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Question asked 2019-03-24 17:53:34 ...
Most recent comment 2019-03-25 16:40:35
Flexible Supports
Oil Paint
Art Conservation Topics
Apart from possible aesthetic considerations, a polyester canvas would seem a more ideal flexible support than linen or cotton, at least in longevity. Less reactive to humidity, embrittlement and bacterial attack, it would appear almost perfect.
Except, what about heat? What damage would occur should some future person try to iron it down to another support? Would the polyester reach a temperature likely to cause damage in a way that say, linen wouldn't be in a similar procedure? When using a polyester canvas should we make sure that we find some form of pre heat shrunk material? Is this even available, or is it something already standard in polyester artist canvases?
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Moderator Answer
(brian baade)
We have had a couple of threads that are relevant to this topic. This one in
particular
https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/forums/question?QID=226
and this as well
https://www.artcons.udel.edu/mitra/forums/question?QID=135
As far as heat, a program trained painting conservator would test everything
before any procedure. You could/should make their life easier by recording all
of your materials and attaching that to your artwork (see our resources
section). Finally, the heat used to line or consolidate a painting should fall
below that of scorching a polyester fabric. The conservator would need to test,
of course, but the temperatures indicated on a typical iron for ironing
polyester fabrics is vastly higher than the temperatures used by ethical
conservators.
Finally, I do not believe that polyester fabrics can be pre-shrunk. One of
their virtues is that they are not effected by moisture in the same way as
natural fibers and do not shrink like linen and cotton.
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Moderator Answer
(brian baade)
At that point, I think that you are distorting and not really shrinking. I
mean, you could ramp the heat up so high as to theoretically make a film out of
it (hyperbole, I know). But that is way beyond what we need to deal with on
this subject..
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Moderator Answer
(brian baade)
Ah, so you mean industrially pre-shrunk as compared to studio technique. Got it.
Again, most lining procedures would not call for temperatures above 150-180
F. Certainly nowhere near the heat you are talking about. Kristin and I often
use a heavy weight acrylic fabric when we line which works wonderfully for our
purposes. However, we do not add any additional sizing or ground
layer and we coat it with a synthetic lining adhesive, so this may not be a
good judge of its suitability as a painting substrate.
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