Huge canvas in plexi box?

[Framar]

Here's a new one (at least for me!).

Customer comes in and sez she has a stretched canvas 57 x 69 and she wants a "plexi cap" on it. I haven't seen the piece yet but she says it is unvarnished and has larger areas of bare or barely gessoed canvas visible (reason it is unvarnished).

She wants to protect this thing and figures a "cap" of plexi would do the trick (in case she decides to hang it in her kitchen).

I am thinking I'd have to use 1/4" plexi, right? Is such a size possible? Anyone do anything of this magnitude before?

I am fearful that the size indicates an "artist-made" stretcher/strainer - and we all know how square that is likely to be!

Tell me what pitfalls to anticipate before I take this job! I realize I'll have to locate a local fabricator - as much as I'd love to have Lois make this box - nobody wants to pay for shipping from California to Buffalo! YIKES!

Any comments greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Puppyraiser]

Oh,yeah, I did this. Picture was about 4 feet by 6 feet by 6 inches deep. Got the box fabricated at our local plexi guy. It came in a huge shipping box! It wouldn't fit in our standard van. I had to rent a truck to pick it up! I had to rent a truck that had a 7 foot vertical clearance! I had to have 4 people to lift the box from the crate! (had to have equal suppport on all four corners, as any slight torque would have popped the joints) Had to run electricity from the house to the truck to run the electric drill that we used to attach screws through the sides of the plex box into the sides of the canvas. Only lost about $400 on the job...

 

[Ron Eggers]

If "plexi cap" is the customer's term, she's probably thinking it'll be a cheap way to go. I imagine you've already dispelled that notion.

This project will be like an old-fashioned barn-raising - an opportunity to gather friends and neighbors and call in old favors. Make sure you have chiropractic coverage on your health insurance. Physical therapy is a reasonable working substitute.

For myself, I never had THAT many friends or that much space in my shop.

(There are some excellent cordless drills on the market now if you decide to take the job.)

 

[JFeig]

I would also inform the customer that "lack of proper material usage" (raw unpainted stretch fabric with no varnish) is not warranted by custom framing present or 20 years hense.

 

[framah]

I would mount the piece to a "square" back board of some kind with a fabric finish or something. That way you are working with a square object.

1/4" minimum and more likely, 3/8". They do make this stuff but it would be a custom piece costing probably close to a four digit number... and that is BEFORE it is fabricated! I agree, she probably has no idea what she is asking for and how much it would cost.

Maybe you could convince her that the back and sides be a wood box and only the front would be plexi. This way you aren't having the cost of plastic box fabrication. This would be heavy and would require a pinch cleat on the back to hold it on the wall. Of course you still have the problem of getting the plastic to you in the first place!

My opinion is to pass on this beast altogether and move on to the next job.

 

[wpfay]

Originally posted by Framar:
Any comments greatly appreciated! Thanks!

RUN Framar, RUN!!!!!!

At least make the job well worth your while. The logistical expenses on something like this will probably exceed the cost of fabrication. Remember to CYA and then CYA again.

 

[Framar]

 

[Ron Eggers]

(It'll be interesting to see if she takes the job, won't it?)

Try this, Mar. Give her an estimate. Better yet, give her a quote - maybe $10,000.

Then, mention (just in passing) that Michaels has a 50% off coupon in Sunday's paper.

I know I said (on another thread) you should give reasonable, realistic estimates even on jobs that you really don't want. I'm thinking ten grand is realistic for this job.

 

[Framerguy]

Somehow this entire scenario seems to fit your description.

Artist paints a huge mural of some favorite thing in their life.

"Oops, 4 tubes of paint won't cover that size canvas, no problem, I'll make it a winter scene! (Better not use varnish, I hate yellow winter scenes.) Now, where to hang this 'beauty', hey, why not hang it in the kitchen?? Yeah!"

"OK, it's a bit large so let's make it heavy too. I'll go to the local framer and get them to build me a plexi box, I've seen plenty of these around, and I'll just screw it to the wall. Shouldn't cost more than $75 or $80 and they just use some kind of glue to build them, ....shouldn't take more than an hour or so."

I never could understand why people want to hang canvasses in a bathroom or a kitchen. Thats almost like framing a towel and hanging it up in a greasy/wet environment and expecting it not to rot or turn some shade of ocre eventually.

Good luck, Mar, and, do us a favor, if you DO take on this job, don't tell us what you did!! I don't EVEN need the temptation in the future!!

Framerguy