icebat
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- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
- Messages
- 2
- Format
- Medium Format
Hi; I'm new here.
I'm a medium-format color photographer who typically prints on Fuji Crystal Archive in the darkroom. In the times I've displayed my work, I've had it professionally drymounted on Sintra and had a clear laminate affixed to the front. The results look good, though I'm not sure how long they'll last.
But now I'm doing something completely different -- collages. I want to do more of the processes myself, and I'm not sure of the best brands or types of adhesives or sealants/laminates.
Basically I'll be printing a background image at 11x14 or 20x24, on Fuji Crystal Archive (not inkjets). Then I'll be cutting up bits of other color C-prints and sticking them onto the background print, to make a collage. Then I'll adhere the whole thing to a backing board of sintra or aluminum or wood (maybe I'll have a pro lab do this, since I can't afford a drymount press at home!)
And finally, I want to coat the surface with some sort of varnish or sealant, to protect against fingerprints and UV damage, and to give it a more "finished," handmade look. Each piece will be one-of-a-kind, so I'm okay if the varnish adds a slight texture. (I'm not interested in traditional framing with glass, since I want the slight raised surface of the collage to be visible; this is also why I don't want to use the laminate-sheet thing that I've previously had applied to my mounted prints, as that flattens the whole thing.)
My goal with these materials is long-term quality and permanence ... not that I'm really expecting my great-grandkids to give these to MoMA, but you never know! I'd like the adhesives to be as permanent as possible, and I'd like a sealant/varnish that hopefully won't turn yellow or cloudy or flaky over the years.
Have any of you done anything similar? I guess I've got a few specific questions:
1.) What might be a good adhesive to permanently attach my little bits of C-prints to another C-print, that won't leak through? It's okay if they can't be repositioned later. I asked this question on another board, and the answers varied ... some suggested drymount film and an iron if I'll do this in my home studio.
2.) What would be an ideal varnish or sealant? The Web research I've done leads me to discussions on using spray laminates to seal inkjets or canvas prints --not C-prints. I'm not sure how these sprays would react to a C-print. I'm also willing to use a brush to spread a varnish on, but would varnishes intended for other media (like oil paint) eventually damage my prints? I've also seen some collagists totally coat their works in resin, for an interesting but thick look.
3.) And finally -- and this is for anyone who's been mounting C-prints lately -- do you prefer mounting on sintra, aluminum, or other, for longterm quality? Some of the prints I had mounted on sintra just a few years ago have begun to unstick at the edges, but that could just be the quality of the lab I used.
Sorry for the long post! Any advice is very greatly appreciated. I'm excited about this project, but I feel like I can't really start it until I've got an idea on how to do it right. Thanks very much.
I'm a medium-format color photographer who typically prints on Fuji Crystal Archive in the darkroom. In the times I've displayed my work, I've had it professionally drymounted on Sintra and had a clear laminate affixed to the front. The results look good, though I'm not sure how long they'll last.
But now I'm doing something completely different -- collages. I want to do more of the processes myself, and I'm not sure of the best brands or types of adhesives or sealants/laminates.
Basically I'll be printing a background image at 11x14 or 20x24, on Fuji Crystal Archive (not inkjets). Then I'll be cutting up bits of other color C-prints and sticking them onto the background print, to make a collage. Then I'll adhere the whole thing to a backing board of sintra or aluminum or wood (maybe I'll have a pro lab do this, since I can't afford a drymount press at home!)
And finally, I want to coat the surface with some sort of varnish or sealant, to protect against fingerprints and UV damage, and to give it a more "finished," handmade look. Each piece will be one-of-a-kind, so I'm okay if the varnish adds a slight texture. (I'm not interested in traditional framing with glass, since I want the slight raised surface of the collage to be visible; this is also why I don't want to use the laminate-sheet thing that I've previously had applied to my mounted prints, as that flattens the whole thing.)
My goal with these materials is long-term quality and permanence ... not that I'm really expecting my great-grandkids to give these to MoMA, but you never know! I'd like the adhesives to be as permanent as possible, and I'd like a sealant/varnish that hopefully won't turn yellow or cloudy or flaky over the years.
Have any of you done anything similar? I guess I've got a few specific questions:
1.) What might be a good adhesive to permanently attach my little bits of C-prints to another C-print, that won't leak through? It's okay if they can't be repositioned later. I asked this question on another board, and the answers varied ... some suggested drymount film and an iron if I'll do this in my home studio.
2.) What would be an ideal varnish or sealant? The Web research I've done leads me to discussions on using spray laminates to seal inkjets or canvas prints --not C-prints. I'm not sure how these sprays would react to a C-print. I'm also willing to use a brush to spread a varnish on, but would varnishes intended for other media (like oil paint) eventually damage my prints? I've also seen some collagists totally coat their works in resin, for an interesting but thick look.
3.) And finally -- and this is for anyone who's been mounting C-prints lately -- do you prefer mounting on sintra, aluminum, or other, for longterm quality? Some of the prints I had mounted on sintra just a few years ago have begun to unstick at the edges, but that could just be the quality of the lab I used.
Sorry for the long post! Any advice is very greatly appreciated. I'm excited about this project, but I feel like I can't really start it until I've got an idea on how to do it right. Thanks very much.
