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Thread: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

  1. #1

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    Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    I've always used Rising White Museum Board to mount an over-mat my black and white photographs. I mount photographs on 2-ply and over-mat with 4-ply.

    But, to save expenses, I'm wondering about using Crescent, buffered, matte board to over-mat my prints. I would still dry mount prints on 2-ply Rising White. When I mount a print for framing, I only sandwich the over-mat with the print itself. I don't tape the over-mat board to the 2-ply museum board on which the print is dry-mounted. Nor does the over-mat directly touch the print itself.

    To my question, is this acceptable? Will there be any risk of contamination? In particular, I'm considering using Crescent Board 9502.

  2. #2

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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    Reading your post as I am makes me want to reply that both of your choices are buffered. Rising Photomount and Cresent RagMat Museum Solids (Unbuffered) seems to be the only unbuffered choices. Neither of which seem to be available in Canada
    Otherwise who would your clients be? Those who know their mat boards would be unimpressed with mixing a museum board with a conservation board; for those who don't know you might as well use a cheaper mat board.

  3. #3

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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    The "Rising White Museum Board" that I use is 100% rag; it's the same on which John Sexton mounts his photos.

    I'm wondering if buffered Crescent board can have a negative effect on the silver print, given the fashion in which I would use it.

  4. #4

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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display


  5. #5
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    I haven't used Crescent in a long long time. But if it's anything like back then, it was inferior to Rising - softer and more hydroscopic, didn't cut as clean due to the softness and its less even thickness. I did use Strathmore 2-ply back then. Rising seems on the top of the pile in terms of consistent quality, although a few random tiny inclusions of unwanted matter are invevitable. Buffering is in place really to protect the board itself from atmospheric acidity as much as to protect what's mounted on it. Rising uses the natural alkalinity of local limestone terrain water. Cheaper brands sometimes go overboard with it more artificially. Alkaline buffering is not always desirable, for example, with albumen prints. It's OK for common FB silver-gelatin prints.

    You also need to differentiate between linen ragboard or Museum Board from cheaper purified wood-pulp Conservation Board, which might be OK, but is not the top quality "standard". It is also difficult to mix n match different brands with respect to precise color of white; so I try to stick with only one brand, namely, Rising; but real museum board is climbing rather dramatically in price.

    Rising has always offered a neutral, unbuffered museum board. I still have a whole case of it in 32X40 inch 4-ply. But under present circumstances, certain products are in very short supply at the distribution level due to manufacturing itself having gotten behind, especially with products deemed less popular.

  6. #6

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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    My concern, in addition to those mentioned, would be that the color and texture of the overmat would not match the board the print is mounted on. If, like me, you leave a bit of the board to which the print is dry-mounted showing, having matching boards is really important.

    As an aside: I visited the Portland Art Museum's "Ansel Adams and Our Time" exhibit last week. Many (if not all) of Adams' prints had been fitted with new overmats, most poorly-sized, too close to the print boarders cutting off the signature, floating off the bottom mat and therefore wavy, and not of the same color or texture as the bottom mat. Really shoddy work IM-HO.

    Best,

    Doremus

  7. #7
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    My concerns when matting are similar to Doremus'.

    One thing to consider -- if dry-mounting, the dry-mount tissue acts as a 100% barrier (gasses and moisture) between the print and the mounting board.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  8. #8
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: Using Buffered Crescent Board for Image Display

    Most of the big AA shows I've seen were rather poorly over-matted. Museum staff, no doubt; but any serious pro framing shop could have done it better. Real ragboard, but with the over-mat not squarely cut in the window corners, and too soft a board for the climate, hence humidity-induced waviness, even with 8-ply.

    I haven't been in the Portland Museum for at least forty years. They did collect one of my aunt's famous paintings, and prominently displayed it for many years. My uncle had bought property and was planning to build a dedicated museum for her outside Tillamook, and for some of my work too, but suddenly passed away. He was mayor of Beaverton at the time, but otherwise the big mover and shaker of Tillamook too. My great grandfather was the founder of Bay City where the cheese factory is. I sometimes lived there back in the rain forest with my grandmother in summer as a kid. I've got to babysit the non-baby geriatric cats whenever my wife goes to Portland to handle family issues. Her grandmother just died. But I hope to get back to the northwest sometime down the line. The last time I was in Portland was for her father's funeral. But the time before that I managed to squeeze in a nice 8x10 hike up the backside of Mt Hood, as well a long Columbia River Gorge dayhike with the 8x10.

    As far as drymount tissue itself being a moisture and acid barrier, while true, if mounting the board is too soft and hydroscopic, that very differential between inert tissue and thirsty board will lead to greater overall bowing unless tightly compressed in a frame.

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