mounting canvas photo

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Randall C Colvin

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I've been searching the archives for a consensus on mounting canvas photos. Many seem to have success using Fusion 4000. Others are reluctant to use heat at all and use fabric ahdesive, spray or Perfectmount. I have one to do and had thought that Clear Bond 2000(United's equivalent to Fusion 4000)on an 8 ply board was probably the best option of the stuff I have on hand. Now I'm having second thoughts. Don't really want to use fabric adhesive and I doubt Perfectmount having enough adhesive for canvas. I don't fool with spray. Do you think Kooltack has enough adhesive to successfully bond canvas?
 
No, too.

Last night I glue mounted 7 canvases in the 24 x 72 range to Gatorfoam, took less than an hour including setup and cleanup, Happy 2010! Those babies will stay mounted forever. Attempts to peel off the canvas will simply rip up the laminate.

Frank's fabric glue or Miracle Muck, 0.4 ounce of glue per square foot assuming an already saturated roller, roll out the print from a tube, rub or vacuum down, gotta love it. Don't use too much glue, can lead to air bubbles.

Helps if the Gator is a little smaller than the canvas on three sides to avoid glue pickup, tape the canvas on the fourth side. Roll the glue on to the Gator with the thinnest foam roller you have like the black 1/8" nap throw-aways from Sherwin Williams. Roll the print out onto the glue from a stiff tube, pressing down while rolling since the Gator may be slightly warping up at this point. Freshly glued-to-Gator canvases will warp towards you for about 8 hours, but finally flatten perfectly with no weights or anything. So don't freak about the initial warp, just lean it up against the wall.
 
I have used Fusion. But in the end I figured the cost of a sheet adhesive is too high compared to rolling out some fabric glue. If I'm doing a single small piece I might still use fusion, but if it's a large piece or I'm doing a lot of them, I would go with fabric glue.
 
I have used the United Brand Fusion equivelent many times and it woks just fine. I currently use Laminall and let it dry then heat mount. Have used it on hundreds of canvases with perfect results. The film is a lower temperature at 195 and Laminall is 220. I mount precoated canvases for a photo lab.
 
You have to watch out for those coatings if you heat mount.

Coatings from labs that have dried several days will probably be OK.

But amateur applied coatings may not be completely cured, or if they were sprayed badly will be made out of little dusty paint particles that will stick even to release paper when heat pressed. If the surface feels smooth and slipper to your fingers it's probably OK. But if it feels a little sandpapery or your can still smell the paint, or if the coatings look cloudy, it might be best to glue.
 
I don't mount the same day the art is dropped off and let the canvas sit in the open air to be sure it is dry. The lab I mount for has on several occasions had emergency jobs that needed to be mounted same day within hours of spraying. I do these with the Laminall at 220 and have had no problems but I know that they use Premier Art UV Spray as the spray which is what I have gone to using myself. I spray my canvases that I print after mounting but thiers are always sprayed before hand. Breathing Color Glamour stays wet for a much longer period of time so I won't do one with that for several days. I tested the Premier by leaving one in the press for a half an hour at 220 to be sure there would be no issues.
 
Lay a piece of glass over the canvas with the release paper in place and add some weight while cooling using the United film. Only needs a couple of minutes to be sure it won't bubble anywhere. You can always put it back in the press if it does but best to only do it once to avoid any chance of problems.
 
Low temperature dry mounting boards that bond at 160 degrees F or less probably would be OK in terms of heat exposure, but some brands have an adhesive layer too thin to achieve good bonding on the textured surface of canvas. Kool Tack's regular low-temperature boards have thick-enough adhesive to do it dependably.

Note that ArtCare Restore and Kool Tack Preserve, the boards intended to be reversible, may not bond adequately. If you dry mount to a regular foam center board, the mount would be permanent, as the paper covering of the board would tear away from the foam center and remain with the canvas. That matters only if reversibility is an issue for the project.

If you need a low temperature dry mount that is reversible for canvas, I suggest using aluminum composite dry mount board. The adhesive layer is thick and the bond is secure, but at any future time you could simply peel the canvas off the board -- the adhesive layer stays on the board (yes, it is re-usable). Other benefits: The board is absolutely rigid and will not warp; it is 1/8" thin, fairly lightwrigh,tnon-hygroscopic, chemically stable, and reversible/reusable for most heavy papers as well as canvas. As far as I know, only Kool Tack has that product at this time. I imagine it will be a must-see new product at WCAF.

If you have any doubts about the effect of heat on the canvas image, then I suggest using a good contact adhesive, such as Lascaux 360. Apply the adhesive to both surfaces; allow it to set up until tacky, then bond under vacuum for a few minutes, or under weight for an hour or two. Be sure not to leave the weight on it too long, as moisture from the adhesive could soak through the canvas if it can't evaporate.
 
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