conservation non glare acrylic with spacer

sdjfr

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Aug 19, 2024
Posts
1
Loc
houston, tx
Business
framer
I have a client requesting conservation non glare acrylic with 1/4" spacer over art. Does anyone have experience using cons NG acrylic with a tiny spacer? Will it distort the image?
 
Reflection Control/Non Glare Glass/Acrylic will always distort the art.
The further away the glazing is from the art the more it will distort.
I've found that various brands of Reflection Control/Non Glare have a different look to them.
Definitely do a test.
 
It's going to distort the image. I speak from experience. You'll have to go with Optium, Your customer may pass out when you tell them the cost, but it is what it is and there's no escaping it.
 
I have a client requesting conservation non glare acrylic with 1/4" spacer over art. Does anyone have experience using cons NG acrylic with a tiny spacer? Will it distort the image?
Welcome to the Grumble!

Do you mean "distort" as in, "make it more difficult to see through" (aka opacity)?
"Non-Glare" is a term that can be used in different ways.
The "traditional non-glare" is the kind that has a kind of "fuzzy/hazy" etched surface on one side.
True Vue calls that "Reflection Control".
It will absolutely affect the visibility of anything under it at 1/4".

For "clear" "non-glare" you could look into what True Vue calls "Anti-Reflective" acrylic.
As others mentioned, Optium Acrylic is incredible to look through, at a premium price.
True Vue also has something called TruLife Acrylic, I have no experience with that product, but it is labeled as "Anti-Reflective", like Optium.

Other brands will have their own way of labeling their products, but essentially "Anti-Reflection" is different than "Non-Glare" or "Reflection Control".
What manufacturer of acrylic do you have access to? Look into other options they have besides the "standard non-glare" type.
 
Here's another little warning that will probably bum you out, but it's something I had trouble with for 37 years. The customer's expectations for "non-glare" is often unreasonable. They expect there to be no reflection from any angle. Get a sample piece of whatever glazing you chose and show it to them spaced above the piece before you go any farther. There are few pains that compare to installing a mega-buck piece of glazing only to have the customer look at it and say "Oh, I can still see a reflection."
 
Hi, sdjfr. Welcome to the Grumble! :)

I'm curious as to what you're framing, and what size. If it's large, there's a high likelihood that, finish surface aside,
acrylic with a shallow spacer could bow in and touch the art. Seems better to either use museum acrylic and a deeper
spacer, or do a direct contact overlay (DCO), if that works.
 
Optium is the best choice if you can convince the client. The Tru-vue reflection control is much better than the old non reflective surfaces. Could you get samples of both and show the client?
 
i have always disliked plexi
plexi .... never looks good- hard to work with..
TRY ART GLASS my number one
 
i have always disliked plexi
plexi .... never looks good- hard to work with..
TRY ART GLASS my number one
I, for one, will disagree with what you said. I have been acrylic only with my online sales since 2001. Many thousands of frames later, I have never had a single customer claim that they would rather have had acrylic vs glass. There are many types of plexi. Framing grade acrylic is the high end of plexi and not to be confused with the lower grades of plexi and styrene.

Back when I had a B&M shop, I had several display frames with both glass and acrylic. When a customer would ask about acrylic vs glass, I would ask them to pick out which was which. Almost none could.

As to workablity, it is extremely easy with the right equipment.

Here is what I say on my site about acrylic:

I use Premium Framing Grade Acrylic for your frames.


What are the benefits of acrylic over glass? Acylic is stronger, more impact resistant, lighter in weight and won't shatter. It is half the weight of glass, and a .125" thickness of acrylic is 2 to 3 times more impact resistant than double strength window glass, 4 to 5 times more impact resistant than wire glass or other glasses. Acrylic can be refinished if scratched.

For safety reasons, Acrylic is recommended over glass anywhere you have children playing or walk around in stocking or bare feet. Anyone in an earthquake zone should also use acrylic.

ACRYLITE and Tru Vue framing grade sheet is the only acrylic framing grade product that is guaranteed defect free or your money back. It is an exceptional general-purpose glazing for cherished memorabilia, photographs and prints as well as for valued artwork, and is used by museums and galleries for both indoor and outdoor framing.

Glass can stick to, and ruin, your collectible, especially in humid environments. It is far, far less likely for acrylic to stick to your collectible. I have never had a report of this happening. I have seen many priceless family heirloom photos ruined by sticking to glass.

Even with good packing, glass can break during shipping. Shippers won't insure glass. I pack well but glass isn't covered by shipping insurance.

And reason #1, if you drop your frame, acrylic won't shatter and damage your collectible ephemera.

I use ACRYLITE acrylic sheet from Evonik(CYRO) and TruVue. ACRYLITE acrylic sheet is made by Evonik's proprietary continuously manufactured method which was introduced in 1977. ACRYLITE sheet provides excellent light transmission and does not yellow after prolonged exposure to sunlight. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will damage ACRYLITE sheet. Its durability enables it to maintain its original appearance despite heat, cold, sunlight and humidity.
 
Back
Top