Tape to use?

Get help and framing advice from the framing community
Post Reply
WorthingFramer
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu 25 Oct, 2018 1:03 pm
Location: Worthing
Organisation: AOT Framing
Interests: Art & Framing
Contact:

Tape to use?

Post by WorthingFramer »

Hello all, Just about to open a framing shop next week and would like some advice of which acid free tape to use for window mount hinges and also tape/pads for float mounting (not shadow) Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Justintime
Posts: 1868
Joined: Sat 26 Sep, 2015 8:48 am
Location: West Wales
Organisation: George The Framer LLP
Interests: Gardening, design, electronic music, good food and beverages.
Contact:

Re: Tape to use?

Post by Justintime »

Have a look at the Lion and Wessex catalogues online. I use an acid free whitegummed tape, comes in a big roll. I use with deionised water.
For floating, I use this same tape made into Y hinges. Depending on the size, I usually use 8 hinges. I learnt these techniques from the "Conservation Framing" book by Annabelle Rushton.
There is also the hedgehog technique which you can search for in this forum. Good luck.
Justin George GCF(APF)
Insta: georgetheframer
User avatar
prospero
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue 05 Jun, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Tape to use?

Post by prospero »

A good 'all-round' tape is Filmoplast P-90. Easy to dispense and reliable. It has a progressive tack, so you can apply it and
peel it off with care. Burnishing it down makes it permanent. It can be removed with careful damping. I have never had to do this
but I've tried it and it does come off.

The best way is to use hand-made paper (comes in various weights) and starch paste. The the paste does have to be carefully
prepared however which is a bit of a faff and applying the paste takes practice. Worth learning the techniques though. :lol:

The best form of hinging is to use no hinges at all. :lol: Do a search for edge mounting using Mylar and similar methods.
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
User avatar
David McCormack
Posts: 1442
Joined: Tue 02 Aug, 2011 10:14 am
Location: South Lakes
Organisation: Framing
Interests: Cycling, walking, darkroom photography and laughing a lot!
Location: Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Tape to use?

Post by David McCormack »

Here are my thoughts about tapes and their uses.

There are two parts to tape; the substrate (the tape itself) and the adhesive.

Tape can be made from wood pulp, cotton rag, linen and Japenese papers such as mulberry tissue.

Wood pulp contains lignin which will degrade over time and as it does it produces acid. The acid is what causes paper to discolour and weaken. Wood pulp needs to have all the lignin removed before it can be used in conservation framing but small traces can remain.

Tape made from cotton rag, linen cloth and Japeneses papers are all naturally lignin free so they make for a much better choice in conservation framing.

Adhesives fall into two categories; sticky self adhesive (pressure sensitive) and water activated (gummed). Self adhesive tape is pressure sensitive so the best bond is achieved by burnishing the tape after application. Self adhesive tape can fail in time and is not usually considered best practice for attaching directly to artwork.

Gummed tape needs to be activated with water for the adhesive to bond. Care needs to be taken not to apply too much or too little water. Gummed tapes are considered a better choice for conservation framing as they are less likely to fail.

Linen cloth tapes are available as pressure sensitive or gummed. They are a very strong tape and not usually recommended for making hinges for paper art as it is better to have the paper hinge weaker that the art itself. However, they are ideal for hinging together the window-mount and under-mount. Self adhesive is fine for this application as the tape is not in contact with the art.

Japanese mulberry tissues and similar are a popular choice for conservation framing as they are light and strong and come in different thicknesses and weights. However you need to apply your own adhesive which will usually be a freshly cooked wheat starch paste.

If you are just starting out in framing I would recommend using the cotton rag gummed tapes as much as possible to attach directly to artwork. Wet the tape with distilled or deionised water using a small brush. Use self adhesive linen cloth tape for hinging window-mounts to under-mounts.

Of course there are methods of attaching paper art to under-mounts without using any tape. For window-mounts a popular method is the platform mount.

For float mounting the usual method is pass through paper hinges or the hedgehog method. Double sided sticky pads, as I think you mentioned , are not a good idea.

Good luck with your new venture and keep asking plenty of questions on this great forum :D
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
WorthingFramer
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu 25 Oct, 2018 1:03 pm
Location: Worthing
Organisation: AOT Framing
Interests: Art & Framing
Contact:

Re: Tape to use?

Post by WorthingFramer »

Thank you so much for the tips :D
User avatar
Tudor Rose
Posts: 1117
Joined: Wed 10 Mar, 2010 4:07 pm
Location: Dawlish, South Devon
Organisation: The Framing Lot
Interests: Tudor history, swimming, walking and needlework.
Contact:

Re: Tape to use?

Post by Tudor Rose »

There are mini tabletop workshops on a variety of framing subjects - including hinging - at the Guild Weekend at Stratford upon Avon. The classes run from mid morning to mid afternoon on Saturday 18th May and are open to members and non-members to visit.

There's more information here -> http://www.fineart.co.uk/events/schedul ... ing-1.aspx

It will be a great networking and social event, as well as being educational. Members of our Guild's Framers Committee will be on hand to answer any framing related questions. You will also have a chance to look at the entries from the framing competitions and to vote for the entry you consider to be "Best in Show".
Jo Palmer GCF(APF) Adv
Textile, Mount Design & Function & Conservation


Forum Moderator & Framing Educator
www.pictureframingtraining.com
Guild Certified Examiner & Guild Accredited Trainer
Guild Master from May 2019 to May 2022
Post Reply