Originally Posted by jnantz
Cloth lines and cloth pins is my preferable way of drying RC prints (see images below). But for fibre prints this large I fear that they'd curl up to much and also as a result the glossy surface would have stains or some sort of uneven glossiness. Is that unlikely? Any tips on keeping them somewhat flat while hanging?
Also the pins must be strong enough holding a wet 40x50cm fibre print.
What works for me is take them down when they are almost but not completely dry and put them face to face and back to back under something heavy. I use slab of countertop, giant sheet of glass a nipping / cast iron bookbinders press ... depending on the size of the prints. I also have a dry mount press but haven't used it in 15 years. I have dry mounted prints from decades ago that were done professionally, with "archival" paper and they tend to not stay secure years later from my experience, too much trouble. I'll window mat , leave a border around the print, make corner tabs with either LINCO tabs or acid free / archival paper and linen tape then 4 or 8 ply on top with the window. stays plenty flat. ... BTW. according to KODAK and the Image Permanency Institute they claim RC is more archival than FB. so if you like RC might as well keep making RC .. easier to print, easier to dry, can last 900 years, .. you just have to worry about printing ( corners tearing through another the print's emulsion ) and the dreaded "out gassing" and "silvering out". The last prints I made were professionally matted and framed, and RC prints I have made from IDK 1982 look like they were made like 32 minutes ago ... ( you can use STAB or selenium toner on RC prints too if you like that look )
my experience of flattening matting/framing isn't recent, I've concentrated on making hand made books for the past handful of years.
good luck with your exhibit !
John
Kornscharfsteller,
You don't say where you are located, but from your screen name, I'm assuming somewhere in the German-speaking world (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).
Hanging prints that large to dry is asking for trouble. What is going to be best for drying fiber-base prints of that size are fiberglass screens (Fliegengitter aus Fiberglasgewebe). You can get kits to make frames (aluminum) for whatever size you need at places like Obi, Bauhaus, Baumax, etc. Since you have 40x50cm prints in mind, slightly larger than that for one-print-per-screen or whatever multiple of that depending on the space you have.
I have a cabinet with wooden rails on the sides that holds my drying screens. In the past, though, I just had a bunch of screens that I separates with wooden blocks when in use, stacking the screens up as I added prints. When not in use, the screens were stored standing on end in the back of a closet (in a plastic bag, of course). There are lots of options for rigging up temporary drying screens.
Your prints won't dry completely flat on screens; you'll have to flatten them later using whatever method you choose.
Really, if you are serious, see if you can find a way to dry-mount your prints, or have someone dry-mount them for you, it's really the best option for display. After dry-mounting to a suitable substrate, the board and photographs together comprise the artwork. Acid-free cotton-rag museum-quality board, 4-ply is what I use (Museumskarton Baumwolle - säurefrei - 1.5mm).
Hope this helps,
Doremus
Yes, I am indeed from Germany - Dresden, to be precise.
For the „Fliegengitter“: Does it really not matter what I buy - isn’t there a danger it reacting with the paper while drying? Also: Should I dry with the image upward or downward (facing the screen).
Letting a shop do the dry-mounting is very expensive in Dresden unless I don’t find a cheap way to do it myself it will probably be out of budget. ��
If I dry-mount I suppose I put my stamp and signature on the mounting board instead of the backside of actual print?
Last edited by Kornscharfsteller; 4-Aug-2022 at 13:45.
You should get fiberglass screens (Fiberglasgewebe), not metal. That's neutral enough not to leave any marks on the print. I dry my prints emulsion-side-up after getting marks on the emulsion when drying them face-down. Be careful to keep them clean; only well-washed prints should be dried on the screens to avoid contamination.
The "classic" presentation of fiber-base prints here in the U.S. is dry-mounted on cotton rag board. The print itself is trimmed to exact dimensions before mounting, i.e., no border of photo paper around the image. The signature then goes below the image on the bottom right. The presentation is finished with an window mat (Passepartout) that has a window cut slightly larger than the print (0.5-1 cm or even larger with large prints). I always make the gap a little larger at the bottom to show the signature. The stamp and other print information like title, print number, etc., goes on the back of the board the print is mounted on.
I know that finding dry-mounting possibilities in Europe is difficult, as is finding a dry-mount press. Some have had success using a regular iron (Bügeleisen), but that might be tricky with larger prints. You might do a bit of research and see what type of mounting traditional photographers there tend to use most with fiber-base prints and come up with an alternative.
If you can flatten the prints well enough, you can print them with a wide border (3-4 cm or more) and then cut the window just slightly smaller than the overall print dimensions, which will hold it flat against the backing mat while leaving a stripe of white border around the entire image. The print would then be secured to the bottom mat with adhesive corners or tape hinges. The signature could go just below the image on the exposed border of the photo paper itself (you'll need a pen that writes well on photo emulsion).
Schöne Grüße aus Oregon,
Doremus
Pretty much the only way to dry prints on a screen is horizontally. I have never had any unevenness. Just remember to squeegee the prints before setting them out to dry.
Curious to learn how curly fiber-based B&W prints are set up for display in Europe if they are not dry mounted to 4 ply cotton mat board.
Bernice
After allowing the prints to dry face-up on the fiberglass screen, they get weighted down under a big sheet of plate glass to get them nice and flat. But I can't imagine displaying glossy fiber-based silver-gelatin prints unless they are dry-mounted, or perhaps quite small. There is a distinct technique to drymounting, and when correctly done, it's quite permanent and actually protects the print itself from mishandling. Unfortunately, museum board itself is getting quite expensive these days. The alternative, RC paper, has always been somewhat suspect in terms of long-term permanence, and doesn't drymount well, so has been understandably shunned by the collector market. Just depends on your personal budget and intended clientele, and what they're willing to pay. Decently mounting and framing a print costs a lot more than making the print itself; but as I once heard it described, you need a proper suit and tie for the right occasion.
I rarely dry mount prints any more. After flattening the prints in a dry mount press, I will leave them sandwiched between two large sheets of 1/4" acrylic (because that's what I have at hand) and stack 6-8 large, heavy books on top of that. I leave them for a day or so, then mount the prints to museum board using archival linen tape hinges. A window mat is hinged with the same tape to the backing board. Of course, I usually print 10"x10" on 11"x14" so I don't know how well that method might work for larger prints.
I can't even present my 8X10 contact prints on MGWT without drymounting them. I love that paper; but it sure curls with humidity changes!
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