Long fillet support

Sherry Lee

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Posts
2,228
Loc
Phoenix, Az.
I've done many small - medium fillets, but am about to do one 52" long (horizontal). In the past I've attached with fillet tape, but in this case, I'm wondering if that would be enough to support it in place. I have this vision of the top middle fillet sagging over time.
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Any advice?

Thanks!
 
A few things to do that I have found to give good support, even to monster fillets.

1. Use the 1/2 ATG instead of the 1/4 inch stuff a lot of people use for fillets. That way the foamcore filler strips will be held in place nice and tight right up against the fillet by the extra adhesive peeking out from under the fillet. This will be in conjunction with another line of ATG layed down about halfway between the edge of the fillet and the edge of the mat.

2. Run a very fine bead of glue along the outer edge of the fillet so that the edge of the foamcore will end up glued to the fillet.

3. Use frame sealing tape on the back of the fillet. Not only will it help protect the art from acidic byproducts leaching out, but it will strongly attach the fillet to the foamcore.

Do these things and that fillet's not going anywhere.
 
Pressure sensitive adhesives require PRESSURE to activate their bonding strength. Burnishing or applying pressure is a problem when the tape is between boards or other hard, dense, or thick materials. How do you burnish ATG or double-sided tape between a board and a fillet?

I don't like to rely on pressure sensitive adhesives to hold anything permanently. An adhesive bond that actually dries is much more dependable.

That said, ATG and other tapes are handy for holding things in place until the permanent glue dries. ATG between mats may be activated by a quick trip through the vacuum press -- but a protruding fillet in the assembly would rule out vacuum pressing.

3M #889 double-sided tape works great on clear film mounts because it's easy to burnish the tape lines through thin layers of film. And then it stays put.
 
You're right Jim. You do need to burnish down ATG tape to make it stick properly. It amazes me how many people don't know this. Try sticking a piece of 810 tape to a piece of black paper or mat. Now take a burnisher and rub down half of it. The part you didn't rub will have a greyish hazy look. That's air under the adhesive, the burnished part will be nearly clear because you've forced all the air out. You increase the holding power by at least double and quite possibly more. Not only that but you've created a seal which will help the adhesive hold that much better over time.

Now back to the fillet...
I usually use a fillet tape from Specialty Tapes that has a very aggressive grab. Once I get the fillet where I want it I burnish it down by placing a scrap mat on the face of the top mat right up against the fillet and rub it down aggressively with my bone burnisher. I then flip the mat over and run a bead of Cornerweld where the fillet meets the mat all the way around the fillet glueing the fillet permanently to the mat. I fill the space with Artcare or rag foam core and use Frame Sealing tape from Lineco to cover the back of the fillet and the gap between the fillet and the spacer covering the glue in the process. If it's a real piece of artwork I cover all this with a piece of Artcare or rag matboard that is cut to within 1/16" of the inside edge of the fillet with a reverse bevel so it doesn't show from the front.
 
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