Question New guy mounted something wrong

artforever

Grumbler in Training
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Art forever
So our new employee has mounted a picture on the wrong face.

It is mounted to standard heat activated mountcor foam board what is the easiest way to detach it from the foam core.

Currently I have it in the heat press and am hoping that may help peel it off tried heating it for behind with a tacking iron with no luck.

Thank you for your time and consideration;
Andrew

Update:
5 minutes in the dry heat press at 145 did not help, nor did 4 minutes at 150.
 
Last edited:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your only chance is to contact the manufacturer and see if there is a solvent for the adhesive. Even if there is, there is going to be residue on the face of the print and the solvent will probably affect the ink. Hopefully, it's replaceable.
 
What is the picture?
With luck it is replaceable.
You may be able to carefully peel the foam and unused paper face of the foamcore, and then soak the remaining paper and art in unstick.
It may come off, but I'd plan for the worst.
I would recommend only drymounting items that are replaceable, as it can go wrong.
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your only chance is to contact the manufacturer and see if there is a solvent for the adhesive. Even if there is, there is going to be residue on the face of the print and the solvent will probably affect the ink. Hopefully, it's replaceable.
Unfortunately it was a 1 of 1 from a regional artist.
 
What is the picture?
With luck it is replaceable.
You may be able to carefully peel the foam and unused paper face of the foamcore, and then soak the remaining paper and art in unstick.
It may come off, but I'd plan for the worst.
I would recommend only drymounting items that are replaceable, as it can go wrong.
I have no idea but it was a little 5×5 square on a 12×16 if I recall correctly very off center.
 
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your only chance is to contact the manufacturer and see if there is a solvent for the adhesive. Even if there is, there is going to be residue on the face of the print and the solvent will probably affect the ink. Hopefully, it's replaceable.
Start looking for the replacement
 
Hi, artforever. Welcome to the Grumble!

So sorry, to hear this. MountCor was designed to have a permanent bond, so it's not reversible.
If you have gloves and a respirator mask, you might try soaking it in a pool of adhesive release,
but since it was mounted to the face, the pressure necessary for final cleaning might damage
the finish.

This brings to mind two mistakes I made, in my first year of framing. I had long hair and once accidentally
mounted one under a thin poster. Another time, I mounted a Zippy Cutter tool in the center of a
collectible sports poster. It came out all sunk down in, with creases coming out in all directions.
Both times, my boss spent a long time with adhesive release and managed to save them.
That was in 1992, and it began my career as a framer. Still dear friends with that boss, who now lives
in your great state. Wishing you all better days.
 
Yes, we have all made mistakes at some point in our careers.
On my first day I cut up a full sheet of new Conservation Clear glass into tiny pieces to be thrown away.
Errors happen. Use it as a learning opportunity.
Without casting blame, review the process that led to this event, and develop strategies to avoid future recurrence.
I'm still here 13+ years later and fully manage and operate the framing department on my own.

It's unfortunate this one happened with an item that is not easily replaceable.
As others have mentioned, through experiencing similar mishaps, this is exactly why it's best to avoid permanent dry mounting of original, valuable or irreplaceable items.

"....mounted a picture on the wrong face."
I'm curious what the intended mounting treatment was for this art piece.
 
MountCor's adhesive is thermosetting, which means that it can be activated only one time. Removal is possible only with a solvent to dissolve the adhesive. Very risky. If this picture (photograph? giclee print? watercolor?) is important, I suggest consulting a conservator specializing in paper artworks.

As far as I know, the only heat-releasable (thermoplastic), pre-adhesive dry mounting boards are from Kool Tack.
 
Yes, we have all made mistakes at some point in our careers.
On my first day I cut up a full sheet of new Conservation Clear glass into tiny pieces to be thrown away.
Errors happen. Use it as a learning opportunity.
Without casting blame, review the process that led to this event, and develop strategies to avoid future recurrence.
I'm still here 13+ years later and fully manage and operate the framing department on my own.

It's unfortunate this one happened with an item that is not easily replaceable.
As others have mentioned, through experiencing similar mishaps, this is exactly why it's best to avoid permanent dry mounting of original, valuable or irreplaceable items.

"....mounted a picture on the wrong face."
I'm curious what the intended mounting treatment was for this art piece.
On one side was the certificate of authenticity on the other was the art work. A little drawing 3×2 3/4, instead of taking the certificate of authenticity off he mounted it face up with the art work on the other side face down.

My boss was able to remove it today with acetone and adhesive remover.

What saved us where these little plastic corners for a conservation mounting stopped most of the foam core from mounting to the drawing.

Last night when I started this thread I was at a point where I wanted to stop before doing more harm then good in this situation. Thank you all for this advice. We really need to work on our communication skills.
 
MountCor's adhesive is thermosetting, which means that it can be activated only one time. Removal is possible only with a solvent to dissolve the adhesive. Very risky. If this picture (photograph? giclee print? watercolor?) is important, I suggest consulting a conservator specializing in paper artworks.

As far as I know, the only heat-releasable (thermoplastic), pre-adhesive dry mounting boards are from Kool Tack.
It is a little 3×2 3/4 drawing of crown molding.
 
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