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Articles by Chris A. Paschke, CPF GCF CMG
"Knowing When To Countermount"
August 1999
Sometimes we undertake secondary processes of a procedure singularly to
attempt to correct a negligent first step mistake. But then there are the times
we must integrate step two, when step one simply didn't turn out as we
expected. I have stressed in past
articles that when mounting we should always know what to expect from the end
product, or the mounting process maybe should never be undertaken in the first
place. By that I mean be familiar enough with the method of mounting selected
to know what should, as well as, what might happen.
Past experiences with repetitions of dry mounting may tell us that a
given 24"x36" poster when mounted to regular clay-coated 3/16"
foam board using a permanent tissue adhesive will not warp, but do you know
that for sure. Odds are if attention is paid to the proper TTPM (time,
temperature, pressure, moisture) aspects of mounting, the project will indeed
lie flat. Understanding the reasons behind boards that warp will often allow us
to prevent the occurrence or correct it when it is out of our control.
TTPM
All mounting methods have a particular time the adhesive takes to cure or mount. Sometimes it is
the open or dwell time that a solvent needs to evaporate. Sometimes it's
weighted time a pressure-sensitive requires to create its lasting bond, or it
could be how long a dry mount film must be exposed to heat to melt. The temperature required for bonding
as well as the minimum and maximum operational outdoor or indoor temperatures
(weather conditions) will also impact an end result. Using a wet glue that has
been sitting in a 30F degree room overnight will not spread smoothly and the
open time may be impacted.
Pressure is an important element of mounting,
particularly when overcoming a warped board. Often weighting a dry mount during
cooling can eliminate potential warping, and since weighting is mandatory with all
cold mounting methods it will do to help override a warp. But pressure alone is
neither the cause nor the solution to the real cause of warpage,
which is moisture.
mounting
to damp materials
In order to understand warping and its potential solution, countermounting,
let's consider the moisture issue. Bowing will occur where the mounting
substrate has the greatest density of moisture content remaining. If a board is
cool to the touch that is the first indicator there is moisture present. Even
if the substrate is predried for 15 seconds as is recommended in mechanical
press preparation, the paper layers on the face of the board that are in
closest proximity to the platen will potentially dry while the back paper
layers may still remain damp.
In order to truly predry a substrate throughout both sides and the
center core, the board should be predried from both sides, and depending on the
density and overall size of the substrate the board could require numerous
minutes of heat application to dry totally it out. If any warm moist steam is
evident to the touch when the board is removed from predrying there remains
moisture in the board.
This moisture can cause two problems. First, it can prevent a smooth,
even bond for when moisture reaches at 215F degrees it turns to steam and can
create trapped air bubbles under the mounting. This can particularly occur when
mounting nonporous photos, low end high gloss clay coated posters and upper end
thick inked or glazed posters. Second,
it can create or encourage warping.
Predrying is designed to cook or scare the moisture out of the selected
substrate, but will do so from the platen down, thus driving the moisture out
towards and hopefully through the back of the board. The front may indeed dry
in 15 seconds, but the back will remain moist unless flipped and redried.
Any damp fibers that remain in the back sheets of the mount board swell
or expand fiber width and create a natural concave curvature to the face of the
mounting (diagram 1). The front dry
fibers and layers of the substrate have been set and affixed with the mounted
poster and a mounting adhesive and will better hold to the original size and
shape with no expansion.
Foam center boards that function as insulators against heat
transmission do not allow heat from the platen to penetrate into the center
foam at all, so the back papers will never predry unless turned over and
predried on both sides. Even a clay coated paper surface that does not absorb
moisture can maintain microscopic water droplets on its surface which can
create water vapor if dry mounted.
wet
glue warping
When wet gluing, warping occurs when the substrate surface layers
remain moist while the back stays drier. Moisture content is needs to be
applied to help expand dry paper fibers to be in unity with the application of
wet adhesive to the board. Without this expansion the poster fibers remain
smaller and more contracted then the expanded fibers of the substrate. This
could not only warp the end mounting by restricting its expansion, but could
create a weaker bond as the two surfaces fight to expand and contract at
different rates. Countermounting is in order.
Bowing is caused by the paper fibers of a board or paper expanding in
width with the introduction or presence of moisture to the fiber. Paper fibers
rarely expand in length but rather thicken in width and between the fibers as moisture
is allowed to remain. Both paper and wood will expand from moisture and warping
(also known as bowing) which occurs when the two sides of the sheet are unequal
in their moisture content thus fiber width. Wood moulding, however, will expand
outwardly since the mitered corners and grain length limit length and inward
expansion.
PAPER
FIBERS AND GRAIN
Japanese papers are handmade using long, soft, tough fibers that do not
create a natural grain when folded as Western machine-made papers do (diagram
2). Western papers are made of numerous
short fibers running dominantly in one direction. A few fibers run at cross pattern to hold the
paper together. The grain of a paper runs the same direction as the bulk of the
fibers, while cross-grain is the opposite direction.
