Question Peter Lik image mounting

Create a Post
A

Art & Soul

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Posts
8
Hi All! A customer brought me a beautiful Peter Lik limited edition photograph to be framed. It came complete with cotton gloves ... yikes. It is printed on Fuji Flex and is extremely glossy. The paperwork included with the print has mounting instructions ... "cold-mounted only ... on a completely smoot, high-quality, dimensionally stable substrate. Use a solvent acrylic adhesive with built-in UV inhibitors."
Does anyone have any suggestions as to the substate I should use and a brand of adhesive. Also, do I need to use a vacuum press or will my heated press with no heat be ok? I would appreciate any and all input :-)
 
Have them return it to the source for mounting. You will find many threads on Peter Lik photos and it is not worth the headaches or large financial losses to get in the middle of this so your customer can save a couple hundred dollars. When it goes badly it will cost you several thousand for the replacement, the mounting which should have been done at the source and the freight for the mounted print.

Keep in mind the only reason it was not mounted at the source was so your customer could go the cheaper route leaving you financially liable for the disaster which is inevitable.
 
In a word...run.

They are talking a roller press in a positive pressure Hepa filtered chamber. Why in the world UV inhibitors are needed when mounting to an opaque substrate is beyond me. Their substrate of choice is Dibond though most of the pieces I've seen are face mounted to acrylic. If you are not set up to do this kind of work, outsource it, or pass on the job. One small flaw in the mount and you own the Lik.
 
Oh no!! What have I gotten myself into??? I have framed Lik prints but they were already mounted. This print was a "free" one the customer received for purchasing another. I think I will out-source this mounting job. I may be in over my head. Thanks so much for your quick responses.
 
I have done 100's these, as peter lik started here in Cairns. By no means use a vacuum press. one slight movement and it will scratch.
Any type of water will emulsify the print. Touching it will leave finger prints.
You are right in using a roller, and any spec will give the print pimples.
they did used aluminium and which they sand with wet and dry until smooth, before closing shop here and moving to the states. Dibond can have some imperfections, so run wet and dry over it and they will show up.
I also believed they were using facemount adhesive aluminium to mount on as well.

What ever roll adhesive you use, will still have some orange peel effect, So if you choose to do it, let them know this.
 
Firstly, check to see what the current value of this print is on the market, if you had to replace it. (regardless if the client got it for free)

Then you will want to check your insurance policy to make sure you are covered for replacement cost.

You will not be able to use either your heated press or a vacuum press for this job.

These images require professional mounting, using cold rollers and because of their super smooth mirror finish, then need a high quality, unsupported, optically-clear, pressure sensitive adhesive, such as face mounting adhesive. This would be mounted onto a super smooth, dimensionally stable substrate such as aluminum or dibond.

I'd strongly suggest that if you are unfamiliar with the mounting method above, you should outsource this for mounting.

Cheers,

Jared
 
Static mounts turn to carp in no time. An unmounted Lik is a no win situation for a framer unless you own a clean room with all of the proper equipment. Static mount will leave it unharmed but assuredly it will return due to dissatisfaction.
 
From what I have seen in the galleries and what some employees have said (grain of salt since I have found that they generally know less than they should) they are face mounting the images in the frames and the acrylic float mounts.
 
I agree about outsourcing it. Fortunately, there are several Peter Lik Gallery locations, in California, Florida, Aspen, New York and Hawaii. Get a quote from the gallery, and tell the customer that you would charge more (because you need to create a cleanroom that is dust-free), but that the gallery is better set up to handle this type of artwork. Tell the customer that the extra shipping is worth it to have the mounting done right.
 
Art & Soul said:
Oh no!! What have I gotten myself into??? ...I think I will out-source this mounting job.
Click to expand...
These are usually face-mounted to clear acrylic, which accounts for the recommendation of a UV inhibitor in the adhesive. Face-mounting is a very precise process, which requires specialized adhesives and roller-press equipment in a dust-free environment. The slightest speck of dust under the adhesive, or a scratch in the acrylic can ruin the result, and there is no way to reverse the mount.

