Preferred Mounting Method, Hot Press, Cold Press, Adhesive Foam Board ?

Young Aussie

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Posts
13
Location
Tasmania, Australia
Dear All

I understand the differences in the above methods - cold press, hot press and the adhesive foam core that you can get, but what I was wondering is which methods you guys use and what methods give the best results ?

I have seen the adhesive foam core in action with a rolling type press that helped it adhere to the board etc, it looked so easy and simple and gave a pretty good result.

IS it worth paying lots of dollars to get a cold or hot press, or is it just as good to get a pressure roller of some sort and stick with the sticky foam core instead ?

Thanks heaps in advance

Young Aussie
 
Not trying to be deliberately vague, but different kinds of mounting require different approaches.

Posters and real photographs – heat press.

Cibachrome (Ilfochrome) and ink jet prints – PMA i.e. no heat.

Other applications may require wet glues.

We use the dry mount press probably 90% of the time. When we need to use PMA we apply it by hand. You don’t really need a roller for PMA.
 
I struggle with my heat press and have been resorting to spray mounting or perfect mount.

My heat press seems to leave dings in the posters no matter how I clean it. I beleive my thermastat is on the blink and it may get too hot.

I always wondered what the vacum press really does besides just put pressure. I remember them from a previous shop and they used wet glue at the time to apply. Seemed like a big mess compared to the heat so when I opened, I decided on the heat.

Like I said I still struggle.

I guess I was no help at all, but at least you know you are not alone!
 
Jennifer

Clean the top of the press with UnSeal. I would bet there is little stuff stuck there. You can also use a release board instead of release paper. It is easier for me to use the boards, and replace them ever so often, than to clean the platen daily like it needs to be.
 
I generally mount most paper with my heat press, but am very careful and use Restore foam board when temperature or time is a consideration.

Recently I was quite lucky I didn't start a fire with the press when I smelled something burning and my thermostat went bad. I went back into my mounting room and found the thermometer pegged out. All the wires burnt up within my press. I replaced everything with the help of the friendly people at Seal...however, every so often the new thermostat still fails and I have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't overheat again. I never leave it on without monitoring it.

Dave Makielski
 
Welcome Young Aussie!

This is a great question - and you ARE getting many different opinions.

Personally, I use our heated vaccum press from Drytac ("Big Red") for posters and real photos.

MOST everything else I use an appropriate technique that allows the item to be reversed (nothing permanent). Whether corner mounts, hinge mounts, etc. I have used PMA perhaps twice. I just sleep better at night. AND, I've never had any 'bring-backs/complaints'! Ooops, better be careful not to jinx myself, eh?

Good luck!
 
JENNIFER -
I just saw your quote:
"No one will ever die from a framing emergency."

Oh, if I had a nickle for every time I've said that! LOVE it!
 
Thanks again all.

I use reversable methods just about 95% of the time, but for posters etc this is not ideal as I can see ripples etc.

I will have a hunt around for some equipment etc and keep reading any posts that come on. Seems like th majority use HOT ?

Regards
Young Aussie
 
I used a cold vaccum press in my first shop. Never again!! Back in the days when we didn't know how bad spray adhesives were for us, even with masks. I was afraid of heat. Should've been afraid of lung cancer!

Now I know, being careful with monitoring, etc, it's the way to go for posters, photos, etc.
 
I like vacuum presses. I think the heat and vacuum work better than a regular Forman grill or Seal press. I have used the Seal or similar presses with a good amount of succes, but there are always times when the former type would have been better. Sometimes if you are not sure on a digital photo you could always turn the heat off and just use the vacuum on Perfect Mount board-if you have a vacuum press that is.


PL
 
We have cold rollers (well heat assisted), a Vacuum press and a heat press. The rollers are by far the most popular choice but the hardest to tame. (Danged thing even ate my chair...)
 
Heat-activated adhesives require careful attention to time, temperature, moisture, and pressure. If one or more of these four factors is incorrect, then the mount will be weakened. Trouble is, nobody knows there is a problem until the mount fails months or years later.