To determine paper grain, papers and boards are less resistant to being
curved when they are torqued or lightly hand bent with the grain. This is because of bending fewer fibers in
the process. Resistance will be felt when bent against the grain. Papers tear easier and straighter when torn
with the grain. Moisture testing will also indicate grain direction. By misting a paper or board it will naturally
curl with the grain direction as the bulk of the fibers thicken through
moisture absorption (diagram 3).
understanding
warping and possible solutions
During the course of finding a solution once a problem has occurred, it
may help to think through what actually happened. Perhaps this will prevent
further problems. If a substrate warps convex to the print surface (curves away
from the print) the print may have contained moisture, the substrate surface
wasn't predried, or perhaps wet glue expanded the board surface after
application. If the warp is concave to the poster surface (curves toward from
the print) then the substrate lower layers or back sheets retained moisture and
expanded more than the mounted item.
In the second case if this had been a dry mounted project one solution
might be to invert the project mounting and place it back into the press face
down to expose the back of the substrate to drying. This could also be the case
with a foam substrate. In either case total drying or cooling under an adequate
weight of plate glass or the equivalent could help correct the problem.
countermounting
The only way to compensate for fiber expansion on the surface of the
mount board is to apply the same degree of tension or expansion to the back of
the mount board. Countermounting is the technique of applying a mounted paper
or photo paper to the verso (back) side of the substrate to counter the tension
created by the front mounting.
By wet, or dry mounting a sheet of approximately same weight paper to the
back of the board using the same adhesive and technique the surface tension
will be created the same both front and back reducing, eliminating, or neutralizing
the warp (diagram 4). The curve of the warp will generally be across the grain
because the bulk of the fibers are running in one direction and as they thicken
as they get wider.
When applying a mount to the verso side of the substrate the paper
applied should have its grain running the same direction as the grain of the
top mounted paper layer. Since dominant expansion is with cross grain as the
bulk of the fibers thicken, countermounting should match the expansion as
closely as possible to equal the two sides.
selecting
substrates
Mounting at cross grain may help but may not reduce enough to compensate
a warp either. If the mounting is a 40"x60" that is not intended to
be placed into a substantial moulding then probably the best way to compensate
for potential warping would be: 1) select a substrate rigid enough to handle
the oversized project; 2) make certain all materials are fully dried; 3)
countermount with appropriate matching weight materials.
Consider the thickness as well as the surface strength, but remember
too that wood products and paper core materials will be more likely to maintain
unwanted moisture. Selected boards must be thick enough to support both the
size of the art and the added moisture. Thin X boards or equivalent 4-ply mat
boards are generally suitable for 16" x 20" or less,
3X for larger than 16" x 20" and 3/16" foam for full
sized 32" x 40" mounts.
Oversized 40" x 60" substrates could require Gatorboard,
MightyCore, Nucor, Sintra, or hardboards such as MDF, plywood, masonite, and
such.
Even when all moisture problems are taken into account, the substrate
is thick enough, the paper art is moistened for fiber expansion, and the
project is dried under a weight for 24 hours, warping can still occur.
pricing
for countering
There has been some debate over what to charge for countermounting. Most
of the time we shouldn't have to do it because our selected frame will be
substantial enough to compensate for any warp or bow in the boards. But when it
is required due to a large format mounting that could buckle into a single mat
window then pricing must be considered too.
The first school of thought stands behind a simple doubling of the
original mounting charge. Two mountings one front one back, twice the cost. In
conjunction with that concept is the sales aid of helping nudge an overly
economic or resistant customer into better moulding or a higher priced more
rigid substrate when facing him with double the mounting charge just to
countermount. The second school feels that since mounting charges include the
cost of the substrate, adhesive, labor and profit, then the countermounting
charge should be somewhat less. They believe that only the adhesive, time and
profit should be covered, maybe equaling only half the original mounting
charge.
One could argue the expertise alone in knowing what to do and why
should increase this half charge to the full mounting charge as above. Then
there is always the "charge what the market will bear" concept. In
either event framers rarely charge enough for what they do and you will always
end up going with your own conscious. It is a judgment call after all.
knowing
when to counter
So knowing when to countermount and when not can hinge greatly on the
desires of the customer, thickness of moulding for the frame in direct relation
to the size and weight of the project, the materials selected for the project
mounting, the mounting method used, and the expertise of the technique of said
mounting.
Countermounting may be a fix-it for too thin a substrate or a reminder
of forgetting to predry prior to mounting anything in a mechanical press. In either event it may remedy a problem or
could be the catalyst to sell up into a bigger frame. Both could translate into greater profits.
END
Diagram 1
Diagram 2
Diagram 3
Diagram 4
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.
For live consultations
with Chris Paschke, CPF GCF call Designs Ink, 661.821.2188. A flat fee of $25
will be charged for each new technical problem. Unlimited calls or emails are
allowed for each established mounting problem.
Chris A Paschke, CPF
GCF
Designs Ink
Designs Ink Publishing
785 Tucker Road, Suite
G-183
Tehachapi, CA 93561
661.821.2188