Mounting linen to cradled boards - adherence issues

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Greetings from The Netherlands. After moving from the US, I no longer have easy access to the superb-quality panels mounted with linen that I have used for some years. I have found nice cradled boards that are unfinished birch plywood on the surface. My intention is to mount them with oil-primed linen (Claessens 13DP). I have done this in the past with MDF/Masonite boards using bookbinders adhesive, and am attempting that again (Planatol BB dispersion glue). This is a reversible adhesive. I guess whether it is “easy” to work with would depend on your own experiences. It is difficult to smooth out and spread, but probably only compared to other things. When you are accustomed to spreading oil paint with medium in it, this stuff is pretty stiff, and it begins to cure/dry fairly quickly once it is spread. When I use it I make sure there is wet glue across the whole surface. I apply it to the board, then use a heavy rubber roller to smooth and press the linen.

The problem I am having is that while the glue seems to adhere well across the surface, at the edges and especially the corners, it begins to lift and in some cases, not always, to buckle. Tacky glue is discernible on both the back of the linen and the board. After drying and trimming the linen to the edge, I can brush in some more glue and get adherence. It’s a PIA.

I am wondering whether folks have some ideas about these questions.

  1. Is there a better glue to use for this purpose? Bookbinder’s adhesive is relatively safe, consistent, reversible, and archival.
  2. Should I maybe be prepping the boards or the back of the linen in some way, and if so, with what?
  3. If any other EU folk want to suggest great panels already mounted with portrait-grade, oil-primed linen, I am all ears. I have not found anything comparable what I was using previously unless I made it myself. I could have them made in customary EU sizes and shipped here, but oh my goodness gracious, the fees (taxes, etc) would make them exorbitant.
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Greetings Joseph!

Thank you for sharing your question here. While I do not have personal experience with all of the materials you mention I do have resources that I can share that I think will help you. Here’s the short, technical take and a few options that may just spare you the edge-lift drama.

Why the edges lift (what’s actually happening)

  • Moisture gradient + end-grain suction. Unsealed birch ply (especially the exposed edges) pulls water from a water-borne PVAc bookbinders glue faster at the perimeter than in the field. The film “skins” at the edge before you can get sustained pressure, so the linen relaxes and tents there. In Mayer’s Handbook of M&T he notes both the need to press aqueous linings until the film is fully dry and the general drawbacks of fast-setting aqueous linings (blisters/tenting from water vapor and shrinkage).

  • Insufficient/uneven pressure at the border. A hand roller rarely gives the same dwell and compression at the last 10–15 mm that a press/caul does—again, a classic cause of perimeter blisters/lifts that conservation practice solves by pressing until dry.

  • Panel not sealed all around. Any one-sided wetting or unbalanced sealing encourages edge warp and local shear; standard practice is to seal both faces and all edges of panels before ground or mounting to minimize movement.

Your PVAc (Planatol BB) is a 51 % solids, neutral-pH PVAc made for bookwork—fine in principle, but it sets fast on thirsty wood unless you change the prep and clamping routine. (Schmedt. The World of Bookbinding, cdn.abicart.com, https://www.sprintis.de/, Igepa)

Three reliable paths for you to consider:

A) Stay with PVAc (what to change)

  1. Seal the panel first. Brush 1–2 thin coats of dewaxed shellac or an acrylic sealer over both faces and all edges; let cure and scuff for tooth. This slows perimeter suction and evens open time. (Panel warpage prevention by coating both sides is standard.)

  2. Pre-size the linen back. Roll a very thin 1:1 water:PVAc size into the linen back; let dry. This reduces the glue “starving” at the edge. (Book/lining practice uses pre-coats for uniform bonds.)

  3. Apply with a notched spreader for a controlled wet film right to the perimeter; avoid a thin edge.

  4. Press, don’t just roll. Sandwich: release sheet → linen → glue → panel → release → flat caul that overhangs the edges by a few mm → even weights or a vacuum bag for the full cure. Don’t trim until next day. (Pressing until dry is the key.)

  5. Edge detail. Very light front-face chamfer (≈1–2 mm) prevents a sharp break that encourages tenting; after trimming, wick a tiny bead of PVAc into the edge and burnish.

When to choose this: you want water-borne, easy cleanup, and already have the glue. It’s perfectly serviceable if you control suction and pressure.

