Mounting to Sintra board

Create a Post
T

thedarkroom

True Grumbler
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Posts
73
Loc
New Orleans
We have the opportunity to mount a series of 20"x20" photographs onto 1/8" Sintra board - a backing which we've never used in the past. Before agreeing to do the job, I'd like to know whether it can be scored with a Fletcher 3000 (the acrylic position ?) and, if not, if anyone has suggestions as to how to cut it cleanly (how I wish we'd gotten a 3100 instead)...

Since Sintra is PVC board, I imagine the art cannot be dry-mounted: should we go for the self-adhesive peel kind or does anyone have a better (ie art-friendly) method of mounting it ?

Thank you for your ideas.
 
The 3100 cuts Sintra like a dream. On a 3000, you may have to make a lot of scores.

As for the adhesive, the manufacturer once suggested 3M ProSpray as the best adhesive to use. It is no longer made because so many framers whined about the product. Vac-u-mount should work great in a press with no heat. Wear a respirator when using that stuff.
 
And yet ironically, Sintra is extensively used as a photo mounting substrate.

You do not say what the intended use of the photographs is, but if they are for display or commercial purposes, Sintra my be perfectly appropriate.

You also called them, "photos" but what are they really? Are they printed on resin coated photographic paper? Are they inkjet prints? Solvent based or water soluble ink? I ask this because each will pose its own set of limitations on the adhesive you use, the handling and cleanup.

Our experience is that Sintra is best used with roller mounting machines and film adhesives. If the edges are important, it is also best cut on a saw. (Or precut slightly undersized and then the photo is trimmed around the board after mounting to get the cleanest edge. We usually do this for 4-6mm board.)

Are the photos being framed? If so, then why use Sintra? If not, the edges are probably an important consideration, but then 1/8" is pretty flimsy stuff.

Also remember that the surface of Sintra is very unforgiving so be sure it is very clean (and also the backs of the photos.) I recommend the use of a drs roller dust removal tool distributed by Dry-Tac. All shops should have one for preparation of all mounting substrates.

http://drytac.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=16

If you use Vaccumount, remember that you need to allow the solvent to evaporate. This means a 6 minute open time per piece, which also means that unless your environment if very clean, debris can land on the back of the print while you are waiting for the glue to dry. Also, overspray can be a challenge if you get some on the face of the piece. With RC photos, naptha with take it right off. With inkjet prints, naptha will also take off the surface of the print!

If you have never worked with Sintra (or PVC) as a backing, I am not sure that I would ramp up my learning curve on customer's goods. Can they also furnish test prints/paper?

Sintra is also expensive to use on a "trial/experimentaion/test" basis. Our plastics supplier often has damaged sheets with cracks in the middle or broken corners that can be purchased at a discount. (You may even find some off colors that are damaged that you can experiment with.) Our supplier also sells cut offs from jobs priced "per pound" that would be suitable to try cutting and mounting on.

My biggest concern for you is not that you can get the photos onto the board, but that they will stay there and not come flying back a few weeks/months later with curled edges or bubbles. Mounting paper to foam core is one thing, mounting two pieces of plastic (rc photos and Sintra (pvc)) and getting them to stay attached (especially if the edges are not covered by a frame) is another.
 
Thank you for the incredibly informative suggestions.
These are pigment prints on (cotton rag) watercolor paper, intended for a gallery exhibition. The artist will not frame them. We are the printer so there would be no difficulty in testing.

I understand from the manufacturer that it is best to use the self-adhesive version and that the adhesive is acid-free (can it really be or is it just buffered?). I gather that you prefer not to use that product if so, would you share the reason ?

An alternative would be to dry-mount the art to 2 or 4-ply & mount the mat board onto Sintra. Any thoughts on that ?
 
See what I mean? You originally called them, "photographs" but what they really are is inkjet prints on cotton rag paper. Yes they may use a digital photographic file, but they are glicles! And Hugh's response (I think) was of the mindset of photochemistry and not inkjet chemistry. So we have to be really careful of what we call things...

So, vacuum spray would be very difficult to work with as it would be absorbed into the paper and would require at least a double coat. Also, it is not archival.


How are the prints being held up to the wall and what is the obsession with Sintra? My opinion is that 1/8" is too thin/flimsy for a 20 x 20 without a strainer glued to the back.

CODA makes several "converted" boards that have adhesive already applied that are excellent, but any precoated board needs something to "activate" the adhesive (roller press, vacuum press).

Using precoated PVC boards in a vacuum press may be an excellent solution.

Mounting to rag and then Sintra is kinda counter-productive as inkjet manufacturers disclaim any longevity of their inksets unless the prints are framed under glass. Ozone is the number one culprit of inkjet fading, not UV (or light). Also, rag paper absorbs moisture and there is no protection to the images, so any attempts to protect the back of the art would be mitigated by the lack of protection to the front.

Please explain the call for Sintra? What are you/the client expecting it to do for you, especially in a "fine art" environment?
 
Rob Markoff said:
Please explain the call for Sintra? What are you/the client expecting it to do for you, especially in a "fine art" environment?
Click to expand...

The Sintra board is a way for the client to avoid framing the pieces: the artwork consists of a horizontally & vertically continuous scene across
the photographs (ie the camera was panning left & right & up and down as each image was taken). The presence of frames would break the continuity of the scene. The pieces would be mounted to something stiff and displayed with a 3-4 inches spacing, hence the Sintra board.

Yeah, photography isn't solely a chemical process nowadays.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top