Mounting Adhesive

Rublev Colours Mounting Adhesive is a professional quality adhesive that is waterborne so it can be thinned with water to extend drying time if desired. It dries to a water insoluble, strong and flexible film that is ideal for adhering and mounting canvas and paper to wood (i.e., hardboard, fiberboard, solid wood, etc.) and metal (i.e., aluminum composite material or ACM).
Rublev Colours Mounting Adhesive is made of a VAE copolymer that has properties suitable for conservation use. It does not contain any formaldehyde, it has good dry tack, clear film clarity when dry and is non-crosslinking. Mounting Adhesive is solvent-free, and was specially formulated for preservation of materials, so it is buffered to retain neutral pH, will not become brittle and does not yellow with age.

How to Use

It is recommended to mount preprimed canvas or stretch, size and prime unprimed, raw canvas prior to mounting on a rigid support. Mounting and then sizing canvas mounted onto a thin support may cause it to warp, but it also places large amounts of stress on the adhesive bond and could significantly weaken or distort it.

Mounting Canvas or Paper to Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) Panel

1. Prepare the surface. Do not mount onto the mill finish or uncoated aluminum surface of aluminum composite material (ACM). Always mount onto the polyester coated side. The coated surface of ACM should not be glossy. Lightly abrade it with 360 grit sandpaper to remove the gloss but do not penetrate the coating to the bare aluminum.
2. Be sure the panel is clean and free of dust, dirt, oil, and other contaminates. If necessary, clean the surface of the panel with a fast-evaporating solvent, such as isopropyl alcohol.
3. Apply Mounting Adhesive over the entire face of the panel. Use a soft-haired brush to evenly apply it to all areas of the panel. DO NOT LEAVE ANY AREAS EXPOSED WITHOUT ADHESIVE.
Note: For panels exceeding 18 inches and for medium to coarse weave canvas, it is recommended to apply glue to the reverse side using a stiff-haired brush to work the adhesive into the interstices of the canvas weave, avoiding voids in the glue. The voids may result in bubbles in the canvas after it dries.
4. Apply adhesive with random brushstrokes to avoid creating patterns in the adhesive and subsequently in the paper or canvas.
5. Lay the canvas or paper with sides curled up onto the panel, and quickly flatten it.
6. Lay a protective plastic sheet over the canvas or paper and smooth it with a rubber brayer or roller.
7. Roll over the surface with firm even pressure to remove air bubbles and excess adhesive. Do not apply excessive pressure on the brayer or roller while rolling over the surface.
8. Lay another panel on top that covers the entire surface and beyond the edges by at least 3 cm or one inch and gently place weights evenly distributed over on the panel.
9. Allow the adhesive to dry at least one day. However, it is recommended to let the panel dry for three days and allow another three days before placing stress on the panel and attached paper or canvas.

Mounting Canvas or Paper to Wood Panel

1. Be sure the panel is clean and free of dust, dirt, oil, and other contaminates. If necessary, clean the surface of the panel with a fast-evaporating solvent, such as isopropyl alcohol.
2. For best results the surface of the panel should not be glossy. If necessary, lightly abrade the surface to remove all gloss.
3. Wood panels may be excessively absorbent causing the adhesive to be absorbed into the surface and thereby swelling fibers. It is recommended to reduce the absorbency of the panel prior to applying glue by coating the panel with a dilute and thin shellac varnish.
Note: For panels exceeding 18 inches and for medium to coarse weave canvas, it is recommended to apply glue to the reverse side using a stiff-haired brush to work the adhesive into the interstices of the canvas weave, avoiding voids in the glue. The voids may result in bubbles in the canvas after it dries.
4. Apply Mounting Adhesive over the entire face of the panel. Use a soft-haired brush to evenly apply it to all areas of the panel. DO NOT LEAVE ANY AREAS EXPOSED WITHOUT ADHESIVE.
5. Apply it with random brushstrokes to avoid creating patterns in the adhesive and subsequently in the paper or canvas.
6. Lay the canvas or paper with sides curled up onto the panel, and quickly flatten it.
7. Lay a protective plastic sheet over the canvas or paper and smooth it with a rubber brayer or roller.
8. Roll over the surface with firm even pressure to remove air bubbles and excess adhesive. Do not apply excessive pressure on the brayer or roller while rolling over the surface.
9. Lay another panel on top that covers the entire surface and beyond the edges by at least 3 cm or one inch and gently place weights evenly distributed over on the panel.
10. Allow the adhesive to dry at least overnight or one day. It is recommended to allow at least three days before placing stress on the panel and attached paper or canvas.

Background

In the early 1980s, the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) initiated a project to evaluate selected commercially available poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAC) adhesives for pH, emission of harmful volatiles, flexibility, strength, and yellowing upon dark and light aging. From this research, various adhesives were identified with desirable properties, but the vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions displayed the best, most stable properties. They were close to neutrality, released few harmful volatile products, were of medium strength, were flexible, displayed good resistance to yellowing and generally kept these characteristics upon aging. For example, one of the best VAEs identified was Jade 403, a popular conservation VAE adhesive, but Jade 403 had an irritating odor and other properties that were deemed undesirable in this study.
To find an alternative to Jade 403, various VAE adhesives were subjected to a variety of comparison tests. Dry tack and flexibility were compared subjectively in a blind test by volunteer conservators at CCI who were asked to identify the dry adhesive film that was closest to a film of Jade 403. Of the VAE adhesives evaluated one was chosen by the conservators as the closest to a film of Jade 403. Conservators also mentioned that they liked its handling properties in the wet state and that it had almost no smell.
The VAE copolymer chosen in the study is used as the base of Rublev Colours Mounting Adhesive.

Reversibility

The removability of adhered textiles from supports is a concern for conservators. Peel tests of textiles adhered with adhesives used in conservation reveal that the degree of reversibility depends on the adhesive used. To evaluate reversibility conservators examine the adhesive/textile interface after the textile is peeled from the support. Adhesives leaving substantial residue on both support and fabric are considered less reversible. In a study at the Canadian Conservation Institute, fabric adhered with VAE copolymer peeled at the adhesive/textile interface with little deformation of the adhesive. The result was VAE copolymer “exhibited little stretching and almost no adhesive transfer during peeling”—significantly less than Beva 371.
To remove textile from a support that has been adhered with Rublev Mounting Adhesive, it is recommended to moisten the textile with water to swell either the adhesive or the fabric fibers and weaken the bond. This treatment may have an effect similar to using heat or solvent vapor to remove the fabric. Slowly peel the fabric from the support. Keep in mind, however, the slower the peel, the more time the adhesive has to stretch into thin filaments and break within the adhesive layer. Reversal techniques that involve peeling may result in leaving adhesive residue on the textile no matter how carefully you peel.

VAE Copolymer Adhesive

VAE copolymer adhesives are usually water-based dispersions with 60–96% vinyl acetate content. VAE copolymers are as strong, machinable, and heat resistant as the PVAC homopolymers, which are among the most common polymers used in adhesives, and have better adhesion properties than the ester copolymers (e.g. vinyl acetate / dibutyl maleate).
Rublev Colours Mounting Adhesive is made with a polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) stabilized VAE copolymer that has properties indicating it as the best choice among VAE adhesives for conservation use. It does not contain any formaldehyde, it has good dry tack, clear film clarity when dry and is non-crosslinking upon aging.