Mat cutting mistakes

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JohnR

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Posts
542
Location
Ohio
Before getting into framing, I was a customer to many frame shops. I figured I was somewhat picky about quality, but I guess I was so delighted with the whole picture, I never noticed. Now, after cutting mats and reading about quality and mat cutting issues on the Grumble, I go back and look closer at the work to see how it compares to mine. I would not be satisfied with my work if these examples got out:

1) The curve. It curves 2 or so inches from the corner. It is a large picture framed in 1988. On the typical cutter, this would be at the start of the cut. How did that happen?
http://home.att.net/~jriegle/mats1.jpg

2) The "hanging chad". Undercut and push on the fallout. Take a blade and cut the dang thing off!
http://home.att.net/~jriegle/mats2.jpg

3) The 1/4"+ overcut. Need I say more? Okay, I will. Nice brown core mat!
http://home.att.net/~jriegle/mats3.jpg

4) The notch. Okay, on this one, you'd have to be really picky to complain. It was cut on a CMC.
http://home.att.net/~jriegle/mats4.jpg

Thanks for looking. John
 
On #4 you failed to complete the sentence...

"It was cut on a CMC - with a poor operator."
 
Lance, I could say that, but I don't know their situation. I do know that they also have a problem getting the reveal aligned too.
John
 
John,

On #1, to me, it looks like the frame is bowed and not the mat mis-cut, but that may only be field distortion with the lens you took the image with.

If it is, indeed, the mat, I would suspect that the top outside edge of the mat was slightly curved when they made the top cut.
 
1: Blade out too far and possibly too thin? I've seen it whee the blade tip goes in "crooked" then straightens out about 2" down the line.

2: Blade dulling?
 
# 1 - Blade out too far and caught in slip sheet on mat cutter. Loose head on mat cutter and a turn of the wrist? Cut with a Dexter hand held mat cutter?

The previous owners of our store used a flexible blade that they kept out way too far and did not use a squaring arm on the cutter, I have seen a few of their works with similar curves, although not as long.

Jacqueline
 
Interesting thing about #1. It has a V groove and it too follows the curve. Same curve in the opposite bottom corner and to a less extent on the vertical edges, but only near the where the blade would enter considering it is the typical cutter like my Fletcher. The piece is fairly large (40 x 27 glass size) so it is not too apparent in display. It would look pretty apparent in a small picture.

On a side note:
The framers who did this were nice people and typically did a good job. His name was Lloyd Miracle (spelling?) and the shop was “Miracle Miter Box” in Huber Heights, Ohio. Him and his wife ran the business for many years and had a couple other employees. He retired around 1990 and sold the business to some not so great people who owned a few other frame “galleries”. A year or two later all these stores were closed. Another framer I know told me he was a local distributor for some brand of mat board. I mention this in the off chance that someone out there knows of them.

On a sad note, I think one or both of them have since passed away.

John
 
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