Opinions Wanted Spray Mount a canvas?

trewin

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Feb 28, 2007
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Modesto, Ca.
Is it acceptable for me to spray mount an oil painting on canvass to gator board using 3m spray glue in instead of a stretcher bar? This piece is approx. 3 X 6 feet. Please respond asap. Thank you. Norm @ Trewin Framery. If not , what would you suggest as an alternative?
 
First question I would have for you is - what is the reason you do not want to stretch the canvas?

Spray mounting is usually a bad idea all around for MANY reasons.
 
Acrylic Gel Medium or Fabric Glue. Both can be applied like contact cement and allowed to dry, then use a low iron with a ironing cloth to bond the two pieces together.
Max temp is 140F or you risk overheating.
Some of the variants of Gator Foam are not especially good to bond to, so pick one that isn't super smooth. The one that looks like craft paper, isn't, but the surface has enough tooth to work with the adhesives.
This is by no means preservation grade framing and should only be used on expendable pieces. If the piece is of some value, traditional stretching is the way to go. Also, if the paint on the canvas has any build up (impasto) don't use this technique. The process will tend to flatten the build up and eliminate brushwork.
Please don't use spray adhesives as they will fail even when applied as per instructions.
If the canvas has no margins, do a search for strip lining for some great information.
 
Amen to Wpfay's remarks. Spray glue is only good for craft work and has no place in a professional's tool kit. Plus on a canvas that size you would need about 3 rattle cans with no guarantee they would do the job.
 
Stretch it - spray glue only last a short period of time, can/will be absorbed into the canvas and can cause color changes or worse, can deteriorate the canvas with the acids in the spray, and there is a ton of other reasons that spray glue is a bad idea all around.
 
Hi, trewin. How thickly is the paint applied? Are there currently any cracks in it? How much extra fabric is there beyond the image?
 
I agree that stretching is the way to go. It will be light and manageable and it retains the option
to un-mount it if necessary.
Even if you did successfully mount it to board (NOT with spray glue) the board would bend and if
you used a board over 3mm, flattening it would be nigh-on impossible.
It would also be heavy and unwieldy.
 
Plenty of oil paintings are on canvas glued to luan plywood. Plywood 1/8" for small and up to 1/4" for larger, zero problem with warping - just follow above recommendations for glue.
 
When a customer comes in with a photo mounted on canvas that is not stretched, I surely wouldn't try to stretch the photo so... I use a spray adhesive to mount it to a foam board. The same goes with any canvas. If it is a painting (of little value, if any) and it is NOT stretched I advise not to stretch it, but to mount it on a foam board. If it is a painting not stretched and the customer wants it stretched I advise them to bring it back to the artist and let him stretch it OR, sign a paper saying I am not responsible of cracks in the paint.
 
I would not use any spray adhesive for mounting, because they are chemically reactive and deteriorate over time. Sometimes a spray mount can last a few years, sometimes it will fail in a few months. Worst of all, the particulate overspray travels wherever the air goes, including all over the shop and into your lungs, and it is toxic. Be sure to use it only in a well-ventilated area.

Aside from being temporary, messy, and toxic, spray adhesives are much more expensive than the alternative adhesives.

So, if easy, toxic, temporary, and expensive is your choice, then spray adhesive is for you.
:faintthud:

As alternatives...

You could roll or brush acrylic gel medium sparingly onto foam board or another substrate, then dry under weight. The acrylic medium is water-borne and water-soluble while wet, so it's good for water cleanup.

You could roll or brush Klucel G, activated with water or alcohol, sparingly onto the substrate, then dry under weight.

If you intend to use foam board, be careful not to apply too much of any water-based adhesive, because it could cause warping of the board. That's not an issue with Gatorfoam (not suitable for preservation) or aluminum composite material (ACM, such as ePanel and DiBond brands), which is an excellent choice for preservation, light weight, thin profile, and rigidity.

You could dry mount to Kool Tack E-2 or MountCor at about 160 degrees-F for a minute or so.
 
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Spray adhesive is only good for one thing - to line the pockets of those who manufacture and sell it.

It is bad for whatever it is used on, it is bad for you to breathe, it is bad for the environment - because, for the forseeable future, we only have one planet to live on.
 
If you must mount try using products like MountCor, Kool Tack or some like product. It will save on your lungs the mess in the shop and headaches latter when the art is returned because the spray failed.
 
We are in the canvas business and put canvas on gatorboard by the hundreds Miracle Muck is the product. Around $20 a gallon from Raphael's in California.
Roll it on burnish it with a brayer and let dry. It is reposition able so you can even pull it off when wet to reposition. We print a half inch extra both directions as a bleed. After brayering it down we trim with a razor and done. We lay ours on the floor to dry (No weight required) as they can get a little curly until dry. They will flatten out nicely when dry. Don't skip this step or they may not dry flat.We use 1/4" gator up to 24x36 when they go in a frame. 3/8" or 1/2" when they go much larger.
 
Regarding spray adhesives:
This product was created by and for the DIY craft industry and as such a professional picture framer should take the claims of this type of product with a grain of salt.
We should apply proven products and methods that will insure a long life of our finished product - a finished picture frame package.
 
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