float mounting questions

tinlizzie

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Posts
11
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CT
A customer of ours brings in drawings that are pastels with collage and acrylic medium on heavy drawing paper, about 22x30. We want to float mount it to show of the deckled edge. I’ve tried Japanese hinging, but I’ve found it frustrating to sped time getting the paper in the exact right place, attaching it, only to find out that’s its moved just a little. Is it ok to use put acid free plastic tape on the back of the art, then put silicone glue on that tape and press that on to the mat board? I do this in two places near the top. Another question is how big do the spacers have to be? No works on paper hang perfectly flat and some seem to hang further out than the others. Is it very bad if one corner touches the glazing? If its not touching now, does that mean it won’t move 1/32 inch out later? This customer won’t spend much so any tips on reducing the time spent while still preserving the art would be much appreciated.
 
You might go back to the japanese paper technique and instead of hinging, pass the attachments though the mount board and secure on the back. The attachments should be set back from the edges of the artwork slightly and the slits cut at a bevel so the papers pass through easily. There is some room for adjustment in registration using this technique. Another way to assure exact registration is to hinge the artwork to slightly oversized mount and trim edges to register.
You might also use multiple attachments on the sides as well as the top to keep the artwork from lofting away from the back.
I think that 1/8" is the recommended spacing for the glazing from the face of the work , but when working with pastel I tend to make my shims as deep as possible.

(run on sentence edit)

[ 08-14-2003, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: wpfay ]
 
Bear with me, I'm having a "bad hair" day. (Well, maybe in my case a "bad hairless" day!)

You are trained and knowledgeable in the proper methods of float mounting this artwork. The customer comes to you with the artwork for a reason, hopefully, trust in your judgement rather than price alone. So your recommend the proper methods of mounting and the customer doesn't want to pay for the service you offer.

Shoot! I am just in such a mood right now that I would offer a disclaimer for him/her to sign and then drag out the tub of rubber cement and start slathering it on the back of the paper! Touch that puppy down on the backing board, smile, and say, "here ya go ma'am, jest the way you wanted it done!"

Oh well, I'll have a completely different viewpoint on this subject tomorrow.

I hope.

Framerguy
 
Originally posted by wpfay:
[QB] You might go back to the japanese paper technique and instead of hinging, pass the attachments though the mount board and secure on the back.

Thankyou. If you dont mind my asking, how long does that generally take? I'd like know so I know what to charge.
 
How long it took me? 20 years of contemplation and 15 minutes of actual labor.

Sorry if I'm being a bit flip, the question should really be how long does it take you to do the process? N'est pas? Framerguy has that effect on me.

Please do a bit of delving in to the archives as to the appropriateness of pressure sensitive tapes (of any ilk), and silicon caulk in the mounting of artwork.
 
yes, of course it will take me a while to get the hang of it. But can't charge the customer for my inexperience, can I?
 
No. You can't. We all read all this garbola here on TG, scrutinize every framing mag, search for new techniques, and daydream during church services and seminars about a better way to attach a float mount. But you can't charge the client, more's the pity, 'til you've figured out how long it takes a "pro" to do it. Answer is, not long, and it won't you either once you know what to do.
(Easy, fast, and secure.)

There really are lots of posts on it, but if that doesn't help due to time constraints, e-mail one of us and we'll point you to it, courtesy of TG readers. You can return the favor in the future!
 
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