Pete
Bingham experiments with 2000 micron Colourmount boardI’ve always felt that standard mount board isn’t quite thick enough for those extra special jobs. It doesn’t have that statement of importance that thicker boards do. So, when I heard of Colourmount’s new range of thicker boards, I was pleased that my favourite range and make of board was now absolutely complete.
The board is 2000 microns thick, which equates to the old definition of ‘8 sheet’ as opposed to the 6 sheet that we are used to in everyday work. In real terms, this means that it is half as thick again as standard board, which of course adds up to very useful extra versatility in wider bevels and extra spacing. Reverse bevel mounts will also benefit from the added dimension that the deeper bevel will give, as shown here.
First concern, of course, is your mount cutter, which has to be reset to cope with the extra thickness. I had wondered how modern mount cutters would cope with the extra thickness, but there appears to be no problem at all - even when the blade is past its best. I cut the equivalent of 30 mounts with one blade with no sign of hooking at all.
I’ve tried one or two of my own special ideas out on this new board to see what it can do. If you would like to introduce these new ideas into your armoury, you can ask Slater Harrison for a copy of my methodology, which they have produced as a special leaflet to go with the new board.
Painted Bevels
Black core is fine and creates some very interesting effects, but as it doesn’t yet exist in this new range, I have found an alternative way of creating not only black, but whatever colour you want, including multi-coloured stippled and mottled effects. It’s easy when you know how!
Strip Doubles
Not, as you might think, an interesting new team game, but acrafty dodge to save on mount board when cutting doubles, and begin to make use of that ever growing mountain of offcuts or even outright scrap that we all seem to produce. Here, I have created a perfectly good double mount, with a painted bevel, virtually from scrap!
Box Mounts
I usually reserve foam board for these, but I find the extra thickness in this board means good strong box mounts can be produced easily and with little fuss. I made this very strong box mount very quickly.
For a copy of Pete’s methodology, call Valerie Storm on 01625 578957.
New
way of hitting quota
The requirement
for manufacturers to recycle a certain proportion of their packaging is
putting pressure on many companies to find new ways of achieving the targets
set.
Webmaster has been working with environmentalists to find areas within
manufacturing industries in which recycling can be made possible without
huge cost implications and has come up with a very simple idea.
The majority of pallets used to transport goods from manufacture to distribution
are shrink wrapped in polypropylene
- but companies then apply a paper label. Paper is of course the least costly
form of labelling, but its use prevents the plastic wrapping from being
recycled because the two materials cannot be mixed.
Now, using Webmaster’s range of filmic label stock, which includes
polyethylene, polypropylene and polyester, this is a problem of the past.
All that manufacturers need to do is to print their pallet labels on material
within the same recycling group as their shrink wrap and the whole lot can
be sent for recycling.
This approach also creates new opportunities in packaging and bottling,
where recycling has become a more important issue. Recent technological
advances in labelling mean that it will become possible for more manufacturers
to consider film as a material for labelling rather than paper - and the
requirement to meet recycling quotas will become a little less of a problem
for all.
Lowerhouse Mills, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 5HW England
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