The Framers Forum

I've been given an oil painting on heavy paper to mount on board. The customer wants it framed without glass, and it is old and a bit fragile. If glass were to be used then I would be OK with T-hinges, but without glass it needs the support of the board I think.

Size of painting 40 x 30 cm.

I do not have any mounting equipment so can only use simple methods. I was thinking of a wet glue like starch paste. Any thoughts about using VacuGlue-300 from Lion http://www.lionpic.co.uk/product/VacuGl ... ,1242.aspx

Thanks

From a conservation point of view it should be treated like a watercolour in a mount and behind glass. Depending on if the paper had been sized ( not always the case some artists paainted on paper without out size because of the muted effect it gave) then it may be quite fragile anyway.

To stick to a board would cause various problems of it not going down flat unless put in a hot press which would itself run the risk of damaging it.

If the customer won't agree to treating it as a paper artwork I personally would walk away. IMHO the risk of damage to the piece out way the benefits financial and otherwise to you and certainly is not beneficial to the piece.

Alistair

Thanks Alistair, yes I agree I would be alot happier to use T-hinges, window-mount and glass but the customer is adamant about no glass. So I need to work out how to mount it on board so it has some rigidity.

The customer fully understands about conservation issues and has infact also given me a lovely old 18C deeds document which he insists is conservation framed so will have to go with his idea of no glass for the oil.

Does 'no glass' also mean 'no mount'? It may look a bit strange to a framers eye but you could just omit the glass and use a narrow mount, perhaps one that is close to the frame colour? Just some off the wall thoughts. I wouldn’t guarantee against any damage though....

The potential problem I see with no glass is that firstly oils on paper can be less stable than on canvas and secondly paper itself open to the elements. I knew a guy who painted oil on unprimed paper. What happened was some of the carrier oils were drawn out of the paint over time leaving this very delicate muted oil which was flaky like pastels. Not good.

This problem seems to be beyond my abilities. If it was to be stuck down you wouldn't beable to use pressure well not a press and you would need to make it reversible.

No glass is a no-no. Oils on paper are usually preliminary sketches for the real work or simply too-mean-to-buy-a-canvas works. In any case they are going to be very fragile. They generally aren't intended to last.
Oils on canvas can withstand repeated patching and re-painting. Paper can't be treated in the same way so it has to be protected. One sharp poke will destroy it irrevocably. Plus cleaning it in the same way as an oil on canvas would be problematic if not impossible.
Also, the oils in the paint will have penetrated though the paper - even if it was primed. The paper would have soaked up the oil in the paint like a sponge, which would weaken the bond. Bits are going to flake off as it ages.
This rules out using any type of glue to mount it to a board. It won't stick evenly. Framing it like any other work on paper is the only satisfactory option. And I would use Mylar edge supports rather than hinges.

Whether you go with the customers wants is up to you, but be sure to impress upon him the likely consequences.

Have you tried suggesting to your customer that they use a reflection control glass - demonstrated well most customers can be persuaded that its a good solution when they need the protection of glass - but dont want to see glass on the art.