Always Conservation?

Stephen Enggass

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
Aug 12, 2019
Posts
185
Location
Maine
Newb question. Do you all make it a practice to use conservation mat board at all times? I would think you would in most cases.
 
On 99.99% of jobs.
 
There’s no place in a modern frame shop for non-conservation materials, with one exception: cheap, high-volume production jobs that you don't want your name associated with. These don’t happen often, but if you’re asked to quote, give two prices: one done right, and one done on the cheap. Guess which one gets selected nine times out of ten?
 
100% of the time - if there is a mat it is conservation board. I don't carry anything but and will not show anything but Conservation Board.
 
I used to stock Bainbridge Artcare as my Conservation board but kept some of the Crescent Rag Matt samples as well because some of their colours, like the flannel matts, were indispensable. I also offered Watermark whitecore as a cheaper alternative because not everything needs the full conservation treatment and price was an issue for many of my customers.

I refused to have anything to do with the Crescent or Bainbridge "standard" matts as they were totally unacceptable for quality and I never did the cheap mass production jobs which they are usually used for.

Because the textures, colours and feel of these two boards were quite different there was no risk of using the wrong product. However, I only ever stocked the conservation fome-cor because that is one area where I did not want two very similar products in the shop.
 
That’s what I thought. I ask because I ordered some supplies from Dick Blick, and they included 7 free pieces If 20x32 non-conservation mat board. Not sure what to do with them. Practice some vgrooves???
 
Slip sheets.

I have to put in a recommendation for Peterborough matboards. Their prices are the best, quality is up there, and it is well-run company. Only limitation is that their selection could be wider. But, when you show these first, you should find a color.

In circumstances when price is a driver for those quantity jobs you're quoting on, use their whitecore line. I had to use a shinny black for 1,200 mats, and their whitecore black saved $$.


........................................

Btw: shinny is spelled shinny unless you are not from Nigeria attempting to scam a framer. Then we spell it shiny. But somehow it always comes out shinny.

Does that make sense? Hope not.
 
Slip sheets.

I have to put in a recommendation for Peterborough matboards. Their prices are the best, quality is up there, and it is well-run company. Only limitation is that their selection could be wider. But, when you show these first, you should find a color.

In circumstances when price is a driver for those quantity jobs you're quoting on, use their whitecore line. I had to use a shinny black for 1,200 mats, and their whitecore black saved $$.


........................................

Btw: shinny is spelled shinny unless you are not from Nigeria attempting to scam a framer. Then we spell it shiny. But somehow it always comes out shinny.

Does that make sense? Hope not.
I used to get the Nigerian faxes for the "shinny moulding"...
But what about this?
It's about Hockey, of course..(or booze).:beer:
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You can shinny up a rope. 🙂

Anyway, I think I am correct to say that most matboards made today are miles better than they used to be.
Even non-conservation stuff. It all depends on what you are framing. A lot of watercolor/drawing papers are
markedly worse the even cheap matboard when it comes to conservation specs. I some cheap artist decides
it's cool to paint on a cornflake packet then no amount of conservation materials is going to save it ultimately.

Not using the best materials saves not-a-lot. It's only really justified if you need to shave every last penny on a
big job involving big quantities. Even then, the labor costs would be the same. At the end of the day it's hardly worth it.

It's the techniques you use more than the actual materials that make a job "Conservation". You should be able to remove
an artwork from a frame years later and not be able to tell if had ever been in a frame. 😎
 
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