two sided collage of cards

[Chuck T]

Hi all, I have a customer who wants to frame and display 12 old valentine cards. She wants them arranged in a collage, overlapping each other in a two sided frame which would allow her to see the autographs and dates on the back. My first thought was to arrange them in Mylar L-velopes and sandwich it between two pieces of glass (front conservation clear and back premium clear), but I have read that glass touching the mylar tends to make "Newton rings". Also, what would hold the encapsulated cards in place once arranged? Would the static and pressure of the glass be sufficient? I promised that the method chosen would be totally reversable. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, Chuck T., Jackson, MI

 

[Kit]

My first thought is that if she wants card tricks, she should go to a magician. But I would never say that because it would be unprofessional, not to mention snotty.

Your customer has a choice to make: the cards can either be mylar-encapsulated and placed between two mats or they can be randomly arranged between two pieces of glass and stuck down.

It's a question of intent. Does she want to preserve these cards or just have an attractive display piece for her home?

I can't think of any way to combine the two.

Kit

 

[JPete]

Try the very small maxi-view mylar corner mounts (photo mounts)and apply to the back glass to hold the cards where you want them. use frame space on the top glass and that would preserve as well as being able to see them. Just another idea.

 

[Ron Eggers]

Question: Would having the cards mounted directly to the back glass be less hazardous that having them sandwiched between two pieces of glass?

Would that reduce the risk by, say, 50%?

Would Acrylic be preferable to glass (for the back piece) because of its thermal properties?

Is 5:45 a.m. a good time to be thinking about these things?

 

[preservator]

The client should be informed that such cards
will fade in a frame and they certainly should
not be overlapped, since that will result in
differential fading. If they still what to
display the cards, the backing glazing should
be acrylic sheet, since that side of the frame
package must be shatter-proof.

Hugh

 

[Flintstone]

Just thinking out loud here...how about if you set up your design and used japanese paper or linen tape to hinge on the overlapping pieces (v-hinge). The more overlapping the better (I think). Then mylar encapsulate the whole thing with maybe a mylar tray supports. Maybe some double mats on each side and possibly spacers to avoid the newton rings. The plan is not perfected but its a start.