Whitest conservation mount

Get help and framing advice from the framing community
Post Reply
Jag62
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu 07 May, 2020 2:17 pm
Location: Dan Saff
Organisation: ---
Interests: Biscuits

Whitest conservation mount

Post by Jag62 »

Hi all,

I'm trying to find the whitest possible conservation mount. I've searched all the LJ, Colourmount & Daler options to no avail.
The glacier, arctic and snow whites look creamy, pinky or yellowy against the extremely white picture border I have in for framing.
Any suggestions please ?

Also the customer has selected an mdf frame and given the processes that mdf goes through is mdf suitable for conservation framing ?
If so do I need to provide any additional protection (e.g. lining of rebate) ?
Customer has also asked if mdf frames are stable (i.e. will they warp) ?

Many thanks,

Neil
User avatar
Steve N
Posts: 2992
Joined: Sat 21 Jul, 2007 2:32 pm
Location: Somewhere Staple Hill Bristol
Organisation: Frontier Picture Frames ltd
Interests: Walking our retired Greyhound,art, falling asleep on sofa in front of the telly
Location: Now in Bristol
Contact:

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Steve N »

Have a look at this thread, might explain, the paper might have been treated as per the thread, so it's bright white, had a design/photorapher come in to me and want a mount to match his paper, he had to compaire them outside in the daylight

https://www.theframersforum.com/viewtop ... 15#p125815
Steve CEO GCF (020)
Believed in Time Travel since 2035

Proud to sell Ready Made Frames
http://www.frontierpictureframes.com
http://www.designerpicturemounts.com/
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: Whitest conservation mount

Post by David McCormack »

Bright white paper or board will contain optical brightening agents (OBAs) so you're out of luck there. If your idea of conservation is in line with the FATG standards then the board can't contain OBAs:

"2.17. The stock must be free of optical brightening agents."

Having said that, the print border will also have OBAs in it if it's that white! It's always difficult to match colours (especially whites) and sometimes just better to have a contrasting colour/shade IMHO :D

As for MDF I can't say if it will warp in time but lining the rebate is a good idea.
"You know, there's a right and wrong way to do everything!"
Oliver Hardy.
https://www.instagram.com/davidaustinmccormack/
Richard Photofusion
Posts: 221
Joined: Wed 02 Jun, 2010 10:12 am
Location: Brixton, London
Organisation: Photofusion
Interests: Photography, and carting a young gymnast from class to comp to where ever the next sport is.*

*young, now a teenager...
Location: Brixton
Contact:

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Richard Photofusion »

The effects of OBA's can be greatly reduced by blocking the UV falling onto the paper...

Canson/Arches new BFK Rives PW is supposedly the brightest non-OBA printing paper, using a suspected blue pigment in the coating. You could bond that atop of whatever is the brightest archival board.
JFeig
Posts: 1285
Joined: Thu 23 Sep, 2004 8:31 pm
Location: Detroit, Michigan USA
Organisation: minoxy, LLC
Interests: non-fiction knowledge
Contact:

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by JFeig »

In general MDF products are not considered a product appropriate for conservation use.
Jerome Feig CPF®
http://www.minoxy.com
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Not your average framer »

It a fairly universally accepted fact that MDF normally contains a significant amount of formaldehyde. Formaldhyde is a very powerful ingredient and highly invasive chemical product which is definitely not a conservation friendly material. Formaldehyde is a major ingredient in expoxy resins. Normally, most MDF mouldings are finished with a silicone coated paper wrapped covering which is applied with a self adhesive backing.

Unfortunately MDF is a hydroscopic material and absorbs humidity from the air and expands, creating tension between the MDF and the paper wrapping, then all is needs is a few hot days in the summer and the self adhesive of the paper starts to creep and then the unsightly gaps start to appear at the corners of the frame as paper is able to return to it's original dimensions.

You often can see how awful such frames can look after very little time, by looking at such frames in your local charity shops. Such moulding are mostly used for contract framing jobs, when quality is of secondary importance to getting the lowest possible prices. Even many super markets are not display MDF paper wrapped frames these day and they have largely been replaced by polymer mouldings (similar to Polcore) instead.

It may not cost you much more to switch to polymer mouldings yourself!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
Jag62
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu 07 May, 2020 2:17 pm
Location: Dan Saff
Organisation: ---
Interests: Biscuits

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Jag62 »

Pheww, found the same moulding in obeche so the mdf issue has gone away.

Thanks all !

Neil
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Not your average framer »

Obeche is also kinder to you Morso blades as well!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
Jag62
Posts: 117
Joined: Thu 07 May, 2020 2:17 pm
Location: Dan Saff
Organisation: ---
Interests: Biscuits

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Jag62 »

Hadn't thought of that Mark, thanks for the tip.
Not your average framer
Posts: 11014
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Whitest conservation mount

Post by Not your average framer »

OBA's will eventually become less effective as time goes by, it's a basic limitation of this type of technology. OBA's work the same way as the flourescent coating inside fourescent lighting tubes. Big stores companies will often replace their flourescent lighting tubes in as little as 6 months of use. It is said that this is how long it takes for the initially light intesity to decline to 50 percent of the flourescent tubes original level. The reality is that the tubes are still consuming the same amount of electric power, but the flourescent coating inside the tube is now not delivering the same level of light. This is not just bad economics for the store, but these stores are very dependant of well light in store advertising and product prominance in good levels of lighting to maintain sales levels. The same can also be true with intense white light LED's, which also convert an intense ultra violet LED light in to a white light by the same principle.

It is not difficult to understand the comments about discolouration of the mountboard, as it's the same principle which applies is this situation as well and I would suggest that it is possible that this so called discolouration might be due to nothing more than a simple loss of flourescence from the OBA's. As far as I am aware most of these flourescent materials are concerned, they are based up on naturally occurring mineral semiconductor compounds and as such these compounds are pobablly not very likely to add any additional pigmenting to the paper whatsoever. If anyone is interested to carry out a little experiment with their UV lamp and and a decent quality of Titanium White paint, I'd be interested in hearing if this also flouresceces. Titanium White contains titanium dioxide which is a very interesting material and has some interesting properties which also makes it very usueful in electro optical applications. I am expecting these OBA's to be either colourless, or perhaps white.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
Post Reply