One of my pet issues is archival materials and practices. When I’m making a ketubah or other work of art that people will cherish for their entire lives, it’s important to me to know that it’s going to last!
Whether the ketubah is an original commission or a fine art print, I start off with the highest quality, 100% cotton watercolor paper. I carefully select the most lightfast paints, and I print with the most lightfast inks I can get.
Even so, it’s important to remember that a work of art is a lot like a human being: it ages over time. The best defense is a good offense, which includes top-notch conservation framing materials and techniques, and displaying the art away from direct sunlight, and in an environment where it will not be subject to fluctuations of temperature and humidity (ie, preferably on an inside wall, away from kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces and heating ducts).
When you get your ketubah framed, make sure your framer is conversant with conservation materials and techniques. Here’s an article from the Art/Framing Forum at Creativeshake.com. Although this info is more technical than most laypeople will need, you can print it out and bring it to your framer to make sure s/he uses the techniques and materials mentioned here.
I hope you find it useful!
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| How would one mount this document printed and hand lettered on watercolor paper? It has a deckled edge and I want that to show. I would think it would be mounted on foamboard, but how can I do that archivally? | ||
| posted 4/12/2010 9:23:00 AM by Lynn Osterman |
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| In recognition of this document”s high personal value (and in some cases, monetary value as well), I suggest using only the finest preservation-grade materials and methods to frame it.
First, for the matting and mounting, use alpha cellulose boards (made of purified pulp or cotton linters), lignin-free and buffered. If you cover the mats with fabric, make sure the fabric and adhesive are chemically stable. Buy the fabric from an established framing-fabric source, and use starch paste or acrylic medium for its adhesive. Float mount the Ketubah by Japanese paper hinges & starch paste to a slightly undersized 4-ply or 8-ply mounting board. Then attach that assembly to the surface of a sturdy, reinforced background. For reinforcement, use alphacellulose board layers or fluted polypropylene (Archival Coroplast, marketed through Bainbridge distributors). I suggest not using foam center board in the frame package, due to the possibility of offgassing from the styrene core, even though a high quality paper covering would not be an issue. Mats, with windows cut larger than the artwork, may be elevated to provide an air space of at least 1/8″ between the art and the glazing. That way, the background mat color would be visible, recessed between the edges of the Ketubah and the window mat. For the glazing, use only 99% UV-filtering glass or 98% UV filtering acrylic. For the best appearance, use optically coated glazing, such as Museum Glass or Museum Optium Acrylic. Be sure to fit the frame with sufficient tolerance to enable all materials inside to expand and contract freely. Fill the frame”s rabbet depth with insulating filler board layers and install a tight-fitting, sturdy dustcover. Use a two-point hanging system. If a wire is to be used, be sure to provide two wall hooks, and make the wire long enough to depart the frame at angles of at least 60-degrees from vertical. The closer to vertical the wire departs the frame, the less stress would be imposed on the frame assembly over time. |
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| posted 4/13/2010 4:50:00 PM by Jim Miller | ||