Before you sub-contract the mounting of this print, consider the consequences if the print is ruined. The safest approach would be to refer the customer to the mounter and remain uninvolved with that transaction. If you want to be involved with the mounting as a convenience to your customer, I suggest you inform the customer of your intentions and emphasize that you will not accept responsibility for the mounting.
 
Beating a dead horse by this point, but run away! Well, not actually run away. Assist in providing your customer with as much information as you can, but really very few shops are setup to handle this specialized a task. Hopefully you still get the framing job when all is said and done.
 
Jeff Rodier said:
Static mounts turn to carp in no time...Static mount will leave it unharmed but assuredly it will return due to dissatisfaction.
Click to expand...

Jeff ...can you explain. In theory (I wouldn't try this on a LIK) but, if I had one of these super glossy photos that was of little or no value. I would static mount it. Can you elaborate on your bad experience with static mounting? Thanks in advance.
 
Use a sheet of acrylic and cut away a window area if matting where the photo will lay. Lay the photo in that area and rub the back of the acrylic to gets some extra static going. The paper masking paper around the edge gives you a target area for laying the photo down. Place a protective release paper over it and smooth it down.

The bad experience is that it doesn't stay stuck down the way the customer would like it to.
 
peter Lik photo to mount

I had one come in about a month ago, and explored various options, got turned down by some mounting experts in the area, and the customer came and got it and sent it back to the gallery. I didn't want to risk damaging it. My advice is like much of what has been said. RUN from it, or have you customer send it back to the gallery....
Sue Davis, aka gadgetgal
Master Framers, St. Paul, MN
 
Practice this line: "This is beyond my level of expertise. I recommend sending it to ___ who have experience in this." Repeat as needed.
 
My goodness, I don't think I have ever witnessed such unanimity on TG for any technical issue before.

Not only run but hide also.
 
out of the hundreds i have mounted i have only ever had to replace 1. And that was one of my first ever.
Like anything just need to be careful, clean and dust free, low to nil humidity (these suck in the humidity and will cause the print to go foggy).
Substrate and adhesive play a big part in the overall finish.
But in reality they are not much different to how you should handle or treat any type artwork

If you damage it, your insurance should cover the cost less excess. Just factor that excess cost into as well.
 
i-FRAMER said:
If you damage it, your insurance should cover the cost less excess.
Click to expand...

Not so fast......in the States, unless you have specific coverage for customers goods that are actively being worked on and it is a specific added endorsement to your general liability policy - you may be in for a rude surprise when you file a claim.

Shameless plug: There is a FREE lunch and learn at the WCAF all about business insurance. You may learn a thing or two and get a free lunch to boot!
 
that's sounds like a worth while lunch.
Here in Cairns because we get cyclones etc. We do need to know what and how we are covered.
But yes definitely check with your insurance provider and the excess, sometimes excess is more.
Ours if $500 if we damage the customers artwork, but $300 if we damage our own?
 
i-FRAMER said:
But yes definitely check with your insurance provider and the excess, sometimes excess is more.
Ours if $500 if we damage the customers artwork, but $300 if we damage our own?
Click to expand...

The policies I am familiar with set a per piece limit, a total policy coverage and a variable (selected for premium determination) deductible per piece. For example you can have $10,000 in coverage with a $2500 per piece limit and a $250 deductible. A higher per piece limit will cost more as will a lower deductible.

For framers reading this- if you think you have coverage for customers goods while actively being worked on for marring and scratching, please check with your insurance agent. Ask this specific question: "If I damage a customer's piece while it is in the process of being framed (actively being worked on) and it gets marred or scratched, am I covered?" If the answer is yes, get it in writing and ask for the specific endorsement or clause in your insurance that pertains.

Finding out that you assumed you were covered and were not when filing a claim is an unhappy experience.
 
i would agree. Insurance companies don't like to pay out and do have many clauses.
We have been lucky with ours and never had any issues, though we have only ever made the one claim for customers work.
But it probably would be wise for me to also check it again, they change policies or add clauses without you realising sometimes.
It becomes easy to just to renew a policy without going over it properly to look for any changes.
 
Create a Post
Back
Top