Recently a number have swappers have reported receiving
slightly damaged mail. Has this happened to you? It’s certainly happened to me. As someone who prefers to send and receive my
art “naked” without an envelope I accept that occasionally things will get
damaged in transit. It’s part of the
adventure. As a sender, I often wonder
if my things arrive in one piece. I assume
they do since I rarely get any reports to the contrary, but on the other hand I
rarely let people know if their piece arrived damaged because I don’t want to
make them feel bad. Maybe my stuff
arrives in tatters and nobody has the nerve to tell me! I know it happened at least once recently
because I mailed my husband a handmade postcard from San Francisco and arrived
home to find a large chunk of the collage had torn off in transit.
This recent mishap makes me realize no matter how well you
think your elements are adhered when they leave your hands, the rigors of
climate, handling and the US postal machines can make even the best glues come
loose.
We’ve already had an interesting glue discussion here, and people
have passionate opinions about what makes a good (or bad) glue.
(if you are not offended by profanity, you should go read Lynn’s hilarious rant about her quest for the perfect glue)
In light of some upcoming collage swaps (such as the “letterS scavenger hunt” and the “found poetry” ) I thought this would be a great
opportunity to review some good gluing tips and practices. Regardless of what KIND of glue you use,
following these four steps will improve your results.
Apply glue all the
way to the edges
Take the little piece you want to stick to your
background. Place it upside down on some
scrap paper. Apply your glue so that it
completely covers the whole surface, and overlaps the edges. Go ahead, get glue all over your scrap
paper. That’s what it’s there for, and
by applying liberally at the edges like that you increase your likelihood that
a small corner doesn’t start lifting up and peeling off.
Burnish
Take that freshly glued little piece and position it where
you want it on your background. Cover it
with something non-stick, like parchment or freezer paper or waxed paper, and
then rub that little bit down firmly.
The non-stick paper really helps protect the collage below – you’re less
likely to scratch your collage or accidentally lift it back off with your gluey
fingers. You can burnish with your
fingers, the side of your fist, the edge of your fingernail, a fancy
bone-folder, the back of a spoon, a wooden craft stick, the edge of a credit
card, etc.
Just give it a good firm rub all over.
Apply pressure
Once your whole collage is finished, sandwich it between two
clean pieces of non-stick paper and press it underneath something heavy, like
a stack of books, overnight.
Seal it
After it’s dry, give the whole thing a generous coating of
some kind of sealant (such as matte
medium, or gloss varnish, or mod podge).
This helps integrate all the layers and makes them less likely to lift
up and peel off. Let your sealant dry
for a day or two before stacking your work or putting it in an envelope.
(Especially if it’s humid out.) It
should not feel tacky or gummy at all.
I did a much longer blog post about this last year, complete
with photos and some of the specific products I like. Click here to read it.
What are YOUR glue experiences?
What are your overall experiences as a “receiver” of MMSA
swaps? Do most of your items arrive in
good condition? How often do you receive
an “injured” piece of mail?
Would you want to know if you pieces were falling apart in
the mail?
Share your thoughts!
Share your thoughts!