video]
 
MitchelC said:
Anyone run into a frame job where duct tape was used?

(One time I saw piece of duct tape was used instead of a saw tooth hanger! It was doubled (glue surface to glue surface), nailed with tiny brads to back of the frame and a small hole was cut out to attach it to a wall.)
Click to expand...

We call that GARAGE FRAMING around these parts.........

I've seen way to much krap~ola come in my shop..... people LOVE antiques around here..... I had one come in..... with a METAL HANGER FOR CLOTHES..... DUCT TAPED to the back for a hanger.......
the thought "YOU might be a REDNECK" didnt apply.... MORE LIKE......
YOU ARE A FREAKIN REDNECK!!!
WHHHEEEEEHEEEEWWW!! :D
 
Oh well. At least it wasn't "duck tape". Then it would be both archivally and gramatically incorrect.
:popc: Rick

(Yes, I know there is a brand of duct tape called Duck tape.)
 
I've got a speaker wire frame here with the glass being replaced and the frame rejoined. I work with a lot of artist so I see the tape issue all of the time.
 
Rick,
Duck Tape is a brand name of duct tape.

The odd thing is, duct tape is no longer used on ducts. I guess that's why they sought out a new niche market in picture framing.

Someone once told me that if you put duct tape on a wart it will cause the wart to go away...kinda like Compound W. That in itself says a lot for its archival value.

On the ranch, if we couldn't fix it with bubble gum, baling wire or duct tape, we took a hammer to it. (Name of ranch was "Bigger Hammer Ranch"). If we couldn't fix it with a hammer, we got a bigger hammer. If the bigger hammer cause irrepairable damage, we needed a replacement.
 
Wrong about the warts. Everyone knows to get rid of warts you tie a knot in a piece of string for every wart you have and bury it under the eves during a full moon and in thirty days the warts will be gone. Sheesh!

Jeff K
 
Jeff I had one that came in with an ingenious wire hanging strap. They used crimp on ring connectors and standard wood screws. Kinda like an everyman's Serlon crimping system. Or an updated DITH.

When I first saw it I thought WTH? Then I thought, hmm, that's gonna be the next new method....
 
wpfay said:
Someone once told me that if you put duct tape on a wart it will cause the wart to go away...kinda like Compound W. That in itself says a lot for its archival value.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with the chemical composition of the tape or adhesive. The reason for using the duct tape is that it will stay stuck. Now if the adhesive is agressive enough to remain stuck to skin there is no chance it can be good for artwork.:cry:

Now I have also seen artists use band aids to hinge their artwork. They tell me if they use the fabric bandages that it is the same as linen art tape as long as they cut the gauze portion away from it.:bdh:
 
Rick Granick said:
Oh well. At least it wasn't "duck tape". Then it would be both archivally and gramatically incorrect.
:popc: Rick

(Yes, I know there is a brand of duct tape called Duck tape.)
Click to expand...

Duck tape was originally manufactured for the U.S. military during World War II by the Johnson & Johnson Permacel Division to prevent water from seeping into ammunition boxes. Because "water rolled off it like a duck" (it was waterproof) and because it was made using "cotton duck" (similar to the material in cloth medical tapes), the new invention was originally called "duck tape." In the booming postwar era, its versatility made it a standard component of any handyman's toolkit; however, its most high-profile use was connecting heating and air conditioning ducts. Thus, "duck tape" became "duct tape." Ironically, the tape is now considered ineffective for ductwork and banned by most building codes. (Add picture framing to that list of banned uses)
 
hangupsgallery said:
Thus, "duck tape" became "duct tape." Ironically, the tape is now considered ineffective for ductwork and banned by most building codes. (Add picture framing to that list of banned uses)
Click to expand...

It has been replaced by one that is metallic tape and much thinner. I have seen the new stuff used with the explanation of the mylar being safe for artwork. Still no answer as to the adhesive but the body of the tape has been declared safe for artwork by artists.
 
Do a search for previous episodes of Mythbusters and their uses for duct tape!!
Amazing what they have used it for!!
 
hangupsgallery said:
(Add picture framing to that list of banned uses)
Click to expand...

Ooooo, that would explain this girl one time at banned camp.....

JessicaAlba.jpg
 
Jeff Rodier said:
Now I have also seen artists use band aids to hinge their artwork. They tell me if they use the fabric bandages that it is the same as linen art tape as long as they cut the gauze portion away from it.
Click to expand...


I can see that bit of advice being shared proudly on some artist forum as an expert tip on how to save some money by not needing to buy an expensive roll of linen tape. Every artist on the board will believe it, because it came from their resident expert.
 
