Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting The Technical Forum The type of aluminum support

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  • #461811
    thisisnotatoy
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        Hi!
        Various types of aluminum sheets are available. Which material is best suited as a foundation for painting?

          [*]Al99,5
          [*]AlCuMg1
          [*]AlCuMg2
          [*]AlMg1 (can be anodized)
          [*]AlMg2Mn0,8
          [*]AlMg3 (can be anodized)
          [*]AlMg4,5Mn0,7
          [*]AlMg5
          [*]AlMgSi1
          [*]AlZn4,5Mg1
          [*]AlZnMgCu0,5
          [*]AlZnMgCu1,5
        #692282
        Richard P
        Default

            Why don’t you just look at a material like Dibond which is an aluminium composite? It is already coated with white polyester so no complicated metal priming is needed.

            #692278
            thisisnotatoy
            Default

                I do not believe in the durability of plastic.

                #692283
                Richard P
                Default

                    Ok.

                    I bought a 0.9mm of Aluminium 1050AH14 grade to test. I found it far less rigid than I expected (less than Dibond). I thought that to get sufficient rigidity I would have to go for a thicker grade which would weigh far more than Dibond or other panel surfaces.

                    #692276

                    I do not believe in the durability of plastic.

                    Fair enough. I’m not sure about the durability of aluminum. :p

                    Seriously; though I never ever seen an indoor art work have problems with aluminum. I do wonder how the centuries will deal with the reactive metal and the lead ions in my oil paint. I’ve decided, that if I do use aluminium myself, it will be as an under support for a primed canvas.

                    Try asking also at the MITRA site (Materials, Information and Technical Resources For Artists)

                    insert pithy comment here.

                    #692280
                    contumacious
                    Default

                        Solid aluminum that is stiff enough by itself for large pieces is going to be VERY heavy. The thinner stuff will need bracing on the back which could be aluminum channel stock – welded or glued to the sheet, foam, wood or plastic. ACM is basically thin aluminum sheet with the “bracing” already installed. I buy the panels with the thickest aluminum sheeting I can find, Moncor from Montroy Supply, which happily is also the least expensive. I don’t lose a second of sleep worrying about the plastic bracing within my ACM panels. I set a piece outside for 3 years in the sun, rain and snow, heat over 100, cold below zero F. The plastic core has not broken down at all and the aluminum is still firmly attached to it. Try that with any other painting support system other than what I consider too heavy, solid copper or aluminum panels.

                        If you are determined to avoid using what in my opinion is the best panting support human’s have come up with to date, you might consider some aluminum panels with aluminum honeycomb cores if you want to avoid the plastic backing found in ACM and the solid stuff is too heavy.

                        #692281
                        Raffless
                        Default

                            I do not believe in the durability of plastic.

                            You might not believe in it but the main galleries around the globe now accept Dibond as perfectly archival and acceptable. Just contact their conservation departments and they will tell you this.

                            #692277
                            cb3
                            Default

                                Don’t forget that conservators re-line old linen canvases with … wait for it … polyester canvas!

                                #692279
                                thisisnotatoy
                                Default

                                    Try asking also at the MITRA site (Materials, Information and Technical Resources For Artists)

                                    Thanks for the advice. On the MITRA forum I got a suggestion not to use anodized aluminum, because it can cause paint cracking. I am also supposed to avoid alloys with silicon. However, magnesium alloys are suitable due to corrosion resistance; zinc alloys due to hardness and, for the same reason, alloys with copper, though not as hard as previous ones, but also quite good.

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