Opinions Wanted How do you finish fabric wrapped shadowbox sides?

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imaluma

imaluma

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
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I'm having a hard time figuring the best way to finish and price fabric wrapped shadowbox sides. I can't seem to find a method that is quick enough to be cost effective without charging a buttload of labor. I figure cutting my rails to size, using glue, and heat activating when dry is a good start, but wrapping the edges around is so time consuming whether wet or dry. Should I just mount fabric to a board and then cut my rails? What the heck am I doing wrong?
 
Since no one else has responded, I guess I'll chime in. I was hoping to hear what everyone else does, too. Typically we'll do one of two things.

If the frame is small and the artwork lightweight, we'll make a one-piece five sided box out of acid-free foamcore. You would take the measurement of the inside of your frame plus the depth of the spacers you want minus two-times the thickness of the foamcore and cut a rectangle that size. You would then score the back-side of the foamcore all around at the depth of your spacers. Notch the squares out of your corners. You should end up with a somewhat pudgy cross-shaped piece. Then fold up the edges and test fit in your frame to make sure it fits. You then cover the front of the foamcore with fusion (or similar) and heat. Trim excess adhesive and apply your fabric heating again. Wrap the fabric around the back of the foamcore and adhere using your favorite adhesive trimming off any excess fabric. Tape the corners up to form a box and glaze as usual. I would always back with another backer and maybe fit a thin strip of foamcore around the edges in the gap where the foamcore box is bent.

The above method only works for very small, lightweight art. Most of the time we just hand wrap individual shadowbox strips, usually out of 8-ply scraps, and fit them like you would a normal shadowbox. Takes a long time, but it does the trick.

James
 
It’s a bit unclear to me whether you are trying to cover the exterior of the frame with fabric, or to line the rabbet with fabric.
 
Sarah, we do shadowbox sides any number of ways.
I am a terrible framing snob and I prefer cutting wood strips on the chopper and fitting them in the box. Then, yes, I like to wrap them all around with fabric. But that's too cumbersome for most projects. So, sometimes we cut the same wood strips and sand and paint them in a fetching color. Sometimes we cut white fc and wrap or dry mount fun paper to them. I hate the idea of dry mounting fabric and then cutting the strips. *shudder* But usually we cut black fome core and atg it in. I hate that method- I call it doin' it Billy style. My employees think its just fine and ignore me. It's fast, dirty and cheap and doesn't look wretched. Just Billy. I wouldn't have it in my house. But that's me.

edie the ificouldruletheworld goddess
 
James’ way is good for smaller frames.

For larger frames, adhere the fabric (either loose fabric or fabric mat board) onto 1/8” foamboard. Cut the foamboard strips to the depth that you need for the shadowbox, leaving room for the glass and the substrate and backing of the item(s) you are enclosing.

Cut the length of these fabric/foamboard strips to the length of the rabbet (minus ~ 1/16”). Cut and “Dry Fit” each strip individually to its final resting place in the rabbet. Clean the glass, and place it in the frame. Then glue and place each foamboard/fabric strip against the rabbet. The 1/8" thickness of the foamboard will keep the glass in place. Place your substrate/backing on “top” of these strips. They will act as a spacer.

Fit the frame in the usual manner.

You are left with a seam in each corner, but because of the normal front viewing angle and the lack of light in the corners, they will hardly be noticed.

The only difficulty with this method is that if you ever need to replace the glass, you’ll need to remove (and, perhaps, destroy) these foamboard/fabric spacers.
 
We do shadowboxes with all sorts of things but generally match the sides to the back. Cutting strips is not much of a problem, pretty normal activity. But when I sell a fabric mount I feel like the sides should have that extra "finish" by wrapping each individual shim. Problem is, I haven't figured out a way to do it very well. If I try wrapping the excess around the back using wet glue I have to do it in small sections and wait and hold it in place FOREVER for it to stick enough to move to the next section. If I do it dry it still takes a super long time to iron the edge by hand with a tacking iron, holding the little bit in place and taut without burning my fingertips. And then the excess on back never is very regular and is difficult to trim to reduce bulk so I can mount them in the frame neatly. I feel like it is so time consuming I must just be going about it all wrong.
 
"...The only difficulty with this method is that if you ever need to replace the glass, you’ll need to remove (and, perhaps, destroy) these foamboard/fabric spacers." (I still can't use the quote feature for Bill Henry.)

With a strap clamp around the shadow box, the top (or bottom) leg of the frame can be attached by unobtrusive screws, making that leg removable for repair or cleaning. It's a procedure I use with slotted fillets for rear glazing.
 
Sarah, here is how I finish shadowbox sides in the manner to which I, the FG, have become accustomed. I miter cut them out of wood strips. I use screen door beading that looks like this D and I put the rounded edges toward the frame. Or I use a lattice that has squared edges and is deeper. I roll on some acrylic gloss medium and let it dry. Then I lay out all four (or more; ideally I will be doing several shadowboxes at a time) rails on a piece of scrap mat board, lay my fabric over the lot, making sure to get the grain as straight as possible. I leave enough room in between each rail so that when I cut them apart I have enough to wrap. I tuck the 'tray' of rails into my dry mount press and cook 'em on. Then I cut them apart and neatly wrap the balance to the back securing either with skinny atg or gloss medium. I adhere them into the frame with super sticky atg which can be harmlessly popped out in the future with a sturdy screwdriver. I would consider this my DeLuxe Treatment and would charge accordingly.

I've also done the fabric version on the backing with the four fold up sides, which looks pretty nifty. I find that the corners have a bit too much air in them to suit me. But maybe I'm lazy and don't quite notch out those corners perfectly. Hard to imagine, though, innit? ;-P

edie the deluxe goddess
 
The problem I have when using fabric and mounting it to 4 ply then cutting like a normal shadow box liner is it frays. The last one I did, I used 8ply and 4ply glued together. Dry fitting it in pinwheel fashion. Then using fabric adhesive glued the face of all four sides. Next, using a foam brush glued the edges and cut flush with a razor along the back. I think the fabric adhered well to the edges when I used this 12ply liner. I feel your pain but I love the fabric.

Eric
 
One useful trick is careful painting of the back of the cloth with acrylic medium. This can be done first and when it is dry, the cloth can be cut without any unravelling. This works best with fabrics that are not too thin.If the interior of the shadow box is also painted with acrylic medium, the cloth can be bonded to the dry medium, on the interior, with heat and any surplus bits of cloth can be trimmed with a razor blade. Always practice on scrap, first, please.



Hugh
 
Just a quick tip: we generally do fold-up boxes with either 1/8" or 3/16" foamboard for most applications. Before we tape the corners closed we insert a piece of the center of a q-tip (for 1/8) or a piece of 1/8" econo-space (for 3/16) into the corner the height of the sides. This adds a bit of support and keeps the corner from wanting to collapse when taped tightly.
 
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