The Eisenhower Linenbacking Experience...

theartofmovieposters

Very pretty!

David

Fantastic!

Charlie

Beauty!

Eisenhower

Started this resto about two months ago & finally got around to finishing up. Not 100% happy with final product-should have filled the broken foldline with some MC & painted over-but know better now.

Over all-success with a good wash, 5 or so paper in-fills and pencil & paint touchups. 

BEFORE


AFTER

David

Still, way better than what I could ever do...or want to attempt

theartofmovieposters

I must be hard of seeing, it looks pretty good to me!

Sven

Yup nice paper replacement mark

Eisenhower

Jay's HS resto dilemma (paper or linen) got me thinking about one Ive wanted to back for some time. 
My lone Hitchcock

Eisenhower

Also noticed that it was part of the Dwight Cleveland posters he sold about a year ago? 

Sven

Not sure but nice half sheet. Good luck with that one!

David

Yup...good luck!

jayn_j

Not sure why you would want to back that HS.  It looks pretty nice as is.  A basic cleaning would work wonders.  There don't appear to be any structural issues.


FWIW, I am no closer on deciding what to do on the On the Town HS with the large tears.

Eisenhower

jayn_j said:

Not sure why you would want to back that HS.  It looks pretty nice as is.  A basic cleaning would work wonders.  There don't appear to be any structural issues.

Yeah, it's in very solid shape. But i've still only been working on posters for just over 2 years and i'm still trying to establish some solid practices with all the varieties of paper i want to back or will want to back. I remember the first time i backed a Danish poster and the ink ran like crazy from the Orvus soap i was using to clean the surface dirt and i freaked out!

My point is, i'm still want to try to "clean up" through washing/deacidification strengths/bleaching process to make a poster as spotless as possible. To make it look as original as it did when it was printed and displayed to the public in the 30s or 50s.... When i'm able to perfect those practices, then i'll know i can treat a poster however i'd, or someone else, would prefer and work more efficiently. 

I've only backed 2 or 3 half sheets and i'm still trying to get a better deacid and better bleaching with the heavy paper. This one has several scuffs & stains and several deliberate pinholes that will be new to my restoration skills. 

I still need to get some Mulberry to paperback a half sheet. After that i will be better informed regarding paperbacking HS's vs. Linen. 

jayn_j

Good luck with this.  I will be following closely, since cleaning of the heavier stock is something I have been playing with.  Also interested to see your results with the paper backing.

Eisenhower

Thx Jay! I'll need it, I haven't backed many half sheets 3, and the thicker paper always seems harder to work with. 

Well, a few days ago I got after linenbacking the Wrong Man HS, and it gave me a new surprise. The wash took over an hour as I gave a longer deacidification soak due to the thick paper and it had noticeable toning which I wanted to attempt to reduce, so it was bleached as well. 
BEFORE-


All went well until I walked in my poster room about 7 hours later to see how it was drying and, what the???!!!! 


Never have I had my canvas or Masa get wavy like this. Ive read that this is why most inserts, lobbies, and half sheets should? be paperbacked, but Ive backed 3 HS's with no issues. So I stood there thinking what should I do?.... Of course! I immediately contacted Charlie! 

Eisenhower

Many thanks to Charlie for talking me off the ledge  and providing a solution to the waviness. I promptly executed his advice and 24 hours later....BAM!
The waviness is gone --thanks again, Charlie--- the canvas tightened up and I started burnishing high areas yesterday. Of note-the deacid and bleaching did wonders for the poster and it emerged looking goood. 

jayn_j

Just a thought.  Were the 1/2 sheets you did previously from more recent titles?  There have been changes to the paper stock over the years.  I am guessing that the stock on this poster was more absorbant, causing the poster to swell a bit.  Then it shrank as it dried, causing the wrinkles on the linen.  Just a guess, but we did have to compensate and never trimmed wet photos when I was a kid in my parents' studio.

Eisenhower

The 3 Half sheets that I've backed, two were from the 60s and one was from the 50s. I believe this one is from 1957 so the difference in paper is negligible unless the studio that released it uses different paper from the other ones. I certainly didn't notice any difference and paper before during or after I was backing it. 

I have 1/2 sheet from 1934 but haven't looked at it in comparison to my other ones.

Re the waviness, Charlie figured out pretty quickly that I didn't stretch my campus as tight as I should've and I used a distilled water spray bottle on the back of the canvas  to get it damp, and within about two or three hours to help tighten the back up again!

Matt

Charlie to the rescue. Well done to the both of you!

David

You two restoration geeks and your funny language...

Eisenhower

Haven't posted here in a while since the holidays always suck up any available time. That and I had two illnesses around both Thanksgiving and right before Christmas that slow me down a bit. Recently backed this 2nd installment of Rock and Doris. 
Lover Come Back-US 1 Sht. 
It had some fold line erosion in the middle and top center crossfolds. It washed up nicely and was a fairly easy watercolor pencil infill. 

After wash and backed. 


After pencil touch ups to the crossfolds-ready to be cut out of frame. 

Charlie

Nice!

Matt

Sarweet!

Sven

Nice job !

Eisenhower

Thanks, guys. Fortunately the fold line infill was fairly easy. Paleface will pose some more challenges. 

Posted earlier that i backed this, but here are some before pictures before resto work begins.
The Paleface, OS, 1848. 
Looks fairly well at first glance, but tape in the wrong areas will require more work than at first anticipated. 

Backside shows where the four pieces of tape sit. 


Some closeups of the backside tape that would have to be removed....now where's the Bestine....



front side tape to be removed. 


Backed & Dried, ready for restoration

Eisenhower

Post-backing, areas needing restoration. 
Rough tack removal? 


Hazards of tape on the right border

Tape removal from backside and front side-these crossfolds will need an MC infill and coloring to replace what's missing. 

Eisenhower

Resto beginning this Sunday afternoon. 


Colors used for his face & hat. 

Looks pretty good after pencil work. 

MC infill, some sanding, small amt of airbrushing up next....

Sven

Nice job Mark ! Airbrushing? I cant remember you doing that before? Should make for a seamless finish

Charlie

Great job!

Eisenhower

Sven said:

Nice job Mark ! Airbrushing? I cant remember you doing that before? Should make for a seamless finish

Was cleaning up the poster studio this afternoon & I stumbled upon this colorful daybill I backed in July '17.

@Sven - I airbrushed the left border for practice because it had a printing "defect"? Or "ink smudge transfer"? Of a sliver of red/yellowish ink about 5-7 inches long, so I took it upon myself to practice mixing the dreaded "off white." I think it came ok.

I've really only experimented with airbrushing borders so far. I've done some larger, interior areas-the reddish orange of Seven Brides & a few other practice pieces as well. I have limited skills with masking off larger areas or letters so that's certainly a skill I want to get better at. 

I also I filled a border paper loss on the right border about 3/4 of the way up. It came out really nice. 

Only 1 before picture. 


Final product. It came out well.