Hello Freeman and all,
When I am stretching an oil painting, this is exactly
the process I use. However, doing it with a linenbacked poster would definitely
be a pain. Getting all those staples out every time someone wanted to switch a
poster in and out will eventually damage the excess linen. Since it isn't a part
of the value of the poster, that is not an issue, but if the linen begins to
unthread into the poster that it. Since you are putting the staples so close
together, if you have to pull out the staples and then restaple for the next
poster, there isn't much unused space left to put in the new staples. I haven't
had the buckling problem on larger posters that were flat to begin with. That is
the ticket, and Freeman has it dead on, it is a linenbacking issue.
If I have a larger oversize piece, I usually use
two pieces of Artcare 1/4" thick museum backing behind it. The trick
is also to get a good tight stapling on the top of the frame, give it a bit
of pull and then staple the bottom of the frame. You will occasionally get a bit
of movement with humidity changes, but it typically flattens right back out when
the weather warms up. Some people keep the air conditioner very high in their
homes and that, too, can add to the problems of paper and fabric. I have
found that with the larger items, they are very rarely perfectly flat when I
receive them to do framing. When you are framing something as large as a 6
sheet, etc. the framer should be building a backmount frame and once that
is stapled or nailed into the frame, the poster can barely move at all. All the
load of the weight of the frame is also placed on that back frame with the
actual frame on the front being more decorative at this point. Anyway, that's
the scoop. I say as long as everything is archival, whatever makes it look good
on your wall without damaging the poster is all good. Just some thoughts!!
Sue
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2006 4:35
PM
Subject: [MOPO] Framed Larger Posters -
Warping Can Be An Aesthetic Bitch
Tom and gang,
My experience is consistent with your comments.
I had a 2 panel French Lawrence De Arabie (63" x 94")
and initially it was really a buckler which drove me nuts. The framer
came back out to my house, and putting in both leaves into my dining table and
clamping plexi-glass on one end I was able to create a workspace to handle the
size of the poster. we basically trimmed more of the linen at top and
bottom for it appeared the buckling was more a quotient of poster creating
more slack from hanging vertically and possibly moisture in the air,
rare in LA but this was January a rainy season.......thus buckling as it had
no room to stretch its legs. We staple gunned very evenly onto the
linen as closely to the actual paper tightly along top of inner frame -
that's the support inter-frame that reinforces the outer, decorative
frame due to the weight of the plexi-glass. Then only lightly
pulling canvas to bottom of inter-frame to allow for shrinkage in warmer
months. It worked great but I think if I had attempted this in Summer I
would have had more sag or warp in winter as poster relaxes due to
moisture.
The above was my first problem experiencing this
with large paper. I now have a slightly different approach
when framing such posters, especially 6 sheets. My clients do not
want sagging. So now I assist a framer I use regularly and we wrap
poster around an interframe with excess linen as if re-stretching a
canvas. The paper usually is just short of flush with edge of inter
frame. I was worried that in drier months that poster
could split if temp variations caused to shrink too tightly. So when
stapling linen to frame, we now staple all four sides with a slightly
relaxed stretch that allows for some give and take due to environment
changes. Of course many installations are in homes or buildings
with very regulated temperatures. However I still do the same as heat
would cause subtle tightening. This has worked out great thus far.
No screaming calls of terror with a poster splitting from being stretched
to tightly.......if that even ever happens. The trick is to staple with
very little space in between each. For example I counted the number of
staples used in one of my last installations and it was close to 300.
Admittedly its a bitch when switching out 6 sheets or 4 foglios when
client wants to rotate out a poster. Pulling every one of the staples
out carefully so as to not shred or tear excess linen so it can be hung again
later is agonizingly TEDIOUS and hell on the forearm. But its a service
call and it adds to cash flow and great one on one client
interaction.
Your rippling though is not necessarily exclusive to
large paper. A onesheet can demonstrate similar traits.......and that
can be a function of linenbacker cutting poster out of its original
stretched rack while not 100% dry. If still slightly holding
moisture and cut out early, as it dries, poster will undulate when laid
flat due to cotton backing drying with no tension to its four sides.
That is why whenever I am in receipt of poster freshly linen backed I lay in
my flat-files with 4 large heavy Italian tiles wrapped in heavy plastic to
protect from scratching surfaces and place all four two across and two down
all but covering entire stack of one sheets for about a week. Occasional
warping hasn't been an issue since coupled with reminders to linenbacking
studio to not cut out a poster before its time. For French posters
I lay in between to equally sized sheets of plexi-glass and weight down with
heavy books. Overly cautious, maybe but it avoids problems down the
line.
freeman fisher
8601 west knoll drive #7
west hollywood,
ca
90069
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