Tricky hinging job - help needed

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Julie Walsh

Julie Walsh

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
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May 30, 2007
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I've received a Cuban piece for framing that seems to be oil on thick black paper (similar to the paper used by photographers as backdrop material). It is quite wavy, not entirely square and the artist painted right to the edge on three sides. This large piece (35"x28") is heavy on one side.

I'm planning on using mulberry and wheat starch "S" hinges and have some questions about the approach:

Should I use more than 2 hinges? 2 on the heavy side and 1 on the lighter side to help distribute the weight?

What about the moisture content of the paste with this type of paper; are there things to watch out for? I'm concerned about potential buckling of the paper.

Has anyone worked with this or similar art before?
 
Is it being floated or matted? If it's being matted used an acid free paper and make your own photo corners using linen tape. If it is already wavey and on a heavy paper I probably wouldn't worry, something that size I would go with three hinges across the top. Be sure to use a blotter paper when wieghting your hinges.
 
You're welcome to read this FREE article on hinging on our web site: http://www.frametek.com/HTML/Articles/Hinging.html

The trick to pasting hinges to any art is timing. You must paste the hinge and then wait a certain period to let the adhesive dry out a bit to keep it from buckling the art.

Try this one time and you will be empowered forever! Make up 6 hinges and apply wheat starch paste to the last 1/4 inch of each hinge to all 6 hinges at once.

Apply the 1st hinge immediately to something like a Newsweek magazine page (it's crappy paper that buckles very easily) You'll need a folded up piece of paper towel for a blotter and some kind of flexible weight. (A baby's sock filled with bb's works great)

Wait 2 minutes (set an egg timer) and apply the next hinge.
Wait 2 minutes and apply the next hinge.... and so on until you've pasted all 6 hinges.

After about 15-20 minutes, test the strength of the hinges by pulling straight out from the edge of the paper.(This is the "shear" mode) Do not "Peel" the hinges back over on themselves because all of them will fail. (This is the "Peel" mode)

You'll notice that the first couple of hinges puckered the paper. The last couple were so dry that they made a lousy bond. Somewhere in between will be the correct amount of time to wait from pasting to hinging.

"S" hinges are fine but I prefer hinging the art to a slightly smaller piece of either mat board or foam board then gluing that board down to the backing. This is much easier to do and floats the art off the backing so the buckling or wave doesn't show so badly.

If you only hinge the piece along the top, the hinges will "Peel" off the first time someone turns the frame sideways or up-side-down. That is why you must always apply loose "safety" hinges at the bottom and even along the sides on heavier pieces. These will prevent the primary (top) hinges from failing. They become the primary hinges as the piece is turned.

The term "Hinge" comes from the museum folks. They want to be able to "hinge" the art up so they can see the verso (back side). This is very important to them. WE are in a different business and need to be able to have art handled by who knows who without tearing the hinges.

Feel free to call me if you'd like to chat about this. 1-800-227-9934 8-4:30 Pacific time weekdays.
 
Agreed...great information, Greg.

Thanks a lot.
 
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