Preservation hinging of nonporous artwork

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Jody Wilson Brown CPF

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Montpelier, VT
We have a digital poster on a plastic material(for lack of more technical info) that is similar in feel to a cibachrome photograph. Maximum preservation framing is called for due to the value of a signature on the piece. We have experience with static mounting. In this case we want show the entire piece (float) and not add extra size by matting. Obviously paste hinges are not going to work.

Is Filmoplast still the best material available to use for hinging in this situation or is there a better alternative for nonporous artwork?

Would you:
1.Use pass-through hinges with Z hinges on sides up from the bottom as for paper and space the glass far enough away to avoid static?
2.Use acrylic sized a hair smaller than poster, hinging across the entire top of poster over the back edge of the acrylic and then paste that to the substrate to take advantage of static? Does the static charge remain constant over time?
3.Other suggestions please!

My guess is that this material is not going to expand and contract with changes in humidity but what about temperature?

Thanks in advance to all who bother to weigh in,

Jody
 
The first question: Is the plastic, on the back
of the item, slick? If it is matte, you may be
able to get dextrin, the adhesive on linen tape to
stick to it. If that is the case, you can take some dextrin from good quality linen tape, with
a wet brush and apply it to Japanese tissue to
form the hinges. This works with RC photos. The
problem with pressure-sensitive adhesives is
their pressure sensitivity, since the pressuer of
gravity can undo their grip, over time. Such
adhesives also contain components such as plasticizers and tackifiers, which can migrate from the adhesive into the plastic to which they
have been attached. If this item has a high value,
your safest course may be the use of the static
mounting, you have used in the past, after the
client has been informed that there is no safe
way to show its edges.

Hugh
 
Jody,
I have done some experimentation with Lascaux 360 and Japanese papers for hinging nonporous items.
Technical information on the product is available at www.talusonline.com
The strength of the adhesive can be increased with additional layers (you paint it on to the hinging material) and a more aggressive bond can be attained with relatively low heat (140F).
Water soluble until cured, then releases with xylene.
Very stable after curing, and has an amazing elasticity (something like 1000%).
I'm using it both on nonporous items (20x24 Polaroid photos that the client wants to have "floated"), and on art on that is highly reactive to humidity (vellum).

I did try the vegetable starch from the linen hinges as Hugh suggested, but on the Polaroids they popped off with little effort.
 
The Lascaux 360 that Wally mentioned is probably
the best pressure-sensitive adhesive available. It is sticky because of the way its constituent polymers are chosen and proportioned, rather that as a result of additives that have been included. It can release if the item that it is holding warps or gets too hot and the client should be cautioned about that.

Hugh
 
The back of the item is very slick and I'm quite sure that dextrin won't hold. A traditional static mount technique with matting on a piece this large calls for pressure-sensitive tape across the entire length of the top of the artwork and so doesn't eliminate the problem of creep if the static charge isn't constant.

Going to Talas triggered my brain to think of maybe using Beva with Japanese papers, why not? I think I'll experiment this afternoon if I can get the time. Thanks for the info on Lascaux, which I'm not familiar with. Wally, why use the 360 which remains tacky rather than the 498? Is it the lower temperature or is 1000% elongation at break significantly better than 400%? What does Xylene do to plastic digital papers??? I sure wouldn't want to test it.

Jody
 
Wally,
I have been framing 20 x 24 polaroids and the hinging has always presented a problem for me. I just ordered some of the Lascaux 360 but I was wondering what japanese paper you use. Is mulberry paper sufficient enough for the job? Do you heat up the hinge to strengthen the bond?
 
Jody, because the Lascaux 360 remains tacky at room temperature (although this lessens with curing and age)it keeps its grip better than the 498.

The technical explaination is that 360 has a lower glass transition temperature (I think 60 F) than 498.

I have a paintings conservator friend who was involved in the early experiments of lining paintings with reactivated acrylic emulsions. A couple of years ago they revisited linings that were done 20 yrs ago with 360, 498 and mixtures of the two. They found that linings with the 360 had better attachment than the others.

