Question New to Matting and Framing

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peccarypig

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I have matted and framed my photos for some years, but as I have a show upcoming, I am anxious to do it "right". I am using Aaron Bros. frames and BD acid-free mat board for my inkjet photos. I want to be sure I am as close as possible to being "chemical-free". In the past I would use the pressboard (?) backer board that comes with the frame; I am now wondering if I should avoid this element altogether, or if there is any way to isolate the art from the board, if in fact it will be detrimental to it. I like the fact that that board is rigid and will keep the print flat; are there any alternatives that will be effective as backer board substitutes?
Any other tips for a "newbie" will be appreciated.

Also curious about using commercial glass cleaners (Windex) to clean glass. Is this a bad idea? Are there "professional" cleaners that are recommended?
 
If you are concerned about having your atrwork framed archivally the only matboards you should be using are either Crescent Rag Matt, Bainbridge Artcare or, possibly, Peterborough's top board whose name escapes me at present. There will be numerous arguments for and against each and there may well be others like Canson which some will swear by but they are the big three and all meet conservation framing standards. Most of the boards labelled "acid-free" are not archival but merely have groundwood based cores buffered with enough calcium carbonate to give a neutral ph reading at the point of manufacture. (You are not supposed to ask what the ph wil be a few months or years down the track.) I don't know what prices are like in the U.S. but, generally, the archival boards will cost twice as much as the cheapies.

Your backing is actually more important than the matt because the whole back of your artwork touches it. The back should be an archival fome-cor or, for durability, you could use a sheet of archival matboard behind the artwork and an M.D.F. backing behind that. Or you could go to the extreme and use a barrier of archival matt over archival fome-cor but that is probably overkill for photographs.

Finally, your photos should be hinged with an archival tape with a water soluble adhesive so that they can be readily removed without damaging them. Tapes like Lineco's pre-gummed paper are good enough but, again, some will tell you that only lovingly cooked wheat starch and hand-torn Japanese paper is true conservation mounting. Again, it depends on how far you want to take it.

Any commercial glass cleaner is o.k. - Larson Juhl have a good one which I found best used at around half strength. Likewise Windex tends to streak unless it is diluted a bit but, really, good glass cleaning depends more on using enough elbow grease than on the type of cleaner.

Finally, if you want your work to be taken seriously by galleries and their clients you really should consider framing them in decent quality tailor-made frames rather than el cheapo ready-mades. I would also suggest buying a proper matt cutter (f you don't already have one?) as poorly cut matts really scream 'amateur night".
 
I agree with what Artfolio said. You might also want to look into conservation glass. I assume that the readymade frame you are currently using does not include conservation glass. Are you only asking about the conservation qualities of the materials or are you interested in the visual presentation of your work as well? There are several options in glazing that can dramatically alter the perceived color and clarity of your art.

I highly recommend that you consult your local custom framer if you really want the job to be done properly. If you just want it done cheap so that you can sell it cheap (which a lot of beginner or hobby artists do) then don't worry about the materials, but I'm assuming by your questions that you don't want your art to be viewed as cheap or disposable.

Ed
 
I know I am going to draw fire for this but the truth is that there are only a hand full of manufacturers in the world that make real conservation boards. I have been through this many times and if you are buying a conservation board that is half the price of everyone else than I can assure you it is not a true conservation board by PPFA standards. So many people think that because a board is "Acid Free" at the time of manufacture that is is a conservation board. There must be absolutely no acid in any of the materials not just acid that has been neutralized with calcium carbonate. The surface papers should be made using pigments not dyes and there should be no optical brighteners used. Artfolio named the real makers above and you can add Artique and Rising to the list of real conservation boards. Stay away from the others if you really care. By the way Peterboro's conservation board is called Peterboro Conservation.
 
I would recommend PPFA level I or PPFA level 2 matboards. Level 3 are just decorative mats, even when they are called acid free. I tell my customers that 'acid free' is like 'fresh baked'. Fresh baked is fresh when it come out of the oven, but wait a little while and it is no longer fresh. Same with Acid Free. [Your mat board suppliers should be able to tell you what the PPFA level is for the mats]]

I have some PPFA level I mats that I used in works back in the early1970's and they still look great. I also have some level 3 stuff my son gave me in the late 80's / early 90's that I'm keeping for sentimental reasons that has brown stained bevels that are a real distraction to me, but probably most customers wouldn't notice.

I still use some Level 3 mats - eg fabric mats, decorative mats - but I make sure there is a spacer between the mat and the art, and I either paint the bevel or do a reverse cut - and I make sure my customer understands they are decorative mats.

Most mat board manufacturers make all 3 levels of mats [1, 2, and 3] so look at more than just the brand name.
 
All good advice, but one factor that often gets overlooked is the archivality (that's a new word I just invented) of the actual art.
If the art has a substrate that is iffy then no amount of rag board or starch paste will prevent the inevitable. It may slow it down a tad.
So the moral is: Establish just how good your photo paper is and use materials appropriate for such.

:rolleyes:
 
Prospero you are absolutely correct. I just assumed the artist was using the proper paper which was silly.
 
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