Digital BW, The Print

Steve: I haven't followed all the messages in this thread, but: Dry mounting
involves using a hot press (Seal) and mounting tissue.  It is customarily
done by mounting the print on museum board.  I have no idea what would
happen if a waxed print was dry mounted, but I imagine it would not come to
a good end.  Nor do I know what would happen if a print was dry-mounted onto
foam board, though I suspect it wouldn't work.  I dry-mount inkjet prints
onto museum board (100% cotton rag like Westminster, or Alpha Art Care, or
Exeter too).  This is done with low-temp Seal tissue and layers of museum
board over the print.  After it comes out of the press, you must flex the
board to see that the tissue has correctly bound the print.  

I have used Renaissance wax occasionally for silver prints on Portriga or
Oriental silver (It is also a great wax for vintage guitars).  RC prints in
the darkroom are awful, but maybe I have something to learn with inkjet.  I
can't imagine framing a print without glazing (plexi or lucite in my case,
since glass is usually tinted and can ruin the print if it falls off the
wall or is damaged while shipping...it can happen).  For one thing, bugs of
one sort or another find museum board a delicacy, so the frame must be
sealed. 

One other observation: Dry mounting is an artistic decision, IMHO.  I feel
it enhances the image, with a window over-matte.  I have silver and platinum
prints (mine) that have been dry-mounted, as well as inkjet, for many years
and see no signs of problems.  I have a friend with vintage prints, such as
an AA Moonrise c. 1941 that is dry-mounted, with no particular problems, at
least due to the dry mounting.  My only suggestion is that I would never
entrust dry-mounting to a framer.  That is the one place where everything
can go wrong, and I do it myself...like packing your own parachute.  OTOH,
you can get archival mounting corners from Light Impressions, print with
wide salon borders so the corners are hidden in a window matte, and never
worry about archival-ness.  That is what I do with the few prints I have
from famous photographers (unlike mine). Hope this helps a little.

Regards,

  --Ken Carney
    www.kencarney.com 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Steve Kale [mailto:stevekale@...] 
> Sent: Saturday, June 05, 2004 1:13 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: RC Paper, Sprayed and Waxed Prints
> 
> 
> Tom 
> 
> Thanks a lot.  I have not yet received my Renaissance Wax 
> (prior to finding out that it is actually made in England I 
> ordered it in the US and it will arrive via a friend next 
> week).  I have been spraying my prints with Lyson Print Guard 
> (probably the same thing as the Premier Art product) 
> essentially to fix the Eboni and other MIS inks to the RC 
> paper.  I am a real novice when it comes to framing. To date 
> I have relied on my local framer and given him prints on HPR 
> which I believe he then simply hinges to archival matt board 
> (the same matt board used for the front matt.  I can see from 
> the price list of my local digital lab that they can mount to 
> thick card, 5mm foam, 10mm foam, 3mm foamex etc.  I am not 
> familiar with foamex.  If a print is dry mounted to these 
> materials is it considered archival?  (Also I have to wait 
> until Monday to confirm that their mounting is ³dry 
> mounting².)  I assume the thicker mounting makes it sturdier 
> in a prefabricated frame.  BTW does your friend still place a 
> matt in front of the image (without the glass)?
> 
> Regards
> 
> Steve