Opinions Wanted The best way to encapsulate baseball cards

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artstar005

artstar005

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A customer brought in over 100 vintage baseball cards and wants them all under one mat that has 1/2" between each card but without using corner mounts. We figured the most protective way to do this is by encapsulating them in Mylar. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way to approach this project? Should each card be encapsulated separately or is there a way to encapsulate multiple cards together? We do not have much space to work with if there is only a 1/2" in between each card.
 
We did 45 tarot cards on a single mat this way:

Cut 45 openings just a tad larger than each card in what will be the bottom mat. Adhere this to a good foam core and set a card in each window. Use reverse bevels.

Cut each window slightly smaller on what will be the top mat. The smaller size will keep the cards from falling out. Regular bevel.

I practised on a 4x4 window mat to test the dimensions. The cards were level and centered.
 
If you have a computerized matcutter - or know a friend who does - this is an easy job. About 1/32" of each card's edges will be covered in a recto-verso mat assembly. 1/2" spacing is no problem. Use a 1/8" glass spacer.

In the CMC software, set up a pattern of beveled openings about 1/16" smaller* than the dimensions of the cards. Cut the front mat with reverse bevels and an under-mat with normal bevels, so that the "V" shape of each mat opening holds its card securely.

*The exact dimensions of the openings will depend on the angle of your cutter's bevel. Experiment on scrap to get the dimensions right - small enough to hold the cards securely, but large enough that the two mat layers fit with no gaps between them.

To assemble, place the under-mat on a flat table, position all of the cards in their openings, centered on the bevels, then attach the top mat using tiny spots of fillet tape (such as 1/4" x 1/2" pieces) all around the windows. Remove the release papers and have a helper to precisely position the top mat on the assembly of cards & under-mat. Be sure to apply plenty of pressure (pounding works well) to activate the bonds of all those tiny dots of double-sided adhesive. ATG would be a poor choice; because it has no carrier, it flows and fails over time. Attaching the mats with tiny glue dots doesn't work, because at least half of the dots would dry before you can join the mats together.

As a special bonus, you could offer to show the backs of all the cards, as well as the fronts. Just add glass or acrylic on the back of the frame and add about 30% more price, too.

Click on this drawing to make it bigger...

Drawing-Card-RectoVersoBevelMount.jpg
 
MerpsMom said:
Jim, that is so cool! And I have a picture of myself doing this without a CMC. :faintthud:
Click to expand...

Hi Merps:

Actually, I made these mounts several times in the years before I got my first CMC. For an experienced framer, manual cutting isn't difficult for one or a few cards. But 100 cards would require 200 openings precisely dimensioned and aligned, which increases the complexity of the work exponentially.

If I had this order and didn't have a CMC, I would find a framer who owns a CMC or a supplier willing to cut the mat. The assembly labor is so quick and simple that buying a double-reverse-bevel mat of this type might still come out cheaper than other methods of mounting, which would require buying other materials, as well as more labor time.
 
tedh said:
We did 45 tarot cards on a single mat this way:

Cut 45 openings just a tad larger than each card in what will be the bottom mat. Adhere this to a good foam core and set a card in each window. Use reverse bevels.

Cut each window slightly smaller on what will be the top mat. The smaller size will keep the cards from falling out. Regular bevel.

I practised on a 4x4 window mat to test the dimensions. The cards were level and centered.
Click to expand...

I did 12 baseball cards like this, and used plexi on the back so the back of each card was still visible. Customer was very impressed with the result! No glue, except to hold the top and bottom mats together (with just 12 openings, the dots of glue did work).
 
Our method produces a regular bevel, and Jim's a reverse.

I can't remember how we glued it up - Jim mentions the difficulties in applying adhesives, but somehow we muddled through. The customer comes back regularly for framing, so I take it that the piece is still hanging in there. What surprised me was the simplicity of the layout. For a guy like me, I can't believe it worked the first time. I figure having made every mistake in the book, something had to work right.
 
RParrish said:
That is an elegant solution!
Click to expand...

Randy, the proceedure for encpsulating baseball cards that Jim is describing is on my DVD 103, which I'm pretty sure you have. The only difference is that I use Invisi-Mount instead of Mylar.
 
Jim's method isn't encapsulation and there is no need for encapsulation using it. I've used it quite a few times on certificates and cards, singles and multiples.

No adhesive or films touch the piece and if it was necessary, it could be reversed, with the card/item still the same as it was originally.

I found it an invaluable method once when I stuffed up the order of a set of cards!
 
Jim wouldn't care to encapsulate the cards. For one or a few, maybe. But for a hundred, not a chance.

:smiley: Rick's description, "entrapulation", fits nicely. Minimum materials, labor, thickness, and cost. Maximum support, visibility, and profit.
 
tedh said:
I can't remember how we glued it up - Jim mentions the difficulties in applying adhesives...
Click to expand...
Tiny dots of starch paste, wet-mounting paste, or acid-free PVA glue work best for attaching the mat layers together, and that would be my preferred method for most jobs. Squirting out lines of glue would go faster and make a stronger bond, but very difficult to separate in the future. The tiny spots of adhesion hold adequately and enable the layers to be separated easily - almost like unzipping a zipper.

However, the tiny dots of glue dry quickly, and by the time you could apply several hundred dots of glue around the 100 openings and get those two large mats aligned, some of the glue dots would be too dry to bond. The small pieces of high-tack double-sided tape impose no urgency on the process of assembly, make a sturdy bond, and still enable easy separation.

In any case, it is essential to get all of the recto-verso mats' surface area tightly bonded together. Any gaps could invite cards to slip between the mats. On the other hand, if the assembly ever needs to be taken apart in the future, the mats could be separated and probably could be reattached.
 
JUST BRAINSTORMING HERE....

what if the 100 openings - reverse bevel cut - be made in a 2 ply mat? The card height and mat "entrap" height should be equal. The top mat would hold "flush" to the card????

Then lay the 2 ply mat "upside down" on a mat or FC; then tape on the 2 ply; place the baseball cards; and add the mat/substrate; then flip it over as a unit????

is this workable (or just another crazy idea in my crazy mind!):smiley:
 
MnSue said:
JUST BRAINSTORMING HERE....

what if the 100 openings - reverse bevel cut - be made in a 2 ply mat? The card height and mat "entrap" height should be equal. The top mat would hold "flush" to the card????
Then lay the 2 ply mat "upside down" on a mat or FC; then tape on the 2 ply; place the baseball cards; and add the mat/substrate; then flip it over as a unit????
is this workable (or just another crazy idea in my crazy mind!):smiley:
Click to expand...
Essentially, you're describing a sink mount, right? No crazy, your design would be workable and fairly easy to do. The 2-ply mat would have a straight-cut opening about .01" (ten thousandths of an inch, that is) larger than each card to allow expansion, and you could use a solid backing board or back-mat with windows. The front 4-ply mat openings would be bevel-cut only slightly smaller than the card to hold it in the sink. That is, two 4-ply layers with a 2-ply layer in between, all cemented together by tiny dots of glue or double-sided tape. No adhesive touches the cards.
 
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