Is there anything I could coat a collage with to make the pictures stay on?

Question

I love making collages and I made one a couple years ago but the problem is that after a while the pictures started curling(pictures from magazines, not from photo paper). I put saran wrap over it at the time to make sure none of the pictures fall off and it worked. Unfortunately, it doesn't look very nice. Is there any type of glue or something that I could coat collages with to ensure that the pictures stay on?

Answer 1

Mod Podge is the way to go. It comes in matte or gloss finishes, and applies with a brush. This will not only keep you pictures from falling off, but once you let it dry, you can add a UV guard to keep them from fading as well.

Answer 2

There is a craft spray on contact glue that I use to glue patterns for wood working on to 1/4 in plywood. then cut them out on the band saw and leaving the pattern , or , drawing on the board. This last for ever I think. The trick is to spray both the back of the paper drawing or art work and the serface you are going to put it on,

Answer 3

I imagine that you just didn't do enough coats on top of the last pages (there need to be enough coats that the edges of any papers are completely buried underneath the surface of the finish).  

You can buy a "decoupage medium" to do that with (like Mod Podge, but I hear that Royal Coat is less susceptible to later humidity and clouding), or you can thin down a permanent white glue (like Elmers GlueAll) with water about 3 or 4 to one (it will also dry clear and glossy).  

Or you could use a polyurethane instead (sold at hardware stores for sealing bare wood).  

No matter which you use, be sure to always allow one coat dry *thoroughly* before adding the next coat for the best results.

In your particular case, to speed things up you might want to first re-glue as much as possible any of the pages that are curling down to the object; let the glue dry.  Then sand off any of the edges that are still sticking up with sandpaper (perhaps 320 grit or 400, etc.) until you have a completely smooth surface all over.  Wipe off any excess powdery stuff but don't worry if the areas still look whitish.  (Then go ahead and add a number of coats of one of the clear finishes I mentioned above as your final finishing to protect the surface.)

The only other thing that might help is to put a sheet of glass or acrylic over the whole area if possible, or to use a layer of 2-part epoxy resin (also known as bartop resin) instead of the layers of glue or polyurethane but that stuff's a little fiddlier to use.

HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 4

Yes, you may purchase (or have) MOD PODGE. Craft Stores

carry it but it is a little expensive. You may also use regular

White Glue and dilute it with Water. It works well. Mod Podge

gives it not only the security you are looking for but also a

nice finish.

Ingrid