Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Canvas on Luan  (Read 2601 times)

dennmorr

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 36
Canvas on Luan
« on: July 21, 2012, 10:41:07 am »

Has anyone had any experience presenting Canvas on luan (1/4" plywood). I am currently  stretching and stapling. Is there a glue that might work for this?
Dennis Morris
Logged

framah

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1418
Re: Canvas on Luan
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2012, 12:02:51 pm »

I would think the canvas glued to the luan would make the luan bow.
Logged
"It took a  lifetime of suffering and personal sacrifice to develop my keen aesthetic sense."

Colorwave

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1006
    • Colorwave Imaging
Re: Canvas on Luan
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2012, 01:39:27 pm »

As someone who has gone through probably thousands of sheets of lauan in my 27 year scene shop owner career days, I can tell you that it will work if you do it right.  I'm not sure that it will be any cheaper in the long run, if you value your time a bit, than using Gatorfoam, though.

Lauan is a broad species name that really encompasses a whole family of tropical mahogany tree types, and they vary tremendously in some respects, most notably the tannin content.  The blonde stuff has very little, and the dark red has the most. It will migrate through any water based product over time and stain it from the back, and it is very acidic, so you will want to seal it.  That needs to be done with a solvent based barrier coat.  I found the shellac based BIN primer or KILZ to be the best at sealing it from leeching tannin.  To prevent warpage, you will want to prime both sides.  I would then give it a light sand and adhere the canvas to the wood with Miracle Muck/PVA adhesive, or one of the giclee coatings that claim to do double duty as an adhesive, like Glamour II.

A recessed wood frame on the back that is well built, or better yet, one with a second skin on the back, will hold it completely flat, with only a 1/4" canvas wrapped edge.  The second skin is what engineers call a stress skin, and it gives it great flatness and stiffness with even a crappy frame.  That's how hollow core doors are made, and they rarely warp, even with low quality materials.

When all of this is said and done, though, I question if this is a better way than just using Gatorfoam with some museum cleats on the back.
Logged
-Ron H.
[url=http://colorwaveimaging.com

bill t.

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3011
    • http://www.unit16.net
Re: Canvas on Luan
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2012, 02:21:06 pm »

Masonite always works pretty well.  Have some silver prints glued and wrapped on Masonite that are many decades old and as far as I can tell they are not suffering from anything caused by the Masonite.

Would recommend using a very thick coat of Miracle Muck or similar.  I think the glue itself has at least a partial barrier effect, so the more the merrier.

Have also mounted a few large pano prints to 24 x 80 Lauan and Masonite surfaced doors bought from Lowes and Home Depot.  I no longer have access to them but there been no complaints.  Downside is that the finish on the floor end of the doors can vary a lot and in most cases you would have to tidy that side up a bit, such as filling in small gaps.  I think the common widths are 24, 30, 32, and 36 inches.  These also make great worktables.

And of course good old Gatorfoam weighs zilch and is literally as flat as a board once the glue dries.  But the sides are too delicate to use without some sort of protections such as a frame.  Much cheaper foamcore is a no-show, it will warp insanely from the git-go and stay that way forever.
Logged

Colorwave

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1006
    • Colorwave Imaging
Re: Canvas on Luan
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2012, 02:32:10 pm »

Bill-
Did you wrap canvas around the edge of the doors, so it looked like a normal gallery wrap?  That's an interesting idea.
Regarding the Gatorfoam edge idea, I once routed out all the foam from the edge of a bunch of panels, leaving the skin, replaced the foam with a wood border, and then laminated over the whole sandwich.  All in pursuit of the lightest, strongest panels I could come up with, short of carbon fiber on honeycomb.  I can't imagine doing that again.  K.I.S.S.
Logged
-Ron H.
[url=http://colorwaveimaging.com

bill t.

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3011
    • http://www.unit16.net
Re: Canvas on Luan
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2012, 02:48:57 pm »

No I sanded the sides of the doors and finished them with black paint.  The 24" wide prints exactly fitted the door, but it was a twitch to get them aligned.  K.I.S.S. indeed!
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up