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Thread: Is it possible to heat mount fibre prints onto aluminium?

  1. #31
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    SF Bay area, CA
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    18,338

    Re: Is it possible to heat mount fibre prints onto aluminium?

    What was that all about ? Somebody had to think about it for two and a half years? First time I've ever heard the word, chutzpah. Some kind of insult, I guess. In any event, museum display personnel and big pro picture framing houses came to me for informed advice for several decades, which was surely not pickled chutney. I'm not trying to win anything. I was paid for that kind of thing. The kind of aluminum plate sold for picture mounting is anodized to begin with, or otherwise permanently coated; it's not raw aluminum, which I assume anyone seriously trained in conservation would already know. My main objection to aluminum is that it is very thermally conductive, which means it should be additionally backed with something like foamboard just for insulation sake with respect to diurnal or seasonal temperature shifts.

  2. #32

    Re: Is it possible to heat mount fibre prints onto aluminium?

    I worked at a lab that mounted silver gelatin prints to aluminum on a regular basis. Too many details to condense into a forum post like this but here's a couple basic points.

    The lab used a large 40 x 60 heat press. The mounting tissue was colormount, with release tissue used on top. Prints were face up in the press.

    The aluminum was cut to size by a metal shop with a giant chop cutter. It came in 2 thicknesses, 1/16 and 1/8, the lab used the thinner grade for smaller works the 1/8 for larger.

    The aluminum had to be scored or "roughed up" by hand using brillo type pads in a circular motion to help with the adhesion. As soon as the mounted printed came out of the press, they were immediately put under weights while cooling - this was a crucial part of the process. The prints were measured to be just a fraction larger then the metal, once cooled, a razor blade held vertically was used to trim the print flush to the edge.

    After I left the lab I used to do this myself for a while using a standard seal heat press. It works, but is a lot of work, and I don't think it's worth it. Most professional mounters use a cold press method onto dibond now.
    I think the concerns about the edge of the print being exposed to the elements if not put in a frame, and peeling up are valid– have seen it happen occasionally. Now when I mount myself, which is rare, I use 8 ply museum board and mount a print of an identical substrate onto the back to prevent warping - the mounted print is then put into a frame.

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