Best Method of Gluing to Aluminum and Similar Rigid Surfaces

[Fragomeni]

Hi all. I'll be working with some multiple printing techniques coming up soon and I wondering what the best methods are for gluing paper to aluminum sheet (or perspex or acrylic sheet and other rigid surfaces). I've searched the forum but haven't found much in detail on this. I have lots of information referring to Irving Penn bonding paper to aluminum sheet using a few different materials. Also, I've watched the videos on this PAGE which shows the printer using diluted PVAc adhesive. The problem with these videos is that they dont give any insight into how to properly remove the paper from the aluminum sheet when the printing is done.

For those using PVAc adhesive to bond paper to aluminum, how do you go about seperating the paper from the aluminum when you are done printing?

If not using PVAc adhesive, what adhesive are you using?

I've read that one of the Penn techniques was to drymount the paper to the aluminum sheet in a dry mount press which could then be seperated from the aluminum sheet when he was done by reheating it in the press. Thoughts on this?

Are those of you who are using these bonding techniques using aluminum or other rigid materials? I am in need of a rigid material that I can punch for registration purposes and aluminum seems the best option so far. Any insight?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[greenrhino]

Hi all. I'll be working with some multiple printing techniques coming up soon and I wondering what the best methods are for gluing paper to aluminum sheet (or perspex or acrylic sheet and other rigid surfaces). I've searched the forum but haven't found much in detail on this. I have lots of information referring to Irving Penn bonding paper to aluminum sheet using a few different materials. Also, I've watched the videos on this PAGE which shows the printer using diluted PVAc adhesive. The problem with these videos is that they dont give any insight into how to properly remove the paper from the aluminum sheet when the printing is done.

For those using PVAc adhesive to bond paper to aluminum, how do you go about seperating the paper from the aluminum when you are done printing?

If not using PVAc adhesive, what adhesive are you using?

I've read that one of the Penn techniques was to drymount the paper to the aluminum sheet in a dry mount press which could then be seperated from the aluminum sheet when he was done by reheating it in the press. Thoughts on this?

Are those of you who are using these bonding techniques using aluminum or other rigid materials? I am in need of a rigid material that I can punch for registration purposes and aluminum seems the best option so far. Any insight?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Fusion 4000 works really well. It is a dry mount hotpress material that is reversable when heated back up to 180. It takes a few minutes work but the paper will peel back off the aluminum. Do not overheat it or it will become bonded to the material and wont reverse so easily. Due to the heat, plexi will not work. You can wet mount it as well as you suggest but this seems messier. I wet mount albumen prints so they stay flat. Not much fun, but it is archival to a conservators standard, so it is also reversable with water. For this I use a starch paste. Good Luck

 

[Bob Carnie]

I had three Irving Penn Prints in my shop last summer, to be de framed and then off to auction house.
the prints were still on the aluminum.
notes on paper mounted to back.


We mount to thin aluminum using a Drytac cold mount face adehesive.
This adhesive is ph nuetral, it can be removed but I do not plan to remove the paper from the aluminum.

hope helps

 

[Fragomeni]

Fusion 4000 works really well. It is a dry mount hotpress material that is reversable when heated back up to 180. It takes a few minutes work but the paper will peel back off the aluminum. Do not overheat it or it will become bonded to the material and wont reverse so easily. Due to the heat, plexi will not work.

Is Fusion 4000 archival? I was thinking about using my archival Bienfeng/SEAL drymount material that I use for matting my silver prints. Its low temperture adhesive and is archival. I would then be able to bond to the aluminum, do the printing, dry and remove the print from the aluminum and then mount it to matte board.

I had three Irving Penn Prints in my shop last summer, to be de framed and then off to auction house.
the prints were still on the aluminum.
notes on paper mounted to back.

The prints were still on the aluminum?? Do you know the dates of the prints? I'm wondering if this is before he was using the drymount technique.

I'm curious what the gum printers out there are using. I know not everyone bonds their paper to a rigid surface to print but many do. I'm wondering what adhesive materials and techniques are being used. Archivability is of course critical.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Yes they were, The worker series, three prints sold for $187000 Canadian. My client bought them for $9000 Canadian. Not sure of the dates, both sides of the aluminum had paper on it.
Aluminum was punched on the short side.
For hot mounting we are now using Drytac Artsafe 200

We are mounting for multiple hit purposes.

 

[greenrhino]

Fusion 4000 is ph neutral @ 7 so it is archival. Beva is another material you may look at. I use that as well. That is a material that comes as both sheets or liquid and can be applied with low heat. It is also archival to conservators standards. It is removable upon reheating. Really nice stuff. It is used by restorers and conservators to temporarily adhere artwork to a substrate while repairs and cleaning are taking place. I have used both with success for both straight mounting as well as mounting to Aluminum for multiple layer printing (gum, platinum). The Beva sets a slightly lower temp than the Fusion and seems to come off a bit more readily.

 

[BenjaminAustin]

Wet mounting for gum

Hi there,
For gum printing I'm wet mounting to alupanel for good rego. I soak the paper for 2 hours then hang it up to remove excess water. Once drips slow down I spray the back with slightly diluted gum Arabic using a garden sprayer. I then lay it on the panel and run a little bead of EVA glue around the paper underneath the outside rim. I run a finger around the outside to ensure good contact. I then get water colorist gum tape and tape the paper down ( dunk the tape in water, lay it across your edge, remove excess water with a tissue)
I let it dry flat and the paper pulls itself tight as a drum. I sometimes run strips of masking tape over the gum tape to slightly protect it from the long development soaks.
Its good for 5 or so gum layers.
To get it off - run a blade around the inside of the gum tape ( that should leave the glued bit still attached) and give it a quick soak to loosen the gum sprayed on the back. It'll lift right off. Voila.
I'm using this technique for my big 1100mm x 850mm sheets.
Cheers. B

 

[Fragomeni]

This is great info! Thanks Ben!

 

[dpurdy]

I have also handled an Irving Penn that was still on the Aluminum. I talked with his assistant and found out he used a double sticky sided shrink wrap material he had special made.
Fusion 4000 as I have been told is nothing more than a sheet of PVA. You can brush on PVA and then after adhering the print to the plate, put it in a dry mount press as PVA is heat sensitive and will smooth out.
Dennis

 

[Fragomeni]

Yes but Fusion 4000 is reversible/removable in a dry mount press, correct? Please correct me if I'm wrong. As I understand it (and I may be mistaken) Penn made prints that never left the aluminum because once the bonding agent dried it was permanent which is what led him to find other bonding agents which allowed him the ability to remove prints from the aluminum once the printing process was complete. I thought Fusion 4000 was one of these reversible bonding agents.