Have you ever witnessed the 'melting' of brown bump-ons, during your career?
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Melting Brown Bumpons
- Thread starter Mike Labbe
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Kai Vanuffelen
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I use wite ot black plastic bumpons and yes the occasional customer has complained about them melting. It may well depend upon where the picture is hung. For example near a fireplace or in a conservatory/ sunroom.
An alternative is to use bumpons made of cork.
An alternative is to use bumpons made of cork.
Yep
Used to swear by the black bumpers with nails to go into wood. They didn't slide or tear off. Used them for over 15 years and then all of a sudden I started hearing about melting. A couple of customers had pictures and it was a mess on their painted or wall papered walls. I contacted 3M their Bumpon Division and they told me about a cleaner to get the mess off the wall( which I have managed to forget, after great effort). Of course, being an "ugly American, bigot" my first thought was possibly the bumpers where imported and the materials where less than good quality but then I figured I was just being rediculous again. Just a personal observation, some of the products coming from our Asian (Chinese) bretheren are not of steller quality and price must not always be the most important consideration.
Used to swear by the black bumpers with nails to go into wood. They didn't slide or tear off. Used them for over 15 years and then all of a sudden I started hearing about melting. A couple of customers had pictures and it was a mess on their painted or wall papered walls. I contacted 3M their Bumpon Division and they told me about a cleaner to get the mess off the wall( which I have managed to forget, after great effort). Of course, being an "ugly American, bigot" my first thought was possibly the bumpers where imported and the materials where less than good quality but then I figured I was just being rediculous again. Just a personal observation, some of the products coming from our Asian (Chinese) bretheren are not of steller quality and price must not always be the most important consideration.
Most Australian framers use felt bumpons. They do not melt!
Kai Vanuffelen
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Felt bumpons - do they flatten over time when attached to a heavy picture? They already are thinner than the plastic bumpons. Will they be acceptable for the MCPF Exam?
Hugh Phibbs
PPFA Member and Preservator
Bumpons
An economical and stable alternative is dots of hot melt glue.
Hugh
An economical and stable alternative is dots of hot melt glue.
Hugh
It's been a while since I checked, but I think an 1/8" air gap is required.
So, if the felt is thick enough it's fine.
Essentially, anything that keeps the bottom far enough away from the wall to create a sufficient air gap should be acceptable for the MCPF guidelines, I think?
Kai Vanuffelen
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Hugh,
You mention the use of hot melt glue as bumpons. Do you mean animal glue? How long will it take between application and ability to hang on the wall. I think the use of animal-glue is time-consuming and therefore not that economical.
You mention the use of hot melt glue as bumpons. Do you mean animal glue? How long will it take between application and ability to hang on the wall. I think the use of animal-glue is time-consuming and therefore not that economical.
Not animal glue. This glue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-melt_adhesive
The felt bumpons are 1/8th thick or perhaps a little more. Should be OK for MCPF exam. I played it safe when I did it, and used some of the plastic ones that came in my Attach-Ez kits because they were thicker. I wouldn't use them on a regular basis, because the adhesive on them doesn't stick very well to brown backing tape. For my MCPF pieces I used dust covers, not tape and the plastic bumpons stuck well to the paper.
In Australia, most of framers don't use dust covers in their shops. Backing tape is used to to span the width of the frame and some of the backing board.
matboard bumpons
Jim Miller was the first I heard of to use this method. If you have a CMC and are not on a pay-per-corner plan, it is a good method. He cuts circles out of scrap matboard in decreasing size, then glues them up to get the desired thickness. An inspired idea. Turns trash into treasure.
I like Hugh's idea of the hot melt glue. I never would have thought of that.
And Ellen Collins taught me this one, but I think I have heard Jim Miller and others suggest it. Whatever self adhesive bumpons you use, they will stick better and stay on longer if you first attach a square of cellophane tape. The tape will stick firmly to even the coarsest paper, and the bumpon will stick firmly to the tape.
And finally, if you ever see a brown bumpon, treat it the same way you would a powder-post beetle: Get it out of the shop and destroy it if possible! :madgrin: They just aren't worth the risk!
Jim Miller was the first I heard of to use this method. If you have a CMC and are not on a pay-per-corner plan, it is a good method. He cuts circles out of scrap matboard in decreasing size, then glues them up to get the desired thickness. An inspired idea. Turns trash into treasure.
I like Hugh's idea of the hot melt glue. I never would have thought of that.
And Ellen Collins taught me this one, but I think I have heard Jim Miller and others suggest it. Whatever self adhesive bumpons you use, they will stick better and stay on longer if you first attach a square of cellophane tape. The tape will stick firmly to even the coarsest paper, and the bumpon will stick firmly to the tape.
And finally, if you ever see a brown bumpon, treat it the same way you would a powder-post beetle: Get it out of the shop and destroy it if possible! :madgrin: They just aren't worth the risk!
Rick Granick
Frequent Poster
Yes, Mike, I've witnessed the phenomenon many times. In fact, I think I may have posted the first-ever reference to it on the Grumble (search for "Hershey Kisses On a Radiator"). Of course, I have long since stopped using the brown ones in favor of the clear ones or felt ones.
I think the Bumpon problem is really miserable and scandalous. It would be one thing if framers tried to "cheap out" and use inferior products, and it came back to bite us. In this case, however, we used what we thought to be a premium product, according to directions, and for its specified purpose. As a result, we find that we have given perhaps thousands of our customers little ticking time bombs of messy goo... not a good thing for the reputations of professionals trying to provide an upscale, high-quality product.
:mad2: Rick
P.S. The best method for removing the goo from walls is to physically scrape off as much as possible using a wedge of wood, plastic, or some other material that won't damage the wall. Then, using a clean white cloth and a mild solution of dish liquid such as Dawn, gently wipe away the residue. If there is a little stubborn amount that doesn't fully respond to that, use a little rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth. This method has worked well for me on painted walls. If it's wallpaper, it may be more difficult. You would definitely want to test your cleaning method in an inconspicuous area, use as little moisture as possible, and don't rub too vigorously.
BTW, if a customer ever calls to report the dreaded brown goo situation, the first thing to do is counsel them NOT to use any spray cleaners, like Formula 409. They will make a little mess into a big mess. Either offer to come and remove the stuff yourself (bringing along a sheet of new, safe replacement bumpers to upgrade their other pictures), or give them the instructions above.
I think the Bumpon problem is really miserable and scandalous. It would be one thing if framers tried to "cheap out" and use inferior products, and it came back to bite us. In this case, however, we used what we thought to be a premium product, according to directions, and for its specified purpose. As a result, we find that we have given perhaps thousands of our customers little ticking time bombs of messy goo... not a good thing for the reputations of professionals trying to provide an upscale, high-quality product.
:mad2: Rick
P.S. The best method for removing the goo from walls is to physically scrape off as much as possible using a wedge of wood, plastic, or some other material that won't damage the wall. Then, using a clean white cloth and a mild solution of dish liquid such as Dawn, gently wipe away the residue. If there is a little stubborn amount that doesn't fully respond to that, use a little rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth. This method has worked well for me on painted walls. If it's wallpaper, it may be more difficult. You would definitely want to test your cleaning method in an inconspicuous area, use as little moisture as possible, and don't rub too vigorously.
BTW, if a customer ever calls to report the dreaded brown goo situation, the first thing to do is counsel them NOT to use any spray cleaners, like Formula 409. They will make a little mess into a big mess. Either offer to come and remove the stuff yourself (bringing along a sheet of new, safe replacement bumpers to upgrade their other pictures), or give them the instructions above.