Wet mounting is my preference, using VacuGlue 300 or SureMount paste, and the vacuum press. This method is faster, much simpler, much cheaper, and more dependable than dry mounting, as the only concerns are covering the area evenly with paste, and applying vacuum pressure for at least a few minutes.

I keep a slog of the paste in a Tupperware marinating container, along with a small paint roller, so there is no preparation or cleanup required. Twice a year I wash out the container. In 18 years of this, I have not seen any traces of mildew or mold, as the pastes contain effective inhibitors.

Wet mount paste is stable over time, but the bond of most heat-activated adhesives will deteriorate. I have seen dry mount tissue fall off the mounting board in as little as three years. That early failure probably is a case where the TTMP factors were out of whack -- it happens often.

Ilfochrome photos were mentioned above. The best method for mounting these wet-look photos on plastic is to use a static mount with a mount board of acrylic, supplemented by edge strips or hinges. No adhesive needs to touch the photo.
 
We are almost sure we are purchasing the Drytac heat/vac press but are also considering the Print Mount, as we have owned Print Mount vacuum presses in the past and they are very sturdy machines.Both companies claim their technology is better. Question: How hot does the top of the DryTac press get? Can you use it as a work surface, or is it too hot? Do you turn your press on just when you need it, or do you leave it on all day?
 
Heat-activated adhesives require careful attention to time, temperature, moisture, and pressure. If one or more of these four factors is incorrect, then the mount will be weakened. Trouble is, nobody knows there is a problem until the mount fails months or years later.

Wet mounting is my preference, using VacuGlue 300 or SureMount paste, and the vacuum press. This method is faster, much simpler, much cheaper, and more dependable than dry mounting, as the only concerns are covering the area evenly with paste, and applying vacuum pressure for at least a few minutes.

I keep a slog of the paste in a Tupperware marinating container, along with a small paint roller, so there is no preparation or cleanup required. Twice a year I wash out the container. In 18 years of this, I have not seen any traces of mildew or mold, as the pastes contain effective inhibitors.

Wet mount paste is stable over time, but the bond of most heat-activated adhesives will deteriorate. I have seen dry mount tissue fall off the mounting board in as little as three years. That early failure probably is a case where the TTMP factors were out of whack -- it happens often.

Ilfochrome photos were mentioned above. The best method for mounting these wet-look photos on plastic is to use a static mount with a mount board of acrylic, supplemented by edge strips or hinges. No adhesive needs to touch the photo.


Do You use a roller or some piece of equipment when putting the photograph onto the mounting board? With a larger print, I would think it would be difficult to get a perfectly flat and well distributed mount by just using your hands.
 
Agreed, and it didn't exist when this thread was started. Neither did KoolTack Preserve Ultra, so far as I know.
 
Spray adhesives are very popular with some folks. What could be simpler? The only problem
(asphyxia not withstanding :confused:) is they are notoriously unreliable. They rely on high pressure to
form a good bond and you cannot do this with a hand roller. And when the bubbles appear on
areas you haven't leaned on hard enough you can't flatten them out. You can't remove the print
and have another go because the rest of the print is well stuck. They are for temporary 'paste ups'.
The only time I have found a use for the stuff is fixing bands of decorative paper to mats. The strips
were only 1/4" wide so it's possible to get a lot of pressure down with an agate stone. The other
critical part is the 'flash time'. There is a small window of time when the stuff bonds properly.
Too wet and it will bubble. Too dry and it don't stick. On large prints - forget it.

I used to laminate large prints in a heated hard-bed press onto hardboard using std drymount tissue.
I still have some I did 30 years ago and they are still stuck fast. :D Go figure.
 
I use both a large vacuum hot press and rollers. Rollers mainly for photographs but Hot prress for any volume work and for posters on thin paper.

However I have just bought some 54" cold rollers to use for commercial work sticking the prints directly onto a self adhesive brown craft board. This should save me loads of time and is about a third of the cost of my current method. Only downside is I have to buy 2 pallets of board :(
 
I would have thought that a bit if weight from using it as a workstation would be minute compared to the force which is exerted on them when they are under vacuum.
 
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