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Fixing and hanging panels
(I)
THE most important thing to consider when hanging tiled panels is the
security of the fixing. There are various alternatives which can be used.
These include strong adhesive, cement and screwing. The choice of method
depends largely on the panel’s thickness of weight. With concrete and brick
walks, check that the wall will take the weight of the ceramic and then fix
directly. If the panel is to be hung, it should be fixed first to a thick
ply support, using screws and adhesive, and then hang using one of the
methods shown here.
Points to remember
Only fix thin tiles directly to plastered walls. Heavy tiles must be hung on
the panel. Ceramic slab can be grooved on the back to provide a key for
fixing agent. The grooves can be cut when the slab is cheese-hard, as it
will then not bend while being handled. The depth of the grooves should be
related to the thickness of the slab. Mirror brackets are a good way of
fixing these framed tiles to a wall, the brackets should be fixed to the
wooden backing before the tiles to establish the right length for the
screws.
Holes could be drilled to the slab to take screws. The screws should be
counter sunk, so that their heads will be below the slabs surface. Small
ceramic plugs are the coloured and fitted to conceal the screws. This is an
efficient and easily adjustable method of hanging heavy ceramic panels.
Holes are drilled into the clay at the leather hard stage and heavy
galvanized or mild steel wire inserted. The holes must slope upwards. When
the clay has set, the ends of the wires are bent into a loop to be hung from
screws in the wall.
Some ceramics wall panel could be mounted, and fixed to the wall with wood
by dovetail battering on the back of its support through a single batten
screwed to the wall. For a large panel, an additional plain batten of equal
thickness, to the lower half of the panel, should also be fitted to keep the
panel equidistant from the wall. Individual heavy tiles or plaques can be
hung over a screw head on the wall using this method. The recess is cut out
with a knife fitted with a curved blade.
some panels have heavy duty nails embedded in them while soft. When the
panels dry, the nails will be firmly in place, so providing stability for
the eventual support.
Another way of fixing a heavy mounted ceramic panel to a wall is to use bent
wild steel stripes.
These can be almost as wide as the panel. This is a firm hanging method,
which will support very heavy panels and at the same time, is easy to
remove. Sufficient tolerance must be left in the stripes to take up any
sight bowing in the backing wood panel while the wall needs to be extremely
level.
Making a screen
There is a wide range of frames and screens which can be made or bought. For
most purposes, however a screen attached to a wooden frame is quite
sufficient.
Points to remember
Make sure that the cloth of the screen is 3-4 (7.5 – 10cm) larger than the
frame.
Ensure that a strong permanent bond is achieved otherwise the image could
become distorted during printing.
1. Staple the mish from the centre of one side of the screen moving out
towards the corners. Repeat the process along the opposite side.
2. When attaching the fabric, staple through a thin strip of card to avoid
tearing the mesh. Trim off surplus fabric around the edges of the frame.
Fold the fabric around the corners of the frame. Secure the folds with
staples. Floating bar frames can be used for stretching a frame. The bars
are attached to the frame by bolts and butterfly nuts and are adjustable.
Indirect photo stencils
Indirect photo stencils are made away from the screen and attached to it
after they have been exposed and developed. The stencil is usually
manufactured in the form of a two-layer film. One of these layers consists
of emulsion. The other layer is a transparent backing sheet which is removed
after exposure.
1. Place the film positive on the exposure screen, emulsion side up. Cover
it with a sheet of sensitized gelatine.
2. Centre the positive image under the gelatine. Expose the film to
ultra-violet light for between three and five minutes.
3. Put the gelatine in a solution of four parts water and one part hydrogen
peroxide. Heave it for about one minute.
4. Wash out the film with Luke warm water. The unexposed gelatine washes
away gradually and the image emerges.
5. Place the film on a flat surface and lay the screen on top.
6. Lay pieces of newspaper over the mesh of the screen to absorb the excess
moisture.
7. Work over the printing area with a rover to force the fabric onto the
stencil. Remove the newspaper and allow the screen to dry.
8. Peel away the transparent backing sheet leaving the image on the mesh of
the screen. If the film starts to come away as well, the screen must be
allowed to dry further. Finally. The area of the screen which is not covered
by emulsion surrounding the image must be covered with gummed paper.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4 2006