Acrylic hinges can be released with heat, as well as a number of solvents, including acetone, ethanol and, as Wally mentions, xylene.

As Hugh says, Lascaux hinging works best when the stresses are pure "sheer" - like in hinging. 360's peel strength is not reliable, and bonds tend to fail when curling (fiber based photographic paper) or flexing happens.

I'm glad that Wally is having such luck with Lascaux 360 and wonder if the warm temperatures and high humidity in his area has something to do with that. I've had mixed results with it, but we are cooler and dryer here. This may cause the film to dry out and loose some of its sticking power, and temp's may be below what is needed for optimum tackiness.

Re the plastic support, can you find out what kind of plastic it is? That way you'll know what temperatures are safe if you go for an adhesive that requires heat.

And finally, yes the static in a static mount will dissipate, especially with rises in humidity, which is why it is so vital to secure the edges. The static could be regenerated by rubbing the back of the acrylic with silk or some other negative ion generating material, but that's kind of high maintenance.

Rebecca
 
Hey Wally, I was interested in that technical info so I checked that site. Talk about agressive tackiness! And loud too I'm sure. My 16yr old would love to go but it's too long a drive. You going?
 
oops:
www.talasonline.com

geeze...sub a "u" for an "a" and we go head-banging.

DMF, I am heating it with a low tacking iron and a release paper. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the Japanese paper I'm using. I ordered a sample set from someone years ago, and they weren't labeled. I use the heaviest of them. I have had one floated Polaroid tear the hinges in shipment (I told the client that the whole idea was iffy, and we have since overmatted the rest of the collection).

Rebecca, I make up a bunch of these in strips at a time. I cover the Lascaux that has cured for 24 hours with metalized polyester strips and store the unused portion in baggies made of the same material and sealed with heat. The humidity here might slow the curing process, but I really have no way of testing.
 
The poster is from ABC commemorating the 2004 Oscars. I've requested technical information and am awaiting a response. Meanwhile, it would be irresponsible to use heat without that knowledge(darn it!). It has to be hinged, it's too floppy for edge strips.

Filmoplast could harm the artwork because of additives and may not be permanent because it remains tacky and therefore would eventually give way to gravitational pull. Lascaux 360 doesn't have the additives and so is safe for the art but still remains tacky so may not be permanent, although Rebecca seems to think it performs better the Lascaux 498 which does not remain tacky?? And it sounds like Wally uses heat to apply Lascaux impregnated hinges as well? Beva requires heat.
Is it possible to agree on a hinging technique that would be permanent, do no harm, and be reversable in this case (not knowing whether or not heat is an option)?
Is Lascaux 360 it? Can it be used without heat? If an adhesive that remains tacky is the best we can do than is the difference between Lascaux and the adhesive on Filmoplast important enough to justify cost/benefit ratio for the client?

Jody
 
Lascaux 360 remains tacky because the acrylic molecule is engineered that way - internal plasticiser - so it can't migrate out. There are no unknown additives - it is what it is. It can be applied without heat, especially if the the adhesive film is relatively fresh - dried overnight.

P90's adhesive is proprietary, so even if it is mainly acrylic (it think it is) there may be external plasticisers or other unknown ingredients. It can change over time - crosslinking between molecules - and so be harder to remove in time. I've never hear if it losing it's grip, just becoming harder (sometimes impossible depending on substrate) to reverse.

Beva also has external tackifiers - some sort of wood resin - which yellow over time. Yellowing indicates chemical change. It can be applied and reversed with solvent (xylene) as well as heat. Is has a "B" classification in conservation - expected to last at least 100 yrs with no significant change.

Lascaux is not really very expensive - 1 qt. costs about $40 and will last a very long time. But then you have a quart... ;) .

If the poster is polyester (like Cibachromes) I think double sided Lascaux strips on the perimeter, and static mounting, would hold well.

