| Looking after and caring for your wildlife art prints
Proper Matting Instructions:
With proper care, the all-rag paper will last for hundreds of years.
We recommend that only rag conservation board with a pH factor of 7.5 to 8.3 be used behind the print as well as for the front mat. It is extremely important that only all-rag, pH 7.5-8.3 acid-free materials come into contact with the print at any point, front or back. Even the hinges, which hold the print in suspension under the mat, must also be acid-free.
The collector value of the print is affected if the original condition of the print is altered in any way.
Dangers of poor framing:
Improper matting is responsible for much of the damage to art on paper. Deterioration and discolouration are caused by the use of commonly available woodpulp mat board. Only acid-free conservation board is safe to use in framing this print. Even a small amount of unprocessed woodpulp in the mounting board or mat may contain acids which “burn” paper, cause paper to turn brown or brittle or even to disintegrate when removed from the frame.
Most museum curators and connoisseurs of art concerned with the preservation of collector prints insist on the use of special conservation techniques in the framing of such pieces. Only 100% acid-free museum standard materials should come into contact with the print.
No dry-mounting or pasting:
The print should never be permanently secured to the mounting board by any method. Only removable acid-free hinges should be used to attach the art to the back of the mat board. No tape or glue should be used. This way the print may be easily removed for future remounting.
We recommend that a wine bottle cork be cut into four equal pieces and glued to the back of the finished framed piece to provide a 3/8” to ½” buffer from the wall, allowing air to circulate. The frequently used rubber bumpers manufactured for this purpose are not usually thick enough.
Depend on highly experienced picture framers and museum curators for advice on mounting and framing all fine prints.
After framing:
Certain environmental conditions can over the years cause serious damage even to works of art which have been properly framed. They are:
Light: Sunlight, both direct and indirect and fluorescent (tube) lighting are rich in ultra-violet rays and are therefore harmful to paper as well as to certain inks and colours. Rooms where works of art are to be hung should have a weak daylight and must be illuminated with incandescent lighting, which is relatively harmless. Use of the ultra-violet filtering Plexiglas* (see below) will reduce light damage but sunlight and fluorescent illumination must still be avoided.
Heat: Do not hang works of art near radiators or other sources of heat or on walls which contain flues.
Humidity: Relative humidity above 70% encourages mildew or “foxing” on paper. If the humidity in your area exceeds 70% for periods of the year, dehumidify or air-condition rooms where works of art are hanging. Avoid hanging works of art on damp walls. Very dry conditions, below 30% relative humidity, may encourage brittleness, and should be avoided.
Atmosphere polluted with industrial gases: A frame properly sealed will greatly reduce exposure to polluted atmosphere as will air-conditioning the room in which the objects are hung.
*ultra-violet filtering Plexiglas is specially treated plastic that filters out UV rays, the damaging components of light. Since light can be harmful to paper as well as to many drawing and painting media, it is best to use UF1 or UF3 rated Plexiglas. This Plexiglas is expensive, but it is the most practical for the preservation of art objects of value. Plexiglas should not, however be used with chalk or charcoal drawings as plastic creates static electricity which can cause the chalk to migrate from the paper to the plastic.
| |