B) Lascaux 498 HV (acrylic, museum-grade, heat/solvent re-activatable)

  • What it is: a conservation acrylic adhesive used for marouflage and lining; can be applied wet, or dried on one/both surfaces and re-activated with heat (~75 °C) or solvents; remains soluble in ketones after dry (i.e., reversible). (lascaux.ch, Preservation Equipment Ltd, Kremer Pigments Inc. Online Shop)

  • Why it helps: longer working time, even grab at the edges, and you can place under a caul or vacuum and give brief heat to lock the perimeter.

  • Workflow: seal panel as above → roll 498 HV thinly on panel (or both) → lay linen, roll center-out → press; optionally warm the stack through a release sheet to ~70–80 °C for a few minutes to activate the film uniformly; cool under pressure. (lascaux.ch)

When to choose this: you want a water-borne system with controllable open time and easy future reversibility.

C) BEVA 371 film (EVA copolymer, heat-set, highly reversible)

  • What it is: the painting-conservation workhorse for fabric-to-panel; supplied as a dry film that bonds at ≈65 °C (150 °F) under light pressure and is reversible with heat or appropriate solvents. (University Products Inc., Talas Online, Preservation Equipment Ltd)

  • How it’s used commercially: Artefex/Allinpanel bonds Italian oil-primed linen to two-sided aluminum composite (ACM) with BEVA 371 film—very stable and edge-clean. (Art Panels, Natural Pigments)

  • Workflow: seal panel → lay BEVA film on panel and warm to tack it on → peel release → place linen → heat the stack uniformly to ~65 °C under a caul or vacuum → cool under pressure, then trim. (Manufacturer instructions specify ~65 °C activation; you can go lower with solvent pre-tack, but that’s a safety trade-off.) (University Products Inc., conservationsupportsystems.com, Natural Pigments)

When to choose this: you want the most forgiving, fully dry adhesive layer (no water uptake), the cleanest edge behavior, and top-tier reversibility.

Heat caution with oil-primed linen: when heat-setting (Lascaux or BEVA), keep heat on the back through release/caul; avoid heating the oil ground directly.

Board & linen prep (regardless of adhesive)

  • Seal both faces + all edges of the panel first; it equalizes movement and increases open time uniformly.

  • Light front-face bevel (1–2 mm) to avoid a sharp break line under the fabric.

  • Acclimate and flatten the linen; pre-size the back if using aqueous glue.

  • Use a press (vacuum bag or flat caul + weights/clamps) and maintain pressure until fully set; then trim.

“Is there a better glue?”

  • Yes, if you want easier edges and reversibility: Lascaux 498 HV or BEVA 371 film are purpose-designed for fabric-to-panel and widely used by conservators; both give you heat (and/or solvent) reactivation for clean perimeter bonds and future reversibility. (lascaux.ch, CAMEO, University Products Inc.)

  • Your Planatol PVAc is fine if you fix the substrate sealing and pressing routine; it’s neutral pH, ~51 % solids, but it dries fast on unsealed wood and needs real clamping. (Schmedt. The World of Bookbinding)

“Should I prep boards/linen?”

  • Absolutely. Seal panel faces/edges; scuff for tooth. Pre-size linen back for aqueous systems. Press to full cure. These steps directly address the failure modes you’re seeing.

EU sources (oil-primed linen on panel—ready-made)

  • Jackson’s “Masters” ACM panels with Claessens 13DP (double oil-primed) — non-warping ACM core, portrait-grade surface. Ships throughout the EU. (Jackson’s Art Supplies)

  • Artefex Allinpanel (ACM + oil-primed linen, bonded with BEVA 371) — sold in Europe; very stable, conservation build. (Art Panels)

Quick, pragmatic recipes

Fastest improvement (using your PVAc):
Seal panel faces/edges → pre-size linen back (1:1 water:PVAc) and dry → spread full-strength PVAc with a fine notch right to edges → lay linen → vacuum bag or heavy caul (overhang edges) for 12–24 h → then trim and wick a tiny bead into the cut edge → burnish and let cure.

Cleanest edges (Lascaux 498 HV):
Seal panel → apply thin 498 HV to panel, let dry tack-free → place linen dry → warm the stack through a release to ~75 °C for a few minutes → cool under pressure → trim. (lascaux.ch)

Most archival + dimensionally stable (BEVA 371 + ACM panel):
Either buy ready-made (Jackson’s/Artefex), or bond your Claessens to ACM with BEVA 371 film at ~65 °C under a caul/vacuum; cool under pressure and trim. (Jackson’s Art Supplies, Art Panels, University Products Inc.)

Hope this helps you out!

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Anthony, I knew you would not let me down. I see a few solutions here, and I will comb through your response in detail in the next day or so. Dank je wel!

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Anytime Joseph! Please keep us posted —:folded_hands:t2: