Crescent + Nielsen Bainbridge

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Jason

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
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Not sure if this has been asked before, or not --- is it acceptable to use Crescent and Nielsen Bainbridge matboard in the same project, or is it better to just use one or the other? When displaying matcorners on your design table, is it best to keep all the Crescent together and all of the Nielsen together, or can they be mixed? I am sure this is a matter of preference, but I am curious what other shops do. Thanks!
 
I'm petty sure this has never been asked because no one would consider it a serious question to ask.

Everyone knows that if you mix the two different companies mats together, the whole thing will explode!!
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Sheeesh!!!
 
My personal preference is to keep the two sets of matcorners in separate racks on my design table, but that is just the way I've always sorted them.

I have, on many occasions, mixed Crescent and Bainbridge mats in a frame design. Sometimes, I just can't find the right shade of a colour in one set and I'll find it in the other.
 
I mix them, both in frame projects and mat racks. I design by color and texture, not brand. Only rag mats are kept on a seperate rack.

What FramerDave said.
 
I've been known to mix Peterboro, Bainbridge and Crescent in the same frame. Sometimes I throw in a Rising board as well. I think the picture/print/artwork deserves the best mat color combination regardless of the maker, as long as its acid-free!

AND before you ask, YES I have been known to mix moulding companies as well! I have been known to put LJ enhancers into Studio frames.

But like Framah I'm from Maine, to paraphrase our state motto, the way framing should be!
 
I keep the corner racks separated like Karen, but unlike Karen I seldom mix the two on the design counter.

Crescent Rag and Bainbridge Alpha seem to me to have a slightly different thickness – Crescent being the thinner. To me, the bevels just don’t look right when they are combined.

I guess we Granite Staters are just a little more particular than youse guys from Maine.
 
When you dress yourself in the morning and put on Levis Jeans, do you only wear a Levis shirt?

Mix them and nobody knows the difference.
 
I asked this question as I did not know if the "acid-free" properties of the two brands would cause an issue when they were mixed. Thanks for all of the input.
 
Jason, your question is more insightful than some of the replies. Your critical thinking toward caution is commendable, but no, chemical compatibility among brands is not a concern.

There are some differences among the mat types, however. If "acid free" standard mats are used with alphacellulose "museum grade" mats, the bevels will be different -- the standard mats will discolor and the alphacellulose will stay white.

For preservation framing, the recommendation is to use only alphacellulose (purified wood pulp or cotton) and avoid the standard mats. Even though standard mats are described as "acid free", they would eventually fall into the acidic range of the pH scale (below 7.0), and could cause damage to framed valuables.
 
I don't have Bainbridge samples but I do stock and sell mostly Artique. I show the full line of Crescent but stock very little of it.

My Artique samples are separate from the Crescent, the reason being 'stocked' vs. 'non-stock' products.

It only matters to me, not the customers. Unless they really want it in a hurry, then 'stock' is the rack to look in.

What I don't understand is why you would want both Bainbridge and Crescent. That is just too many samples and too many choices. Pick one company and roll with it. Both lines have great products and huge number of choices.
 
Originally posted by Jim Miller:


There are some differences among the mat types, however. If "acid free" standard mats are used with alphacellulose "museum grade" mats, the bevels will be different -- the standard mats will discolor and the alphacellulose will stay white.

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Good point, Jim. Which is why I don't use the standard "acid free" much anymore. Those I do keep seperate. Don't even have the samples on display, but they're on hand if someone insists (I actually did have an artist insist on "the cheap paper mat stuff, not those museum mat things").

The difference in color of bevels is instantly obvious, but more important is the safety of the art. I know the cost-per-sheet is higher, but I figure that into my pricing structure. Better to be safe than burned.
 
I have racks of Bainbridge, Crescent, Artique and Tru-vue - rag and alpha only - all stored in numerical order. I do my designing from memory and from specifiers, pulling the samples as required from the racks. I use them all (with a temporary hold on the Tru-vue's until The Crescent sample merge is complete). I do minimize how many basic colors I show during the design process so as not to overwhelm the customer, but, for final selection I wish that there were even more choices than my present suppliers provide to get the right color balance. I would carry more if I had the room. Storing samples by the number makes them easy to find and easy to put back.

I am often working with antique pieces (I'm in an antique center, after all) and I can't begin to imagine satisfying the nuances of matching antique papers with a lesser number of suppliers. In fact, there is one rosy shade that is common with antique paper that nobody matches, even with white core. That issue is magnified when dealing with more colorful art.

For the record I do not Stock any mat inventory except leftover pieces.

My two cents,
Pat :D
 
Originally posted by Pat Murphey:
I use them all (with a temporary hold on the Tru-vue's until The Crescent sample merge is complete).
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It's a done deal man. I already have all the new samples and all the old samples was dumpsterized.

Did you get the postcard from Crescent that needed to be sent back in?
 
What I don't understand is why you would want both Bainbridge and Crescent. That is just too many samples and too many choices. Pick one company and roll with it. Both lines have great products and huge number of choices.
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True, they both have a very deep range of choices, but each brand has some things unique to its brand. For instance, I love the Antiquarian line from Crescent; Bainbridge doesn't have them. Bainbridge has some great textures and fabrics that Crescent doesn't.

So pick and choose, and spend some time weeding out the duplicate mats. Do you really have to have that Bainbridge 8517 Ivory Black AND the exact same one in Crescent? Now some of us will say yes, that the Crescent one has a slightly different texture or something. Will your customer know? Is that tiny difference worth the time looking for them?
 
Mix them up. It will clear up some realestate on your table and i think is just better to work with all your colors in front of you instead of going between companies.
 
I agree. I do keep the Artique separate though.

Dave Makielski
 
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