Glass Gasket?

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Micah

Micah

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Aug 2, 2021
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Washington, DC
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Washington Color Gallery
Folks:

I am a big fan of the aluminum seamless frames invented in 1956 by Robert Kulicke in New York for MOMA and currently made by the Small Company in Massachusetts. I have purchased many pictures framed in a Kulicke-type frame, and I find that the outside edge of the glass is often wrapped in a rubber gasket.

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Does anyone know why those have fallen out of use and whether there is a supplier for them now?

Micah
 
Can we assume that you are talking about the "welded metal frame" made from angle iron of various compositions (aluminum/steel/brass etc.)? If so they are made by several companies. Their limited use is most likely due to their price as will other finished corner frames.
The "gasket" is more of a cushion or padding for the glass against the metal than an actual gasket to avoid damage to the glass.
The design is now public domain and can be fabricated in any metal "fab shop" near you or from Small Corp and some other finished corner frame makers.
 
wpfay said:
Are you looking for someone to make the metal frames or the clear plastic split tubing that fits on the edge?

If the latter: https://www.google.com/search?q=clear+plastic+glass+edge+protection&oq=clear+plastic+glass+edge+protection&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigATIHCAYQIRirAjIHCAcQIRifBTIHCAgQIRifBTIHCAkQIRifBdIBCTEzOTQ1ajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Google Search
Click to expand...
Wally:

I buy these frames from Small Corp, so that part is taken care of! It is the glass gasket that I am looking for. I have done the same sort of Google search that you shared, but I do not know whether the results are for products that are suitable, such as not offgassing harmful material or being adequately flexible. I can experiment, but I am still hoping that someone might have some experience with it.

Micah
 
JFeig said:
Can we assume that you are talking about the "welded metal frame" made from angle iron of various compositions (aluminum/steel/brass etc.)? If so they are made by several companies. Their limited use is most likely due to their price as will other finished corner frames.
The "gasket" is more of a cushion or padding for the glass against the metal than an actual gasket to avoid damage to the glass.
The design is now public domain and can be fabricated in any metal "fab shop" near you or from Small Corp and some other finished corner frame makers.
Click to expand...
Yes, you can assume that I am talking about welded metal frames because that is what I said in my initial email! (Well, to be fair, I said "seamless", but they get there via welding!) I am not aware of any company that makes them other than Small Corp., though they do a great job so I've had no reason to look elsewhere.

I agree that the rubber serves as a cushion to avoid harm to the glass, but it is still a gasket because that is a function of a gasket and because a gasket is a seal that blocks air and water exchange; in this case it helps to keep contaminants out of the frame.

Micah
 
Shayla said:
I'm not that familiar with Kulich frames, but SmallCorp still makes some wonderful seamless frames.
Click to expand...
Yes. They are also a generous sponsor of this forum.

We were fortunate to get a guided tour of their facility several years ago, with a PPFA group. Very impressive!
 
I have a partial roll (maybe 30-`50 ft) of this gasket/cushion material, but I've never used it with glass in a framing package.

It came with a collection of supplies and equipment I purchased from a friend who closed his shop (Kermit Olson, RIP) 20 years ago.

There are no markings on the roll to indicate its source.

I imagine it could be useful if you were framing a gallery show that would travel from place to place.

I don’t use it, and I could send it for the cost of shipping—it doesn’t weigh much.
 
Micah Salb : There is no "microclimate/hermetic seal" in those frames. The rubber/ plastic/foam materials that could be used to not act as a gasket that prevents the flow of air. There is still air and humidity flow through the back of the frame package. Even if it is backed with a foam centered product or a poly fluted product.
I happen to be well versed in sealed enclosures as they are the principal product that I produce.
 
As a cushion, I would suggest going to a hardware store/home center and look in their window/door seal materials. Foam seal tapes(AKA weather stripping) 1/16"-3/16" or so thickness should work fine. Some of these products have self adhesive backings.
There is also rubber cording that is used to attach replacement window screen fabric into frames in various diameters.
 
Micah said:
[...] but it is still a gasket because that is a function of a gasket and because a gasket is a seal that blocks air and water exchange; in this case it helps to keep contaminants out of the frame.
Click to expand...

It would not serve this function. It would only act as a cushion for the glass. If breakage against the metal interior walls is your concern, I'd just use an acrylic product. If you're interested in sealed packages, that would require some research and additional materials. Sealing a frame package is a pretty large undertaking that would involve a lot more work.
 
I sure hope you can find some. Please forgive, if you're already familiar with these, but two other options that come to mind
are MarvelSeal and FrameSpace. Not sealed chambers like JFeig makes, but they would help to protect the glass.

www.talasonline.com

MarvelSeal 360 Barrier Film

An aluminized nylon and polyethylene barrier film that will resist the passage of vapors together with other atmospheric gases and pollutants. An ideal barrier for the lining of wooden shelves and for lining of transport crates. Has also been found to be successful for fabricating custom bags...
www.talasonline.com www.talasonline.com

Products - FrameSpace - FrameTek, LLC

frametek.com frametek.com
 
If all you need is a cushion for the glass edges, a rabbet-lining tape such as Volara might work well. It's 1/4" wide and rather thin, so maybe you would want to wrap two layers of it over the edges of the glass. It has a good adhesive and good chemical properties, so it probably would be non-reactive with anything in the frame package.
 
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