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stefan.hurlburtstefan.hurlburt

Bench Mill

Curious how many mount makers have a bench top mill in their shop and how often they utilize it for Mount making.

I have been considering adding one to my shop but have been hesitant as I do not have machining experience so this would be something to learn on as well.

I could see it primarily being used for drilling, but one of those tools I will find more and more uses for as I learn it.


Is this a piece of equipment I could successfully pick up with time and practice?

Any recommendations on models? I am currently looking at HiTorque Mini Mill for Sale | Mini Milling Machine for Sale (littlemachineshop.com)

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jamie
jamie
Jul 11, 2024
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I find my vertical milling machine to be one of my most valued and used tools in the shop. Mostly is performs as a precision drill press but I've also used it for slotting, milling steps in materials, surfacing, and much more. I have an older Clausing 8520 small floor mill and have not used the benchtop type you are looking at, but feel you should have plenty of capacity in those smaller machines for the types of work we encounter in most mountmaking.

The operation of a machine like that should be relatively intutive and there are lots of videos available to help you get oriented. A good vise, selection of cutters, and measuring tools like calipers and dial indicators will all help you do your best work. Getting to know spindle and feed speeds and how they effect different materials will come with practice. I work mostly with brass, but machine steel, acrylic, and occasionally wood on mine as well. I'd hate to be without it.


Good luck,

Jamie

Calvin.FrankCalvin.Frank

Archival Bondo?

Hi all,


In the past (20-30 years ago).. our mount maker regularly used Bondo to create custom cavities/castings of the bottoms of objects to use as stability supports in casework. We are now looking to do something similar but are needing an archival-friendly version of this product. So far all we have found is the Aves Apoxie Sculpt and found it to be too doughy for this application and need something more malleable. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

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shaynna
Apr 17, 2025

I've not used Aves, so I'm not sure how the texture would compare, but I usually use Milliput for this application. It's not cheap, but conservators are fine with it, and you can easily sand it and cover it with archival felt. I like the results I get from it. Happy mountmaking!

AIC Materials Working GroupAIC Materials Working Group

Conservation Advice for Exhibition Display Materials

Dear IMF,

Hello from the Materials Selection and Specification Working Group (MWG) of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC)! We are a subgroup of the MWG that works on compiling fact sheets for exhibit and storage materials. 

In an effort to promote greater cross-collaboration between allied professions, we are excited to start participating in this forum. We are beginning by responding to some of the questions on the forum about exhibit material choices. 

We will continue to have our eyes on this forum for questions we may be able to help answer.

Sincerely,

The Fact Sheet Team of the MWG, of AIC


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Elizabeth Soriano
Elizabeth Soriano
Mar 21, 2024
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Welcome! So glad you're here.

Roger Murray
Roger Murray

Adhesive for foamed pvc board

Hi mountmakers,

What are you all using to bond sintra/palite/forex foamed pvc board. I need something that is oddy tested and hopefully on the AIC Wiki list of approved showcase materials. I have used plumbers pipeweld adhesive in open display situations but I now need to build small plinth/ showcases with acrylic hoods/bonnets.

Any advice much appreciated 🙏

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