Framing without glass

[bill t.]

I don't think I was clear, the print with the backing board are flat, just the mat is bowing, mainly on the long edges, that it's 4-5 mm away from the print, getting progressively worse from the corners to the middle. So basically I need something to compress the mat back, such as glass. I'm just curious if I can get away without any glass.

Well...not really.  You could probably glue or drymount the matte on to the print and the backing.  But no gallery would ever want to take pieces like that.  If you ever want to sell art, you would need a more durable framing treatment.  It's not about logic, it's about expectations.

Think about doing coated prints mounted on Dibond or canvases if you want to avoid glazing.  I don't like glazing either, which is why I use canvas.

[Light Seeker]

What's Dibond like to work with?

How is it cut? Do you use spray adhesive to mount a print to it?

I'm interested in avoiding glazing, but I've never worked with Dibond before.

Thanks.

Terry.

[Darrel]

For those using the dibond, can you recommend the PSA to use, and if it has a fairly thick backing paper?  Thanks

[armand]

I got the mat closer by attaching it to the backing board just next to the photo in the middle of the frame. I used some Linen Hinging Tape (the water activated one) so if you are not picky can still be considered archival.
For the future for the bigger photos probably I'll mat the photo to the mat (with water activated hinging) and not to the backing board, plus maybe using a 8-ply mat instead of my regular 4 ply. The other option would be to disregard the full blown archival and attach the mat to the backing board with some double sided adhesive tape that is reasonably photo safe.

[dgberg]

What's Dibond like to work with?

How is it cut? Do you use spray adhesive to mount a print to it?

I'm interested in avoiding glazing, but I've never worked with Dibond before.

Thanks.

Terry.

Terry,
Dibond is a dream to work with when you have the right equipment for cutting.
I cut mine on our sliding table saw. Others use the Terry-Fletcher unit. You may want to look for a distributor that will custom cut.
I use Seals "print mount ultra" for mounting prints to dibond. A cold roll laminating process. 3M has a pma adhesive which does not require the laminator. Some folks have had issues with the 3M holding up.

[Light Seeker]

Thanks Dan. Dibond looks like a nice solution. I'm going to dig into it a little deeper.

Masonite has also come up as an option. Have you ever worked with it?

Terry.

[bill t.]

I mounted lots of mural sized silver paper prints to Masonite in the 70's for museum exhibitions.  Basically, they were wall-papered down and wrapped around the sides using slightly dilute PVA glue instead of wheat paste.  The ones I have are still in good shape...and very heavy!  Masonite is theoretically an archival nightmare, but those nightmares seem not to have come true in almost 40 years.  I think the dried glue acts as a barrier shield.

I now mount canvas prints to Gator using any number of different PVA fabric glues, some of which are buffered to be pH neutral.  The oldest ones I have are several years old and are still flat as a board.  Have had zero separation problems and no problems of any kind actually.  Gator supposedly contains this or that ugly chemical, but I'm counting on the barrier shield effect yet once again.

[Alan Goldhammer]

I now mount canvas prints to Gator using any number of different PVA fabric glues, some of which are buffered to be pH neutral.  The oldest ones I have are several years old and are still flat as a board.  Have had zero separation problems and no problems of any kind actually.  Gator supposedly contains this or that ugly chemical, but I'm counting on the barrier shield effect yet once again.

Looking at the data sheets for Gator, I suspect it is a pretty good product for mounting prints, it should be much better than Masonite since the polystyrene core is inert from a leaching perspective.  Given that the surface is a resin, it may be less problematic than Masonite which is just high pressure wood composite.

Alan

[bill t.]

Just for the record, would like to state that Gator and Dibond are very different critters.  Some of the discussion here may suggest otherwise to newbies.  Dibond is thin aluminum skins over plastic substrate and is quite suitable for stand alone display.  Gator is more like slightly ruggedized foamcore, but with an amazing ability to stay flat when something is attached to it.  But Gator is not durable enough to be used with additional support because the edges are quite delicate.  It should only be used in a frame, or for temporary displays when used by itself.

Gator is very receptive to water based glues, Dibond requires solvent based adhesives.

Dibond costs about 4X more than Gator, and both are relatively expensive.