I've seen frame backs sealed with stuff that Duct Tape would be a great improvement on. :party:

I've seen Band Aid hinges also. :D Postage stamps as well

Fencing staples to hold the cord on..... 3" woodscrews for framers points.....

Is there no end to the ingenuity of people?


duct-tape-man.jpg
 
Jeff Rodier said:
=
Now I have also seen artists use band aids to hinge their artwork. They tell me if they use the fabric bandages that it is the same as linen art tape as long as they cut the gauze portion away from it.
Click to expand...

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT in any way advocate the use of bandages, medical tape, micropore tape or anything of the like for mounting artwork.

There may be some teeny little kernel of legitimacy to this. In a class Hugh Phibbs presented a few years ago he mentioned that anything classified as food grade, medical grade or electrical grade would generally be safe within a frame package. *

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Anything used to store food should not leach out harmful products and contaminate the food. If something is going to be in or on our bodies it needs to be stable and non-reactive. In electrical devices you wouldn't want anything that would harm reactive metals like silver or copper.

So that's why we can use a bit of a food storage bag in making reinforced hinges or use electrical grade hot glue in a frame package for certain applications. So in a sense maybe the adhesive itself or the carrier in surgical tape wouldn't be too bad, but of course there's the question of reversibility. On our bodies we can wait for the adhesive to slough off, or we can wash it off. That's not an option for artwork.

You can see how this information could be twisted by someone not paying attention into advocating surgical tape for hinging.

One more time in case you missed anything: DON'T USE SURGICAL TAPE OR BAND-AIDS FOR HINGING!

* Notice Hugh said within the frame package. That does not mean in direct contact with the artwork.
 
I just took a painting out of a frame today to be scanned. It was taped down with masking tape all the way around. The masking tape was dried out and impossible to remove from the mat, but it hadn't stuck to the back of the painting at all, which is oil on cheap canvas (the kind you get in pads). I suspect that the oil from the paint kept the tape from sticking.

You never know what's inside until you open it up.
 
Jeff Rodier said:
It has been replaced by one that is metallic tape and much thinner. I have seen the new stuff used with the explanation of the mylar being safe for artwork. Still no answer as to the adhesive but the body of the tape has been declared safe for artwork by artists.
Click to expand...
Mylar? That stuff is basically adhesive-backed aluminum foil. Don't know what the adhesive is, but it's quite aggressive and non-gooey. I suppose this could be used to seal frame rabbets as a barrier tape if you don't have the Lineco.
:cool: Rick

P.S. For some odd reason, LJ still sells Micropore medical tape in their supplies catalog.
 
I had a customer bring in a piece that was about 24x36 where, instead of points or nails holding in all the work, there was masking tape! I've seen it enough times on small pieces where the stuff was held in by some form of tape but never on something as large as that. I find that these pieces are always done by the customers who think even the cheapest frame job is ridiculously expensive.
 
Sadly, we've seen several jobs with both masking tape and duct tape come in from the BB here, and yes it was thier work, not a customer DIY job.
 
I have seen multiple examples of people trying to reattach the tattered, torn, brittle dust cover. :) It is interesting to see how many times the tears are taped back together, you can tell the different attempts by the yellowing of the tape adhesive.

The die hard do eventually give up trying to do the delicate repairs with scotch tape and whip out the duct tape.
 
Best we had was about a year ago. Diploma framed at an still operating framer in Houston. The client said they paid about $300 for it about 8 or 10 years ago, and I don't doubt it.. LJ frame, triple mat, con-clear. Opened it up, all under mats cut at least 1" short of the edges in addition to being paper mats, cardboard backing, hinged AND sealed with duct tape, and I don't think it was con-clear, no film that I could see, she was mortified.

We got it all re-framed, rag mats, museum glass and for less than what she had originally spent.
 
This is my most recent one......... :faintthud:
It even came in with a sticker on the back STATING it had Museum Glass...... :faintthud: It wasnt' ......it was just con~clear...
Wonder why the guy went out of biz??? :shrug:

badtapejob.jpg
 
Tape over flex points is fairly common. I use J-Lar for that as it prevents the flex points from allowing the work to push out the back on large prints. It gets done here for frames that are not deep enough to accomodate hard points. If the tape is perfectly clear it is J-Lar.
 
Jeff Rodier said:
Tape over flex points is fairly common. I use J-Lar for that as it prevents the flex points from allowing the work to push out the back on large prints. It gets done here for frames that are not deep enough to accomodate hard points. If the tape is perfectly clear it is J-Lar.
Click to expand...

It's packing tape........
 
Just replaced glass in a couple of valuable "Cruise Ship Chagalls". Masking tape everywhere on the art, under the art to hold the filet and corrugated backing.
 
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