framing sand???

[thehadmatter]

I have a customer who would like to frame two sand dollars and some sand from the beach where he proposed to his wife. I am thinking I will need to build a case out of plexiglass (can you tell I am new to the business). Not sure if this is the best route to go, and if so what is the best method of building the case? Has anyone ever worked with something like this?
Thanks in advance.
Laurie

 

[Verdaccio]

Your objects are fairly flat. Does the customer want to hang it on a wall, or lay it on a table?

Think about using a nice shorter shadowbox moulding. You can take two pieces of glass, use 1/8th inch stick spacers around so you have a space for the sand to lay. Put the sand in and lay another piece of glass over it and seal with silicon. Let it sit for at least 24 hours before you put it in the package.

Now...how to adhere the sand dollars on the surface so they would possibly be removable...I bet Jim Miller would have some ideas on that. If you did a mat design of waves or something either partially or fully over the glassed sand (with parts showing through so the sand was still visible) you could use melinex or tulle to wrap the dollars and pass it through the matting.

 

[j Paul]

Here is a piece I did that had seeds, sandwiched in between two pieces of glass w/spacers. For the sand you could do something like this. Just make sure you aren't using a coated glass or it will become sand etched with the movement in time.




Of course you could just use some paint or gel medium on the backboard and then sprinkle the sand into the wet medium. The sand dollars themselves, might be problematic, seems I remember something about them self destructing. (maybe that was on a fused glass forum)

 

[Baer Charlton]

Put some of the sand in a specimen bottle (the kind from a gem/rock store or a jeweler.... not the other bottle.. )

The sand dollars can be held quit nicely with tule or stabilitex. [tule will cost you about $1, Stabilitex about $60 you decide].
The bottle can be glued to the backer with PVA. The bottle is essentially throw away but pH neutral PVA is reversible and wont harm the bottle or off-gas to harm anything else in the case.

 

[Terry Scidmore CPF]

Laurie, I think the ideas above are far more creative and interesting, but here is what I have done before. I get the bottle of sand, sand dollars, and the post card with "The Legend Of The Sand Dollar" in about once a year.

I rumple up a paper towel soaked in water based glue, then spread it out on a mounting board like sand lays out on the beach where it is wind blown - sort of rumply. Take the sand and sprinkle it over the paper towel. The glue makes the sand stick to it, and, viola, instant beach! If there is not enough sand, I add a little of my own into the mix.

Then I glue on whatever beach finds they bring back - sticks, seaweed, shells, rocks, etc. I try to make it look like they might be if you were looking down at the beach while walking.

For the "legend" part, I use a broken sand dollar with the little "doves" spilling out to illustrate the poem, also glued to the fake beach with all the other beach finds.

Next I cut a mat with an opening to show the "beach scene" and an opening for the "Legend Of The Sand Dollar" postcard. This mat is placed over a FC spacer mat to allow enough space for the beach treasures glued to the fake sand beach.

The spacer mat gives a place for sand grains, dried seaweed bits, etc. to fall and be hidden as the picture "ages". The legend postcard can be mounted in its opening up tight to the mat opening or spaced away.

Pick a frame deep enough for FC backing, fake sand beach backing, FC spacer(s), and glass. Be sure to start the holes for your hanging hardware BEFORE you put the assembled parts into the frame. I usually stack it all up, tape the edges along the sides in the sandwich fit (see Vivian Kistlers books), and then put the frame on, everything still face up, and staple it in, face up, by letting the frame hang over the edge of the fitting table and stapling from underneath. With the holes for the hardware predrilled, you can easily put the hanging hardware on from underneath, or by letting it stand up on it's own. You never have to turn it on it's face when fitting.

If you do this, could you add in an "engagement photo" instead of the "Legend" postcard?

Hope this helps! It sounds like a fun project!