IE62502B1 - A process for fabric-mounting photographs - Google Patents

Abstract

...suivant lequel on cuit un stratifié sur la face avant d'une épreuve photographique, on sépare le papier de support enduit de résine de l'épreuve par pelage de l'émulsion photographique stratifiée et on applique l'émulsion photographique stratifiée sur une nappe de tissu et dans lequel les bulles éventuellement formées entre le stratifié et l'épreuve sont éliminées et le papier de support enduit de résine est détaché de l'émulsion photographique en une seule opération.

Description

The present invention relates to a method of fabric-mounting photographic prints in which a photographic emulsion can be removed from its resin-coated backing paper and mounted on canvas, linen, or the like.

Photographs mounted on fabric have two main uses; one is to simulate the effect of an oil painting and the second is for ease of transport since fabric can easily be rolled up and carried about whereas a conventional photograph cannot readily be bent.

Previously known processes for mounting photographic prints on fabric, involved baking a heat-sealed polyvinylchloride (PVC) adhesive coating, or laminate, onto the front surface of a photographic print. The laminate adheres to the photographic emulsion and the resin-coated backing paper is then peeled away from the photographic emulsion. The resin backing is peeled off by hand, beginning at the corners of the photograph. Unless the photograph is very small, it is not usually possible to strip the resin backing away from the entire photographic emulsion in one operation. Usually water must be poured onto the centre of the laminated print and left for 30 to 40 minutes until the remaining resin backing is sufficiently damp to be peeled away from the emulsion. This is quite a tedious and time-consuming process to carry out and it is therefore cost-ineffective. It is also a wasteful process since the photographic emulsion is very delicate and frequently tears as the backing is peeled away and the procedure must be repeated using a new photograph. Since the photographic emulsion is so delicate it is only feasible to carry this process out on small photographs.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of mounting a photograph onto a sheet of fabric such as canvas which comprises baking a laminate onto the front surface of a photographic print, peeling the resin-coated backing paper of the print away from the laminated photographic emulsion and applying the laminated photographic emulsion to a sheet of fabric wherein any bubbles formed between the laminate and print when the laminate is applied to the photographic print are removed, and the resin-coated backing paper is removed from the photographic emulsion, in a single rolling operation. The laminate may be pin-pricked or pierced to remove the said bubbles.

The rolling operation involves separating the emulsion from backing paper across the width of the photographic print, to a depth of about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm), fixing the free edge of the backing paper to a rolling means, rolling the rolling means across the photographic print away from the free edge of the photographic emulsion while the free edge of the photographic emulsion is held to prevent it moving, such that the backing paper is peeled away from the emulsion and rolled around the rolling means. The rolling means may comprise a roller or a cylindrical cardboard core.

Advantageously the said free end of the photographic emulsion is also fixed to a roller such that both the backing paper and the photographic emulsion are rolled about their respective rollers and thereby separated from each other.

The laminated photographic emulsion may be applied to a sheet of fabric in a heat-sealing press to produce the final fabric-mounted photograph. Preferably, a second sheet of fabric is placed beneath the sheet of fabric to which the photographic emulsion is to be applied, during the heat-sealing process, such that the second sheet of fabric presses the first sheet and the emulsion closely together, thus giving the final fabric-mounted photograph an increased grain.

More preferably, a third sheet of fabric is placed on top of the sheet of fabric to which the photographic emulsion is to be applied, during the heat-sealing process, to further increase the grain of the finished product.

In the process according to the invention a laminate is baked onto the front surface of a photographic print. The laminate is then pierced so that no bubbles are left between the laminate and the print and the laminated print is completely dried. The laminated print is then turned over and the resin backing is peeled away from the back of the photographic emulsion using a scalpel. The resin backing and photographic emulsion are separated across the entire width of the print to a depth of about inch (1.27 cm). The free edge of the backing paper is then fixed to either a cylindrical cardboard core or a roller, with adhesive tape. The core or roller is then rolled across the print, away from the free edge of photographic emulsion thereby peeling the backing paper off the emulsion in one operation.

