MITRA Forum Question Details

​The Library of Congress offers information about techniques and materials for matting and framing valuable paper objects: https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/mat.html

This resource also includes links to downloadable publications with more specific instructions. Hope this helps!

​Sorry for the delay Marko. I have sent your query to a couple of moderators.

​There are so many mistakes, here, that one must concentrate on the most dangerous. Nothing should ever be secured to a window mat. The opening makes that piece of board extremely unstable and dangerous. The work must always be secured to a back mat that has been joined to the window with a water activated linen tape, along its longer dimension. No sticky tape should ever be used with anything of value, for physical and chemical reasons. Physically, the adhesive is unstable and will yield to gravity. Chemically, pressure sensitive adhesives will contain oily plasticizers, and tackifiers along with a host of other contaminating ingredients and simply putting the tape on the art will lead to instant contamination, while a multitude of problems will show up as the adhesive ages, oozes plasticizer, and oxidizes. Works can be safely housed in window mat/(mount) settings with folded paper edge support strips or if the entire front of the work must be exposed, with hinges. The simplest and safest hinges can be made from lignin free, unbuffered tissue, using an adhesive that is not biologically active, which has minimal penetrating potential, and can be reversed with humidification, when needed. This adhesive is Klucel G (hydroxy propyl cellulose, mixed with the most pure isopropyl alcohol available (majority alcohol, minority HPC powder, to create a gel, which can be easily spread thin, without additional solvent, to minimize solvent exposure and keep the adhesive from penetrating. The Klucel G powder and the alcohol can be combined in a zip locking bag and massaged together, to be left overnight to obtain a clear, smooth gel, no cooking needed and storage in a closed container will suffice, indefinitely at room temperature.  All the components mentioned, here, are inexpensive and easy to obtain, but it is critical that anyone hinging must practice extensively before putting a hinge on anything of value.

Hugh Phibbs

Preservation Specialist and former Preservation Coordinator at the National Gallery of Art.

​Hi! I second Hugh’s recommendation to make hinges yourself - unfortunately, even tape marketed as archival or conservation-grade is usually damaging to art and artifacts in the long term. This is a confusing marketing tactic on the part of tape manufacturers! Other alternatives to the adhesive Hugh mentions include wheat starch paste, methyl cellulose, and rice starch paste. All are available online, although methyl cellulose and starch paste require preparation, which I know might not be ideal. (I do know you can buy premade starch paste in tubes from some places, though). Because starch paste can have a high moisture content you will want to test that the paper and media you are mounting are not moisture sensitive; if they are, a Klucel G or methyl cellulose adhesive will be better. When applying the hinges you will want to apply weight and allow the adhesive to dry to ensure that the paper doesn’t cockle. The articles Matthew provided have diagrams on placement of hinges. Let me know if you have any other questions!