Hello All

I am after some advice about the best glue for sticking a backdrop picture to an MDF backboard.

many thanks for any advice.

I have always used wallpaper paste, as you easily have time to get all of the air bubbles out, and it won't damage the paper/vinyl.

The ancient flour an water method is quite good and the paper doesn't shrink as it dries which happens with some other type of pastes.

Thanks Chaps

Quote from: cupoftea on February 13, 2011, 11:58:46 AM
Hello All

I am after some advice about the best glue for sticking a backdrop picture to an MDF backboard.

many thanks for any advice.

Sorry if I'm too late with this, but it might help someone.

I don't like the wet wallpaper paste as it has made my backscene wrinkle in the past.  So this time round I investigated spray mount, and I am sticking onto plywood.  I started out with Photo Mount 45 from 3M.  This stuck for a few weeks but started to peel.

I found two other spray mounts with higher numbers... 77 and 90.  The higher the number the stronger it is, but I found that 90 dissolves the ink through the paper!  Luckily on a test piece, phew!

So my backdrop is stuck on the plywood with 3M Super 77 Spray Mount.  The 77 worked really well.  It has stayed stuck for about a year now and no wrinkles.

http://www.marksmodelrailway.com/Marks_Model_Railway/My_Albums/Pages/Backscene.html

Good info is never too late Mark....had the same problem with wallpaper paste.ended up using good old pva.
Was better but not entirely satisfied.Will look into the Spray Mount.
                             Cheers

Quote from: Dock Shunter on February 22, 2011, 01:40:37 PM
Good info is never too late Mark....had the same problem with wallpaper paste.ended up using good old pva.
Was better but not entirely satisfied.Will look into the Spray Mount.
                             Cheers

I hope the info I gave translates to 3M products in the UK.  The stuff I have listed is from the USA where I am now.

Also, be careful to cover the surrounding area where you spray with an old sheet as the spray that doesn't go on the object does spread round a bit and is very sticky... don't get it on your scenery because then dust, hairs etc will stick and never come off!

Quote from: Mustermark on February 23, 2011, 03:40:15 PM

Quote from: Dock Shunter on February 22, 2011, 01:40:37 PM
Good info is never too late Mark....had the same problem with wallpaper paste.ended up using good old pva.
Was better but not entirely satisfied.Will look into the Spray Mount.
                             Cheers

I hope the info I gave translates to 3M products in the UK.  The stuff I have listed is from the USA where I am now.

Also, be careful to cover the surrounding area where you spray with an old sheet as the spray that doesn't go on the object does spread round a bit and is very sticky... don't get it on your scenery because then dust, hairs etc will stick and never come off!

Cheer's Mark .......Sounds like a job best left for a sunny day in the garden

No one like the idea of the really cheap flour and water paste then? I first heard of it being used for wallpapering dolls houses over twenty years ago. As I said earlier, the advantages are it doesn't shrink the paper as it dries and it does not contain fungicides as some wallpaper paste does.

If you want really good sticking power with no chance of affecting the inks, then get down to a carpet & vinyl shop and buy some F$=46 adhesive made by F Ball & Co. It is a pressure sensitive adhesive that can be applied with a small short pile roller and then left to dry before applying any covering. You have to get it right though as it sticks like s*^" to a blanket

I too have used 3M spray mount for our layouts backscene...and yes, it has started to peel. I use quite a lot of thin card and paper on our layout...I use Scalescenes concrete walling and roads a lot...and trial and error have lead me to using good old-fashioned print-stick (or something similar).

In terms of wallpaper paste, Gaugemaster now sell a specific type of paste used for this very purpose. We have used it a couple of times, and I must say that for me the juries out on it. It doesn't really solve the rippling issue.

Back to the spray mount; I did not realise the varying strengths. Obviously that explains the marked difference in price between the various types!

To overcome rippling or air bubbles etc the best thing to use is a lino-roller (like you get from art and crafts shops).

Lay the backdrop very gently on the prepared surface, and then start to roll from the centre toward the edges. This way ripples and bubbles shouldn't occur in the first place