This peeling operation may be carried out either manually or mechanically. If the process is carried out manually the roller is rolled by hand while the laminated emulsion is held firmly. If the process is carried out mechanically the machine employed comprises two opposed rollers, one of which rolls up the backing paper while the other rolls up the laminated emulsion, thereby separating the two layers.

The photographic emulsion can then be mounted on canvas, hessian, linen, cotton, vinyl or any other suitable non-heat sensitive surface.

A suitable length of, for example, canvas is laid out, a sheet of dry mounting tissue is laid on top and the two are adhered together at the corners using a spotting iron. The dry mounting tissue is pinpricked to remove any bubbles between the canvas and the tissue and the laminated photographic emulsion is laid on top of the dry mounting tissue with the emulsion facing upwards. The three layers are then baked together in a hot-sealing press to produce the final canvas-mounted photograph.

In an alternative embodiment of this invention the backing paper is removed from the photographic print in a different manner. A sheet of dry mounting tissue is placed on a block of chipboard which is the same size as the photograph to be mounted, and the laminated print is placed on top. The print is positioned so that its edges are flush with the edges of the block of chipboard but the laminate overhangs the block along two of its edges. The chipboard, dry mounting tissue and laminated print are then baked together in a heat-sealing press. The free edge of the laminate is then fixed to a roller as described above and the laminated emulsion is stripped away leaving the backing paper stuck to the block of chipboard.

It is possible to produce a canvas-mounted photograph in which the grain of canvas is more prominent by placing a second sheet of canvas underneath the sheet which is to bear the photograph, while the laminated emulsion is being heat-sealed onto the canvas. The second sheet of canvas serves to push the fibres of the first sheet well into the photographic emulsion. A third sheet of canvas placed on top of the photographic emulsion will produce an even more pronounced grain in the finished picture.

An example of a laminate suitable for use in the present process is a special text gloss or matt laminate such as that sold under the trade mark Transpaseal. A suitable dry mounting or canvas bonding tissue is a plastic film coated with a heat sensitive adhesive on both sides of the plastic film such as that sold under the trade mark Transpamount.

Using the process of the present invention it has been possible to produce canvas-mounted pictures which are 190.5 cm (75 inches) wide by 85 m (279 feet) long.

Claims (10)

1. A method of mounting a photograph onto a sheet of fabric which comprises baking a laminate onto the front surface of a photographic print, peeling the resin-coated backing paper of the print away from the laminated photographic emulsion and applying the laminated photographic emulsion to a sheet of fabric wherein any bubbles formed between the laminate and print when the laminate is applied to the photographic print are removed, and the resin-coated backing paper is removed from the photographic emulsion, in a single rolling operation.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the laminate is pierced to remove the said bubbles.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the emulsion is separated from the backing paper across the width of the photographic print, to a depth of about ' inch (1.27 cm), the free edge of the backing paper is fixed to a rolling means, the rolling means is rolled across the photographic print away from the free edge of the photographic emulsion while the free edge of the photographic emulsion is held to prevent it moving, such that the backing paper is peeled away from the emulsion and rolled around the rolling means.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the rolling means is a roller.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the rolling means is a cylindrical cardboard core.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3 wherein the said free end of the photographic emulsion is also fixed to a roller such that both the backing paper and the photographic emulsion are rolled about their respective rollers and thereby separated from each other.

7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the laminated photographic emulsion may be applied to a sheet of fabric in a heat-sealing press to produce the final fabric-mounted photograph.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein a second sheet of fabric is placed beneath the sheet of fabric to which the photographic emulsion is to be applied, during the heat-sealing process, such that the second sheet of fabric presses the first sheet and the emulsion closely together, thus giving the final fabric-mounted photograph an increased grain.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein a third sheet of fabric is placed on top of the sheet of fabric to which the photographic emulsion is to be applied, during the heat-sealing process, to further increase the grain of the finished product.

10. A photograph whenever mounted on fabric by a process as claimed in any preceding claim.