Bringing together the international mountmaking community
MATERIALS
In mountmaking, the safety of the object always comes first and that applies when selecting your mount material as well. Some materials are already known to be safe and non-reactive, (such as brass, some stainless steels, acrylic plastic, etc.), some are known to be unsafe and shouldn’t be used (wool felt, rubber, etc.) while all other materials should be tested to determine if safe and non-reactive to use.
For more information on materials testing, see the AIC Conservation Materials wiki site and the the MFA Boston's CAMEO Materials Database wiki
A list of mountmaking supply sources is also available to download as a PDF.
Rigid material used to hold or disperse weight. Structural support materials are the main scaffolding that braces an object in place. They can be a variety of densities and working properties, which provides options for how firm they will hold an object, as well as how much weight it can support.
Material used between an object and the rest of the mount surfaces – which protects the object from any potential harm caused by direct contact with the mount itself. Barrier and interface layers are inert and often provide additional padding to cushion the object surface. In mountmaking they typically take the form of coatings, films, paddings, foams, and textile materials.
Substances used to color, camouflage, or decorate a mount surface for aesthetic reasons. Finishing materials are often applied towards the completion of a mount and are selected subjectively based on the visual preference.
Substances used to adhere one surface to another, and are usually activated by water, solvents, pressure, heat, cold, or UV radiation. Adhesives can be either organic or inorganic, and within mountmaking are often used as a binding agent to hold barriers or interface material onto structural supports.
Materials that bind objects together using force or deflection. Mechanical fastening usually results in non-permanent joints, which do not require the addition of a solvent to release. Strapping, tying, hinging, or stitching are the most prevalent mountmaking techniques that utilize material in this category.