Conservative Silk Framing

[bilalshreif]

Hello All,

I have a drawing made on silk that the customer wants to frame it with the best archival or conservative method also using Truvue museum glass what do you recommend?

Thanks!

[Not your average framer]

Hi bilalshreif,

Are there any more details available for the forum members to consider before replying, such as the size of this item, colour and perhaps a photo to give us all a better idea of what's being framed? Also do the edges of the silk need to be visible, or can they be hidden behind a mount?

Since silks are often relatively transparent (or translucent), I like to exploit this by placing a well chosen colour of mountboard behind an item on silk. This can have a significant impact upon the visual impact of the overall job and hopefully suitably impress your customer as a result. Generally the chosen colour would be relatively subtile.

If the silk will be framed without it's edges being visible, then you might consider mounting it on conservation foamboard using the Newberry, or tight fit method with a mount overlaying this to hide the mounting method. This is a favourite method with me as it avoids the need to stick anything to the silk.

If required, a suitable coloured acid free paper could be added to the face of the foamboard to aid the visual effect through the transparent/translucent of the silk. I also often use double mounts with silks to help create the right look.

I think that this could be an interesting subject and I am looking forward to reading more about the methods used by others to frame silks.

[prospero]

As Mark says, a bit more info needed to make an informed suggestion. A lot depends on how much margin you have to play with.

Also the general state of the thing. Is it nice and flat? Or has it got any creases/lumps and bumps? And how big?

[JFeig]

While TruVue Museum Glass is a fine choice for glazing material, light exposure is still a concern for long term display in regard to true conservation. This is why museums rotate their display items and the are shown in reduced light.

[Abacus]

Mark (sorry, for some unknown reason I am unable to quote a post) could you give some more detail on the newberry or tight fit mount method?

[Roboframer]

Ref quotes, click on your username and see 'Groups'

Ref tight fit method, 90 degree cut aperture from foam board, place fabric over fall out, replace fall out from underneath, adjust position & tension, basically.

[bilalshreif]

Hello Guys ,

First thanks for your answers.
Me also i didnt see the artwork cause the client wanted a solution before bringing the artwork ( security issue not to damage it cause its valuable)
All i know is that the size is approximately 70 by 50 cm he wants to add a mount board 10 cm each side. The artwork is completely flat and will be showing only from the window of the mattboard.
Since i dont have Acid free Foamcore ( hard to get in Lebanon) i am trying to use Corrugated polypropylene or Corex or coroplast as u may know it, instead of the foamcore., i will use daler conservation board, museum glass , wessex barrier sheets , corex and lineco frame sealers, and all with a dust cover from the back.
Is that ok , cos the client said that the silk is already by nature alkaline and he should always stay like this we shouldnt try to neutralize it ( dont know if that is true)

i hope i have given u enough information. appreciate your help.

[Abacus]

robbo, thanks for the explanation of tight fit method, very useful.

As for the no quotes group don't get me started

[JFeig]

....the client said that the silk is already by nature alkaline and he should always stay like this we shouldn't try to neutralize it ( don't know if that is true)

The client appears to be very knowledgeable. You should be using non-buffered boards.

[prospero]

The Newberry method is great for most things, but for uber-conservation things could be a bit iffy. It only really works with foamcore because of it's grippy and deformable nature. The archival qualities of foam core are questionable. The facing papers may be acid-free -blahblah, but the core is another matter. Also, it means folding the silk. Not a good thing possibly. Silk creases easily and the creases tend to become permanent. It also gets very brittle with age.
I would sooner cut a piece of ragboard a bit bigger than the piece, lay the silk on that and tape the board to the back of the (rag) mount). Fill in the rest of the back of the mount to level it up. The edges would be held and no adhesives or bending. Of course this would work fine on a smallish piece that was flat. Might have problems if it were bigger as it may tend to sag. If it was already creased or wavy it would have to remain so as you can't stretch it flat this way. But it would at least remain in it's original state.

Just a thought. One way to test if a thing is real silk is the chuck it at a brick wall. If it sticks, it's silk.
So to make a grippy surface you could get another piece of silk and stretch that over a board and secure it tight. Smooth the drawing on that and tape to the back of a mount. It might resist sagging this way. Sounds plausible enough.

[bilalshreif]

thanks guys!
ill try to post some photos once i get the job.

Best

[Not your average framer]

The archival qualities of foam core are questionable. The facing papers may be acid-free -blahblah, but the core is another matter.

I assumed that ArtCare foamboard was produced to be fully conservation quality materials throughout.

Is there any suggestion that ArtCare foamboard should be considered questionable, or is it still O.K.?

Thanks

[Roboframer]

The foam centre is 'inert' but 'conservation' quality is another matter. It's the surface paper that conforms to the same standards as the rest of their artcare boards.

Regards the tight fit method, I did say 'basically' - it does not have to be foam board, it's just that foam board is most convenient being very easy to cut, you could use thick mount board, even a couple or more boards that you have bonded together yourself to make as thick as you like - and you could bond them together with starch paste if you wanted, not difficult or expensive and a better adhesive than any manufacturer uses in boards anyway.

You could also reduce the size of the fall out by a fraction and chamfer it - and chamfer the aperture too and then wrap the aperture ..... and the fallout, with fabric or with top class mount board surface paper; the fallout could be padded with polyester quilt wadding or something. That would reduce creasing and so would the tension you apply to the silk. Does it need to be drum-skin tight?

Thing is we're talking about excess fabric if you have that luxury, just like the excess you need to stretch an oil on canvas over a stretcher frame - and what do you do with that? Knock nails (or fire staples) through it, that's what!

I'd very probably sew light calico extensions to the fabric and lace it.

Anyway, if any of these methods are good for a conservative silk, would they also be OK for a UKIP one?

.