New shop manager needs supplier help

[Jazzowl]

Hello everyone, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ron and I've recently been promoted to manager of the frame shop and gallery I've been working at for the past few years.

Being a newbie to both the board and management, I'm hoping I can get some advice from you folks. My shop uses a vacuum press and spray adhesive to mount open edition prints and the like. We've been using a product called Superspray from H.E. Wisdom & Sons and it works pretty well for us. Problem is, the manufacturer has informed us that new regulations prevent them from shipping the aerosol cans via UPS or FedEx. I can get it sent freight, but shipping costs would be too high to be practical.

I have a local supplier who can provide me with their own brand of spray adhesive, but when we tried it, the quality just wasn't good enough. I did suggest to them picking up the Superspray brand, but no luck there.

So, can anyone suggest an alternative? What works well in your shops?

Thanks,
Ron G.

 

[Baer Charlton]

I would welcome you to the "G", Ron, but I see by your last name....

Spray bad. Spray get in lungs. Spray is a controlled substance (shipping) for very good reason.

Learn to Dry mount.. or use Yes! paste.

 

[Fredrick Lane]

www.blowoff.com

we use thier stick-it spray and it is wonderful.
and you should never run out ! once you start buying they will call you every once in a while to see if you need any more spray. ( i like that) and they spray is priced good. can ship ups / must by twelve cans (a case)

 

[JFeig]

I second Baers comments about spray adhesives. With the equipment you have Dry mounting or water based adhesives are best.

The wave of the future I believe will however be pressure sensitive (rollers) products. These types of products have been available in the photo industry for probally 40 years.

 

[Jazzowl]

Thanks for the replies. It's looking more like paste's the way to go. My mounting machine is an ancient beast of a cold vacuum press, and the dry mount set-ups I'm familiar with require at least low heat.

I'd like to upgrade, but while I'm the manager I don't control the purse strings just yet.

Thanks again,

Ron

 

[Jim Miller]

Originally posted by Jazzowl:
...It's looking more like paste's the way to go. My mounting machine is an ancient beast of a cold vacuum press...I'd like to upgrade, but while I'm the manager I don't control the purse strings just yet.

Yes! Paste is a good product and works well, but you can achieve similar results by wet-vacuum mounting with simpler pastes. Ordinary wallpaper paste would work for cheap posters, if you care to take the time to mix it. We use VacuSeal 300, which is a paste of similar consistency, but pre-mixed in convenient gallon jugs, acid free, and relatively inert -- it's made for the purpose.

Any of the water-based alternatives will be better than any spray adhesive, which will degrade and fail in a few years. The bond of water-based pastes will last indefinitely, and they are non-toxic.

I suggest you get a Tupperware marinating container, and an 8" paint roller. Cut off the handle of the roller so that it barely fits into the container when sealed, and won't fall into the paste.

Put about 1 cup of paste in the container, and saturate the roller with it. When you need to use the paste, just pop open the air-tight container & roll what you need onto the mount board. Use it sparingly & roll it out evenly -- if you can feel the film of paste on the board, it is enough to get a permanent bond under vacuum. When we mount maps & other very thin papers, we blot away excess paste with paper towels before laying on the paper.

Re-seal the wet roller in the container & keep it within reach of the press for next time. No mess, no fuss.

When you put the poster/paste/mount board assembly into your vacuum press, be sure to add an overlay of Kraft paper (we use white because it has a smoother surface), which absorbs excess paste and keeps it off the lid of your press.

After 17 years of trying everything in sight, this is the fastest, easiest, most long-term stable, and cheapest way we've found to mount posters to foam center board in the vacuum press.

Dry mounting is more popular, but it requires a heated press (ours is, and we have a Seal 500T, too), it takes longer, it costs more, the process is more technically demanding (time, temp, pressure, and moisture have to be carefully controlled), and the heat-activated adhesive bond degrades over time.

I don't know why everyone with a vacuum press doesn't do it this way.

 

[fourcorners]

I really like SureMount. Only problem is it doesn't work well on photos (or anything with a "slick" back).

 

[fourcorners]

Oh! And as far as spray mount goes, it's nice to have some on hand if needed. I agree with Fredrick. I've been happy with stick-it and the occasional call back (sometimes with special pricing) is nice.