Matting questions....

[Killjoy]

Originally Posted by lvolkjr

Yea, sure, I would like to learn to cut mats. When?

Hmm. Seeing as it's Christmas eve eve :p I doubt it's gonna happen this week.
Shall we try to plan for a day next week? That'll give me a chance to get my print and check out some mats too.

[Lilikoi the cat]

^
Post up where you can find mat. I know you can buy the precut ones over in WC at 1180 locust and possibly a few colors of mat. It is easy for me to go over to Mon Mart and check out colors and sizes for you.

[lvolkjr]

Originally Posted by Killjoy

Hmm. Seeing as it's Christmas eve eve :p I doubt it's gonna happen this week.
Shall we try to plan for a day next week? That'll give me a chance to get my print and check out some mats too.

Man, what a Grinch! Sorry about that, I got distracted by your avatar. Will I need materials, a print(s), medical kit, a drink?

[lvolkjr]

Originally Posted by Lilikoi the cat

^
Post up where you can find mat. I know you can buy the precut ones over in WC at 1180 locust and possibly a few colors of mat. It is easy for me to go over to Mon Mart and check out colors and sizes for you.

There's Dick Blick in Berkeley, I just like saying Dick Blick.

[windrivermaiden]

To mount artwork correctly one should use hinging tape or mounting corners and a back mat. A back mat is cut from acid free mat board or mounting board the same size as your mat and protects the artwork from behind as well as giving a good surface to mount to.

Hinging tape comes in either linen or rice paper, the adhesive is removable. Lineco makes a good product... put two little tabs onto your artwork and then attach the tape to the mats. The Lineco brand used to have directions right on the box. Mind that it is EXPENSIVE! 25 bucks a roll for the linen and not gluten free if you have a problem...don't lick it to get it to stick anyway. That can lead to mold and other fungal growth.

The other option is to use mounting corners. You can purchase them from places like Light impressions. They come in clear plastic and acid free paper. Or make your own from acid free paper. I use off cuts of my watercolor paper that I make my prints from. cut little strips of paper as wide as needed and fold the ends in to form a 90 degree pocket. Affix the little pockets to the back mat with tape.


I recommend using Pro brand "Artist's tape" it is pH neutral and has an adhesive that is not too sticky in case you need to reposition.


I went to a seminar this summer at PhotoSantaFe on daguerreotype given by a photochemist researcher from Rochester who spoke about conservation of photographs in general under glass. Her micrographs of what happens to glass molecules and photographs over time were astounding. You'd think that glass was your best bet protection wise but it turns out that impurities in the glass actually attach to the photographs over time. Her conclusion was that plexi and Lexan were the best choices over all. I still framed 3 with glass this morning.

[lvolkjr]

Wow, thanks for the information Crystal.

[Killjoy]

Originally Posted by lvolkjr

Wow, thanks for the information Crystal.

Ditto!:w00t:

[Lilikoi the cat]

Originally Posted by lvolkjr

There's Dick Blick in Berkeley, I just like saying Dick Blick.

Oakland- Broadway and ~53 , I think I'll pick up tape and corners there or in WC.

[Lilikoi the cat]

I have these.
stuff

[Killjoy]

Obviously, looking at the matting stuff, I will need to print my image with a border so that I have something to overlap with the mat and for the tape to hold onto.
If I don't print with a border, then I could be missing some of the image after putting the mat down on it.

[Lilikoi the cat]

Or crop it 1" larger. If you can't do that to your prints, then you would have to live with the clear plastic over the photo or make the mat 1/4" small and hope your paper is flat. Probably best to use the heaviest stock too??

[windrivermaiden]

You can back mount or float edgeless photos. It is a little tricky to do, but once you get the hang of it not too bad. The technique is pretty much the same as using hinging tape tabs only the tabs are applied further into the center (of the back) of the artwork and then the mounting tape is secured to the back mat such that it does not show. I would do two sets of tabs, top and bottom.

The mat is then cut with what ever gap one wants around the perimeter of the image. The image does need to be nice and flat because the mat doesn't hold it in place. You can use a colored back mat and have a rim of color (or black or white), around the image between the image and upper mat. If you do not want to have a front mat, you can do that, but you need to have spacer strips between the back mat and the glass so the glass doesn't rest on the artwork.

Spacer strips are thin Lexan or Poly strips that attach to the rabbet of the frame with adhesive. You can buy it by the foot at a good frame place. cut it your self with a pair of wire dykes or little hack saw. The rabbet is the little shelf that the glass and mat sits on inside the frame.

The glass should never sit directly on the artwork.

Another cool way is to gap float using the spongy squares of adhesive. This method is only for artwork mounted or printed on a stiff substrait or back mounted on Lexan. . With a gap float, the image sits above the back mat and sort of looks like it is floating in mid air. It requires a deeper frame and alot of care to make sure the image is precisely centered. Deep Frames = $$$ though and often have to be special ordered without return clause. which can be frustrating because sometimes, the actual length of moulding doesn't look quite like the sample.

[lvolkjr]

Windy, again thanks for the education.

[windrivermaiden]

At least I gained some useful knowledge working for minimum wage. :-)