Mounting prints to aluminum

Aimee Danger · Jan 5, 2020

I've heard a lot of people mentioning mounting their prints to aluminum or some other hard surface in order to maintain registration. Would people be willing to share their process with me? I'm trying to find the perfect system for maintaining registration on my prints. Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but I'm still struggling after two shrinking baths, using a lightbox, using tape to hold layers together, and even trying hole punches.

Pieter12 · Jan 5, 2020

You might want to read this paper:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/019713608804539574
about Avedon's exhibition In The American West where many of the oversize prints were mounted on aluminum, a first for that time. It details some of the materials and techniques used. Also, to quote from the paper, "It was reported in two instances that prints in private collections had developed overall cracking, probably due to extremely unstable conditions of temperature and relative humidity combined with the difference in expansion and contraction of the photographic print compared with that of the aluminum."

Aimee Danger · Jan 5, 2020

Thanks. I was actually assuming I would remove them from the aluminum once done printing. So to refine my question: does anyone have a good technique for temporarily mounting prints to aluminum for the sake of keeping registration? I thought maybe removable spray mount, but not sure how this will all pan out once I start to rinse the prints.

Como · Jan 7, 2020

To prevent shrinking you can glue 2 layers of paper of 200 gr/m2 with a layer of tyvek in between them. The tyvek should be somewhat smaller as the paper so you can't see it.
Afterwards you don't have to remove anything.
Gluing can be done with pva or gelatine.

nmp · Jan 9, 2020

Aimee Danger said:
Thanks. I was actually assuming I would remove them from the aluminum once done printing. So to refine my question: does anyone have a good technique for temporarily mounting prints to aluminum for the sake of keeping registration? I thought maybe removable spray mount, but not sure how this will all pan out once I start to rinse the prints.

You could try one of those reversible low temp dry-mounting film like this:

https://www.talasonline.com/BufferMount

Mount, process, dry, re-heat and dis-mount.

Keith Taylor · Jan 30, 2020

Aimee Danger said:
I've heard a lot of people mentioning mounting their prints to aluminum or some other hard surface in order to maintain registration. Would people be willing to share their process with me? I'm trying to find the perfect system for maintaining registration on my prints. Maybe I'm a perfectionist, but I'm still struggling after two shrinking baths, using a lightbox, using tape to hold layers together, and even trying hole punches.

I’ve been mounting paper to aluminum as a temporary support for nearly 20 years for 3-colour gum dichromate prints.

I mount the paper to the metal using Fusion 4000 and a dry mount press set to about 180F. The metal is punched for registration pins. Once the print has been made the paper can be removed by heating the press to a slightly higher temperature and peeling the paper away. Fusion 4000 is a thin plastic on a roll and archival. You can buy it at Talas.

https://www.talasonline.com/Fusion-4000

Aimee Danger · Jan 30, 2020

Keith Taylor said:
I’ve been mounting paper to aluminum as a temporary support for nearly 20 years...

Thank you, Keith! I think I’m going to try that.

Mounting prints to aluminum

Aimee Danger

Pieter12

Aimee Danger

Como

nmp

Keith Taylor

Aimee Danger

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