DIP Online
Designs Ink Publishing
Article Archive and Reference Library
Articles by Chris A.
Paschke, CPF GCF CMG
"Dampness And Moisture"
April 1992
In
thi day of constant concern over drought in various parts of the country, and
the desire for clean water, there is one place that droplets of water (clean or
otherwise), steam or moisture of any kind is extremely undesirable...and that
is during the course of dry mounting!
As
I've mentioned before and will continue to review, the four keys to successful
mounting are TIME, TEMPERATURE, PRESSURE and the topic of this article
MOISTURE. "Moisture" is quite
easily controlled and by doing so you will ensure repeatedly well executed,
smoothly mounted projects, as long as the other three elements are also always
addressed. Make sure the
"time" is correct for the thickness of the materials being mounted,
the "temperature" is set to accommodate the type of adhesive being
used and that the "pressure" of the press is correct for the above
materials.
Consider
for a moment the frustration of attempting to attach a postage stamp to a damp
envelope. Even though the adhesive on
the back of the stamp and the catalyst of licking the stamp to activate the
adhesive are both there, the stamp still will not stick. The similar result of poor fusion may occur
if you attempted to dry mount a poster with the proper adhesive at the correct
time, temperature and pressure...yet air bubbles occurred under the mounted poster
simply because there was moisture remaining in the selected substrate.
PROCEDURE
Predrying
materials is a very simple process and a mandatory practice to get into when
mounting any sized project, when using a Seal Mechanical Press of any
size. I will address the issue and
options of predrying in vacuum presses a little later. By removing the moisture from within the
board prior to mounting, the adhesive is allowed to readily fuse to the
substrate such as a moistened stamp to a dry envelope. Note also that pressure is always applied to
that stamp too, so very similar theories of mounting apply for any good bond.
Use
a clean piece of absorbent Kraft-type paper folded in half as an envelope, and
place the artwork or material to be mounted into the envelope then into the
press for 15-30 seconds. The press
should have been pre-adjusted to the proper pressure for the substrate to be
mounted and closed, but need not be locked during this process. The substrate also needs to be predried prior
to mounting. Do not attempt to predry
using a release paper envelope, as opposed to Kraft paper, because the moisture
has nowhere to go and is merely trapped or turned to steam.
EXCEPTION
TO THE RULE
It
has been said that foam boards need not be predried for use in a mechanical
press because of the inert nature of the inner foam not wanting to absorb
moisture. I tend to agree with that
theory when discussing the clay coated regular foam boards, but the more toothy
nature of acid-free foam boards may very well absorb some degree of
moisture. If you develop the habit of
regularly predrying your materials, it will become second nature and the
possibility of moisture problems arising will be eliminated entirely from your
mounting worries. This is the correct
method of preventative mounting...don't short cut, do it right from the
beginning.
Reinforcing
good habits by repeated successful mountings will ensure your confidence and
reputation.
The
basic humidity level varies throughout the country and obviously the moisture
issue becomes much greater a problem in high humidity areas. Think about where you work and the storage of
your mounting boards. If you use a
dehumidifier in your store during high humidity months, yet boards are stored
in the basement, the moisture problem in the board will still exist and may be
greater than you realize. Fabrics
notoriously absorb a great deal of moisture as well as boards, and often when materials
feel cool to the touch it is a good indicator of moisture content. Even in regions where humidity is generally
not an issue (perhaps Redding, CA), predrying when using a mechanical press is
a must.
Another
issue to address is the time frame surrounding predrying. You can't predry the entire mounting pile on
Monday for processing on Friday...the boards will most likely reabsorb moisture
during that time. Use common sense! It would be best to predry just prior to
mounting each time. If you create the
habit of predrying in your step-by-step process, just as weighting the
completed mounting during cooling, you've reinforced a positive process of
mounting.
VACUUM
PRESSES
In
opposition to the mandatory procedure of predrying when using a mechanical
press, the vacuum principle of drawing the air from within the press precludes
this step when using a hot/cold vacuum press of any kind. Although it is not a mandatory step, I feel
that once again in high humidity regions of the country it is better to be safe
than sorry. I often predry materials I
plan to vacuum mount simply to ensure control of all the possible variables,
especially since I moved to Connecticut.
All
the elements of successful and profitable mounting are very simple to understand. Control the time, temperature, pressure and
moisture elements of each project and you will achieve the success. By creating perfect and predictable mountings
each time with no mistakes you can only make more money...because once again
"time is money".
END
For more articles on
design or mounting search your desired topic under Articles by Subject.
If you know your specific title check Articles by Title.
Additional
information on mounting basics is found in
The Mounting
and Laminating Handbook, Second Edition, 2002, and
The Mounting
And Laminating Handbook, Third Edition, 2008.
Creative
Mounting, Wrapping, And Laminating, 2000
will teach you
everything you need to know about getting the most from your dry mount
equipment
and materials as an innovative
frame designer. All books are available from Designs Ink Publishing
through this website.
Chris A Paschke, CPF
GCF
Designs Ink
Designs Ink
Publishing
785 Tucker Road,
Suite G-183
Tehachapi, CA
93561
661.821.2188
info@designsinkart.com