Fabric on Fabric boards archival?

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Dave

Dave

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
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I believe I know the answer to this one but will ask anyway. On Crescent and Bainbridge fabric boards, are the fabrics considered archival. I have a job where I'm sewing a tapestry to the fabric surface side of a Crescent linen board.

I always presumed they would be archival, but now that I see Frank's Fabrics has a special ph Neutral book of fabrics I realize that even though the boards themselves are archival quality the fabrics on Crescent and Bainbridge boards are probably not.

If I proceed with this tapestry should I include a 4 or 8 ply rag board as a barrier?

I had planned on stitching the tapestry all around the boarder and in various center positions but am also wondering if there might be a better way to float mount. The tapestry is about 24" X 58" horizontal framing and I planned on leaving about a 1" boarder of the fabric board. The tapestry itself is Indian and has a plain cotton burgundy 3" border all around it.

Dave Makielski
 
I was wondering about Jim Miller's recent article on the shadowbox with the WWI items (compass, kit, buttons, etc) - it was all very artfully Mylared (can that be a new word???) onto Crescent suede board.

Hmmmmmmm......

I thought the only truly archival fabric was well-washed unbleached muslin.........

Hugh? Rebecca?
 
I seem to recall hearing that linen and cotton are better than silk and suede, which are animal products. Did I hear that correctly?

And I guess, if you are floating a piece of artwork on a fabric mat, you could put a layer of rag mat under the artwork as a barrier between the artwork and the fabric.
 
Suede matboard is a long way from leather suede - it is probably made out of some plastic substance, like fleece is made out of recycled pop bottles.....

Suede matboard doesn't even seem to be made out of fabric anymore - seems more like sprayed-on flocking of some sort - used to be able to peel off the suede cloth.... Not anymore!!!
 
Framar said:
Suede matboard is a long way from leather suede - it is probably made out of some plastic substance, like fleece is made out of recycled pop bottles.....

Suede matboard doesn't even seem to be made out of fabric anymore - seems more like sprayed-on flocking of some sort - used to be able to peel off the suede cloth.... Not anymore!!!
Click to expand...

:faintthud:
 
The problem with most fabrics is not the fiber, but the materials used to finish
it. Cotton is best, being pure alpha cellulose. Linen as a trace of lignin, but should be fine, for most applications. Both of these textiles must be well washed and rinsed, before being considered safe for use with paper. Polyester
fabrics are often fine, as are many other synthethic, but must also be washed. Silk has a small sulfur component, but the finishing materials used with silk are probably of greater concern. Wool has a significant sulfur component and should not be used around anything that contains metals, especially silver. Dark colors are always more suspect, since mordants are needed to fix their dyes. Sadly, here, too, it is never simple. If art on paper is used with an unknow fabric, a paper interlayer is advised.


Hugh
 
Hugh ...your post then brings up another question. Since this is fabric on fabric (probably a dyed linen backing) and the tapestry is a conglomeration of various natural dyed fabrics, do I need to be overly concerned that the backing be 100% archival?

Might it be comparable to worrying about backing a newsprint with rag board? :shrug:

Your post indicated paper would be inappropriate to back with most fabrics. How about fabrics to fabric?

I suppose it couldn't hurt to use some type of rag barrier though...

Dave Makielski
 
What is needed is a barrier to intimate contact, so heavy paper or 2-ply could work, if either can fitted into the design of the support. Hollytex or
another spunbond could also do the trick, but would not provide the same level of isolations between the item and the backing.


Hugh
 
I finally have a use for the several hundred sheets of 3 ply Strathmore #235-63 30X40 vellum I have lingering from my art material days.

:thumbsup:

Now all I need are several hundred more projects like this one...

Dave Makielski
 
Bainbridge AlphaLinen and AlphaDenim do meet all aspects of FACTS PMMB-2000 for preservation grade materials but also have zeolites or Artcare in them. They are safe to attach art directly on.

If you want to read what those specs are go to artfacts.org under PMMB-2000 and it will spell out what a matboard has to meet including fading, bleeding, etc. Even the glue to attach the fabric has to be correct and Bainbridge has made sure their boards meet all of them. I remember when they were developed, they went to a lot of trouble finding a linen that would work.
 
Thank you, Nona.

Dave Makielski
 
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