Another float mounting question

[nolonstacey]

I know float mounting has come up a lot on the forum, and I thought I'd fully got the hang of it. The last couple I've done have bowed at the top, between the two anchor points. I used what I think is called the hedgehog method as in the attached, with two anchor points. Is there something I'm missing with this method? Should there not be two anchor points (there are certainly two shown on the video?

You can see how badly it's bowed along the top. There's no bowing at all along the sides. the paper isn't particularly big at 14x11" and it's 315gsm paper.

[fitz]

56 views and no responses yet so here’s a few questions to consider. Is the paper proper flat at the outset? Is the bowed end the last end you work on and therefore you may be creating the bowed effect as you work round the piece? Are you using enough bridge hinges or are there too large gaps between them? How about trying one anchor on each side? This will allow the work to expand etc but you shouldn’t be seeing this at such a early stage of fixing so something is going wrong during the process. Are you leaving too big a gap between the fall out board and the artwork ie the fall out board should be quite near the edge of the artwork, just enough to stick the tape by say 5mm or thereabouts. I’m by no means an expert but just wanted to give you my initial thoughts. I’m sure others on here can offer more.

[nolonstacey]

Thanks for the replay Fitz, I really appreciate it.

It was perfectly flat when I had finished it. It then went in a drawer overnight to be framed the next day. It bowed overnight. The gap between fallout board and the edge of the paper is only 1cm. It could be not enough bridges though. But where it bowed, if there had been a bridge in the middle there, I suspect it might have ended up with a double bow. The bow is between the two anchor points, so maybe just one anchor either side could work. Wouldn’t you need two to hold it secure?

[prospero]

When doing the top-edge hinges it is a good idea to make one with longer 'leg'. The so-called pendulum hinge.
This allows the section between to expand.
Sometimes what ever you do it will still wiggle about and bow. Float mounting is not really the ideal way to mount paper art.
It's popular, and people ask for it but they have to except the shortcomings.

[nolonstacey]

When doing the top-edge hinges it is a good idea to make one with longer 'leg'. The so-called pendulum hinge.
This allows the section between to expand.
Sometimes what ever you do it will still wiggle about and bow. Float mounting is not really the ideal way to mount paper art.
It's popular, and people ask for it but they have to except the shortcomings.

Thanks for that. Given this is my own work, I probably shouldn’t be mounting it this way. My thinking is to perfect it with my own before I do others. I’ve float mounted a lot of prints, but usually much larger, and I’ve never had a problem with those. You would have thought it would be the other way around. I’ll give the pendulum hinge a go. Thanks!!

[vintage frames]

I was thinking, why not just add another hinge or two.
Or, if that doesn't work, maybe a few 'pass through' hinges near where the paper is bowing.
Or maybe as Fitz suggested, the paper just doesn't want to stay flat. The ripple is baked into the paper and you fighting with it will only cause more trouble later.

If that was the case, I would attach it to the fall-out board as lightly as necessary, glue a smaller sized piece of 5mm foam board to the underside and have the artwork displayed as floating on a platform.

[JKX]

I was never that fussed about this method - there are many ways to do this "fallout" method, this is just one person's adaption of it.

The bridge and anchor hinges I suppose are to replicate the tight and pendulum T hinge already mentioned when mounting in the normal way - you just need more of each. The difference is that with the "normal" (window mount) way, movement is allowed; with this method, movement is guaranteed, maybe not lateral or vertical but definitely forwards ..... because there is no window mount. That can't happen at anchor points.
I think all hinges should be the same, not tight but also not as loose as these "bridges" can be and the way I did that was to not use gummed tapes - well I'd not use them on any artwork anyway but that's another story.

if you make your own hinges from Japanese tissue and cook/mix your own adhesive (e.g. starch paste), then you can apply all the hinges to the artwork, let them dry and then fix the other ends to the mounting board but not the bevel, or not the bevel plus 1mm or so, or you can fix them to the mounting board (fallout) less the bevel first. That will allow enough movement but not enough to be an issue. With any wet method, always dry under weight.

Plus this method states it is for art on heavier paper without saying from what weight ..... and it actually shows wavy paper in the diagrams.

Hope you don't mind me saying I wouldn't float this anyway. Interesting paper edges and/or artwork going to the edge of the paper are pretty much the only reasons I'd float anything.

[nolonstacey]

If that was the case, I would attach it to the fall-out board as lightly as necessary, glue a smaller sized piece of 5mm foam board to the underside and have the artwork displayed as floating on a platform.

I had it floating on a platform anyway. I’ve redone some of the hinges and it seems flat now.

Hope you don't mind me saying I wouldn't float this anyway. Interesting paper edges and/or artwork going to the edge of the paper are pretty much the only reasons I'd float anything.

JKX, I don’t mind you saying! This was more of a practice piece using my own print. I usually deckle the edges first. I might give your method a go though.

After redoing some of the hinges, this is the finished piece. The wave is no more! (Not sure why it’s flipped it!)

[vintage frames]

Is that your own work?
Full respect!
And it looks great in that frame. I like the way you have mounted it.

Can anyone do something about the way photos are being posted side-ways?

[nolonstacey]

Is that your own work?
Full respect!
And it looks great in that frame. I like the way you have mounted it.

Can anyone do something about the way photos are being posted side-ways?

Many thanks. It is my work. I’m predominantly an artist but having framed my own work for a while (and mounted all my own work for 16 years), I started framing for others last year. I mostly do British wildlife rather than landscapes though. I work in pencil or charcoal. This is more my usual work (this one is pencil)

[vintage frames]

I've looked at your website.
Congratulations. It's refreshing to see an artist actually making a living from his own work.

Your landscapes are my personal favourites - "St Mary's Church - Masham" is spectacular.

'Good to hear from you and my advice - stick to the simple plain wood mouldings. Too much choice dilutes the impact.

[nolonstacey]

I've looked at your website.
Congratulations. It's refreshing to see an artist actually making a living from his own work.

Your landscapes are my personal favourites - "St Mary's Church - Masham" is spectacular.

'Good to hear from you and my advice - stick to the simple plain wood mouldings. Too much choice dilutes the impact.

Thanks. My gallery is right next to St Mary’s Church, so I had to draw that!

I pretty much only use simple wood mouldings for my own work, although I did recently have a request for a very ornate gold frame for one of mine!