Ragmount vs Colormount for heat mounting inkjet prints?

[Sal Santamaura]

Is there a problem with acid free foam board?...

See pages 520-521 of Wilhelm's Permanence and Care of Color Photographs:

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/..._HiRes_v1c.pdf

A pertinent brief passage:

The pH level of polystyrene-foam laminates is only one of many considerations that determine their suitability for mounting photographs; more important are the possible adverse effects from facing materials, and from aging products of the polystyrene foam core and laminating adhesives.

[faberryman]

See pages 520-521 of Wilhelm's Permanence and Care of Color Photographs:

http://www.wilhelm-research.com/pdf/..._HiRes_v1c.pdf

A pertinent brief passage:

The pH level of polystyrene-foam laminates is only one of many considerations that determine their suitability for mounting photographs; more important are the possible adverse effects from facing materials, and from aging products of the polystyrene foam core and laminating adhesives.

Thanks for the link. Something to consider. I'm using archival foam core from Archival Methods. They say: :Extruded closed cell polystyrene core free from damaging pollutants and harmful gasses."

[bob carnie]

Thanks Sal - my reference point was the prepator at the Stephen Bulger Gallery who pointed this out to me.

[Drew Wiley]

Sal - a lot of Wilhelm is awfully out of date. Alkaline-buffering isn't necessarily an advantage; it can be downright deleterious for some types of photographs. Sometimes it's just a way to tweak an inferior product for marketing hype. Ordinary acid-free formecore is very uneven and prone to warp. You can find premium types like Mitey Core; but you have to buy it in quantity. All the alleged acidity of Gatorboard is trapped in phenolic, so inert. It does need sanding, however. You'd be amazed at how many products I've tested. At one point I made my own laminates. But nowadays there are a number of pre-made options, some very smooth and dependable. Wet mounting can be tricky; but it's still an option for big fiber-based prints for the poor man who also knows how to hang wallpaper without wrinkles. Done it all. For ordinary silver-gelatin FB prints I prefer drymounting on museum board. Color prints are a whole different
subject - it all depends.

[Sal Santamaura]

...a lot of Wilhelm is awfully out of date...

Aging products of polystyrene foam would appear to remain a concern with "ordinary acid-free foamcore," which is what most people are using.

...Color prints are a whole different subject...

Considering typical inkjet prints to be "color prints" seems wise.

[Drew Wiley]

Sal, other than Alphamount matboard and a small selection of ragboard, almost all art or photo store sheet goods are not up to par. In pro sizes and case quantities, however, there is a huge selection of things out there, typically distributed either by plastic dealers, signage supply companies, or picture frame wholesalers. Often these same outfits sell the big machines too. I don't have any time for color printing or mounting this season. Right now I'm working on a big teak countertop for someone in the Wine Country.

[Chester McCheeserton]

Yes we have used a product called flo bond (I think) crazy expensive . I placed about 10 pieces in the George Eastman House exhibit for Elizabeth Seigfried a few years back. They were 30 x40 silver gelatin and we did them on dibond. This worked well but I have to say difficult.
If I remember right we had to sand the surface of the diabond to create a surface that the tissue could blend into the tissue is very flimsy and the chance of screw ups high, but for silver gelatin to aluminum I think the only way.

Yes, I worked at a lab many years ago that mounted silver prints to aluminum this way using a vacuum heat press. We used brillo scouring pads to sand the aluminum first - very time consuming and a lot of work.

Regarding Gator/Archival Foam core/long term stability. It's not hard to imagine that the plastic inner cores are not the most stable and acid free environments but at a certain point weight and cost start to become increasingly important. Smallcorp in Massachusetts sells an amazing looking product that is honeycomb aluminum with museum board mounted over the top, but I don't know of any artist or small country who would pay the price it goes for.

I'm not sure the boards and tissue Alfred Stieglitz was using on his prints from 100 years ago would have fared well in Wilhelm's testing. The pictures still hold up though.

[bob carnie]

Yes, I worked at a lab many years ago that mounted silver prints to aluminum this way using a vacuum heat press. We used brillo scouring pads to sand the aluminum first - very time consuming and a lot of work.

Regarding Gator/Archival Foam core/long term stability. It's not hard to imagine that the plastic inner cores are not the most stable and acid free environments but at a certain point weight and cost start to become increasingly important. Smallcorp in Massachusetts sells an amazing looking product that is honeycomb aluminum with museum board mounted over the top, but I don't know of any artist or small country who would pay the price it goes for.

I'm not sure the boards and tissue Alfred Stieglitz was using on his prints from 100 years ago would have fared well in Wilhelm's testing. The pictures still hold up though.

I would be interested in a link to ght honeycomb aluminum with museum board if you do not mind, sounds interesting.

[Sal Santamaura]

I would be interested in a link to ght honeycomb aluminum with museum board...

http://www.smallcorp.com/products-for-conservation/

[bob carnie]

thanks Sal