1st oversize job - questions

KwajPrints

Grumbler
Joined
Jul 27, 2004
Posts
30
Loc
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
I've finally been asked to frame/mat something larger than standard mat board size and I've got a couple of questions.

The piece is a 20" x 60" Peter Lik photo.

On their web site Peter Lik recommends cold mounting their work to gatorboard or aluminum. I don't particularly want to do that (and don't have any easy way even if I wanted to). Is there any reason why a photo of this size won't be OK hinged in the normal fashion?

Secondly, I don't have an easy way to get 48x96 matboard in a reasonable time so I'm considering splicing together a couple of sheets to reach the size I need, attaching two 4-ply layers together with staggered splices, and wrapping the whole thing in silk. Will that work? Will I have problems with the splices showing through the fabric? Of course my largest mat cutter is 60" so I'll have to cut it by hand...

Thanks,
Steve
 
There the right way, wrong way and the hard way. Part of your job is to allow yourself enough time to get in supplies to to the job right. If the customer won't give you the time you feel you need pass on the job. Sometime it hurts but that's the way I see it. It sound like an easy job done the way the photographer recommending.

Look around to see if a professional photo lab that's close by might be able to mount it for you.

Good Luck
framer

Sorry, I didn,t see where you were from. It might not be that easy there to get supplies where you are at.
 
Steve, two of my best friends worked on Kwajalein for several years. You're not kidding when you say you can't get things in a reasonable amount of time! Personally, I have never spliced anything but I don't think you would see the splices if you used a heavier weight fabric. You might want to consider covering a wood liner with fabric instead, and use rag board as a barrier between it and the artwork. What are you planning on mounting it to? Is that what the spliced board is for? Spliced board for mounting seems dubious to me. Honestly, something of this size, in your climate, you might consider waiting the extra time for the proper sized board. You can buy 48 x 72 rag boards for mounting and matting. How is the photo made? Can it be drymounted to rag with Fusion? That would be better for a photo of this size to control the rippling. If you can drymount to rag, use a 40 x 60 board and a wide frame, no mat, and spacers to keep the glazing off the photo. Just a few options. Can't wait to tell my friends there is a Grumbler on Kwaj!
 
If you end up mounting it yourself, I don't think that hinges alone will hold something THAT large. Try adding sills under, and possibly on the sides to help keep the picture from slipping.

Good luck.
Let us know the end results. :D
 
Welcome Steve, My dad was stationed on Kwajalein just after WWII.
 
Welcome to the Grumble Steve

The way I would do this is 3M ProSpray mount the photo to gator board. If the customer wants matting, TruVue has 'monster mat' that is 48 x 96. How about making a mat out of wide strips of gator foam and then covering with fabric. It makes a great look.
 
Steve. What photo process is used in making the image? Is it a standard C print or one of the newer technologies?
An alternative to the backings mentioned would be acrylic glazing (plexiglas, perspect, lucite, etc.), and you might even be able to do a static mount. I would imagine there would be a greater chance of availablility of the acrylic in the constuction industry there. Come to think of it, you might have already planned to use it as the glazing option over the photo.
Splicing the 4-ply can be done but the fabric wrap does introduce excess humidity (assuming you are using a fabric adhesive)and that could be problematic. Wooden boards milled to about 1/4" thick and beveled on one edge can be cut and joined for a fabric covered mat. As mentioned above they should be seperated from the photo with a barrier, but it should be understood that any outgassing from the wood can migrate through 4-ply. Sealing the wood and/or covering it with a frame sealing tape that has an aluminum barrier init will do more to reduce acidic outgassing. The concern for an acid free environment isn't as great with the R/C photos.

Best of luck. Let us know how you decide to proceed.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas.

My biggest issue is just the time required to get the materials - she needs it for Christmas and it'll be tight to turn around another supply order by then - hence my desire to improvise. You all have given me some great ideas that I'm going to explore. I'm actually confident that I can do something nice for the mat/liner and am most concerned about mounting/hinging. I can get access to a medium sized press but given my lack of experience I'm reluctant to risk a $1500 photo. On the other hand I know that there will be some waviness if not mounted but I'm not sure how severe it will be. Would PMA be an option?

Steve
 
Starch makes a cheap and easy to use adhesive for
laminating board. A few ounces in the appropriate
quantity of water will cook up to enough for your job. You can align the sheets so that their joints are staggered and roll the paste onto the lower set and weight the upper set in place, before leaving for the weekend. Extra drying can be done with a press or an iron. You can mark the opening on the front of the board, 1/8" out got 8 ply, and put the sheet into your cutter so that the front side is up and it comes in from the left
and not the right, as usual. Since you are cutting
from the front, no cross overs are needed. The
window can then be rolled with acrylic gloss medium and when that is dry, the fabric can be
ironed on. Given the price of the photo, hinging
seems much safer than mounting and the client
should be warned to expect that the safety of her
work entails its not being mounted, unless it can
be done by the artist or someone skilled in that
kind of work.

Hugh
 
Steve,
With the help of a more experienced framer, here's how we tackled an 80"x18" photo. It's on my website Dancin' Baer Frames

First we found a local shop that could drymount the photo on oversized foamcore. At the splice points we used colored mat strips about 1/2" wide cut with a regular bevel. The main mat was cut with a reverse bevel. We sketched out the top mat to determine the size we needed. Cut the mat in four pieces like four giant corner samples. Spliced the four pieces together face down with the 1/2" strips. Carefully flipped the mat over and positioned it over the photo. We used acrylic glazing and slid the package into a metal frame. If you haven't thought of it already. We put 3 sets of hanger clips along the top and bottom of the frame then tied wire between them for added support. I instructed the customer to use at least three anchors, preferably at studs to hold the picture.
Hope you get the idea.

Good luck...
 
Steve, you didn't say whether you had Gaterboard or not. If you do, cut the mat out of that.
(See "I hate Indian mates" in the Frame Design threads) When you cut the gater or kappa, it sometimes helps to put repair philmoplast over the bevel to give a smoother surface for the silk.

As for mounting the photo, Yes paste comes to mind. But then I'm old fashioned that way.

baer
 
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