Hi there,
I’m a student worker at the Art Instutute of Chicago, in the painting and drawing department’s materials lab. Currently I’m having some trouble laminating a cradled plywood panel using casein medium to adhere muslin fabric.
This is the recipe for casein medium we use in the lab.
After making the medium, we dilute it 50/50 with water.
A few weeks ago I attempted to laminate a plywood panel with muslin, and I soaked the muslin in this 50/50 mixture. I then squeegee-ed the fabric to the panel, and stapled on the reverse. I was told this would provide a strong enough glue for the fabric to adhere. However, over and over again I’ve had problems with the fabric forming bubbles/pockets once the casein dries. These bubbles only form on the sides of the panel, not the front.
Could someone perhaps diagnose my issue? Also, how tight should I be stretching my fabric when laminating a panel? My muslin started to tear at the corners of the panel as I was stapling it, leading me to believe that I applied way too much tension. Is soaking it in glue before stapling the correct order of operations?
Thanks,
Audrey
Hello Audrey,
I’m not familiar with the use of casein to glue cloth on wood, so please consider my opinion as an amateur one. Just hopeful it’ll give you some food for thoughts.
Casein has low chemical adhesion and is fragile, I’d keep it to very still substrates, more than cloth and even more than wood as much a spossible. Personally I’d keep casein for fresco mural and nothing else. (or labels on glass bottles maybe)
As the extensive amount of water dries, the film shrinks and becomes fragile (less sticky and less flexible) while the fibers breathe out and move. So I’d say it’s the wrong kind of sizing for your cloth and worng kind of glue to mix them both.
There might be a different method to use it and make it work as you want it to, but I’d rather advise the easiest option that is switching to a different chemistry. (I think your tools should be fitting you, not the other way around)
Rabbit skin glue would be more likely to keep both bonded with elasticity. Acrylic primers would also do great and keep good flexibility.
Good luck,
Lussh
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