Rebecca
 
Originally posted by Rebecca:

Lascaux is not really very expensive - 1 qt. costs about $40 and will last a very long time. But then you have a quart... ;) .
Rebecca
Click to expand...
But like so many other things, once you have it, you will find other uses for it (also available in pints from Talas).

I used the Lascaux 360 and Japanese paper hinges on paintings on what I can only describe as synthetic vellum (some kind of plastic sheet). They have a translucent nature and were painted on both sides to achieve some interesting results. I used no heat, only some light burnishing to attach the hinges, and they performed well. The pieces were removed from the frames after the show (about 1 month) and the hinges were removed with no reminders that they had ever been there.
 
Thanks Judy, Hugh, Wally and Rebecca.

I will be ordering a pint of Lascaux 360 and begin the trial and error process until I am comfortable with it.

I did a trial last night with Yes paste and mylar. It worked beautifully and reversed easily with water. I know that Yes paste is mostly dextrin. Is it safe to use for hinging?

P.S.
Wally, how is the FACTS tapes and adhesives commitee work going? Sure would be nice to have the time and money wouldn't it?
 
Rick Bergeron is the chair of the Tapes and Adhesives Committee and is doing one heck of a job. He's done extensive testing on the Bainbridge Restore product with encouraging results for the use of the product in preservation framing.
The primary problem facing the research is the reluctance of the manufacturers of these products in divulging content. They claim proprietary information would have to be made public. My personal feeling is that they are less than willing because they know that their products will not pass muster forcing them to stop selling their products as "archival", but it will be hard to prove either way without their cooperation.

Without independent corroboration of the claims made by the manufacturers of tapes and adhesives, I find it difficult to accept their claims. I may be transposing my general distrust of the recent political campaigns, and their use of unsubstantiated claims over to the rest of my life, but I believe it is a healthy skepticism.
 
Hinging Cibachrome Photograph

Hi, I would like to post a thread to open discussion about hinging cibachrome.
First of all, how do i begin a new post?
OR -
I've read about the Lascoux 360, the Dextrin, Static Mounting, and Beva Gel for hinging cibachrome. Which of these is the best option for wrap-hinging a small piece? We've hinged a photograph with Klucel and very thin rice paper and there are now minor impressions visible on the face. Any suggestions?
 
hi, I was hoping to clarify wpfay's tip about creating hinges with Lascaux 360. My understanding is that you are applying Lascaux 360 to an acid free paper and then letting it dry/cure overnight. Beyond that I have a few questions:
are you only applying one layer of the Lascaux 360?
would there be benefit to applying multiple layers?
when you are ready to apply one of these hinges does applying them with heat
increase their tack or is burnishing generally sufficient?
 
brooke said:
Hi, I would like to post a thread to open discussion about hinging cibachrome.
First of all, how do i begin a new post?
OR -
I've read about the Lascoux 360, the Dextrin, Static Mounting, and Beva Gel for hinging cibachrome. Which of these is the best option for wrap-hinging a small piece? We've hinged a photograph with Klucel and very thin rice paper and there are now minor impressions visible on the face. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Go the main grumble page, it should say/have a button "New Thread" on the top right corner above all the other threads posted
 
Jody Wilson Brown said:
... In this case we want to show the entire piece (float) and not add extra size by matting....
Click to expand...

The easy answer is to redesign the framing to accommodate edge supports. For example, a 1" wide trim-mat could provide enough side area to safely use strips of hinging paper or clear film.

"We want to..." doesn't seem like a very good reason to risk damaging the customer's property by potential problems with mounting techniques un-proven on this kind of artwork.
 
I know this thread started a few years ago, but I just found it while
searching on this question. It's so full of helpful info. that I'm bringing
it back up for others to see. And if anyone has anything new they'd like
to add.

The print we have in right now looks like a Cibachrome, but isn't.
On the back, it says that it's Kodak Professional Endura Paper.
I e-mailed the people who printed it at www.smugmug.com, and
did get back a sort of answer. But other than the fact that it's not
a Cibachrome, am still curious about the best way to do this.
It has a mat with a window that comes onto the piece.
 
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