Museum Bottle, letter & photo

Baer Charlton

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
Joined
May 24, 2004
Posts
21,029
Loc
On FB
One of the local curators brought me a wonderful gift about a month before I sailed.

I just finished sorting the pictures and thought I would share one of the "free range" projects that occasionally comes along. Even with constraints.

What he brought in were three items. A 1/2 pint hand blown bottle for Pike's Peak Rye, a photo in need of TLC and a rolled up letter.

We sent the photo out for restoration via scan & photoshop. And we got back a print to fit our needs.

The letter was flat scanned and a color copy made and printed with archival ink and rag paper.

The bottle was, and will be in perfect condition.

The letter reads basically: "Your great uncle took this bottle up Pike's Peak in 1849. His son's wife filled it with camphor for him to use during the Civil War. It was at the battle of Shenandoah and Vicksburg and returned home safe and sound."

So how to frame it?

I started from the basic time of the person that the letter was written to... (my clients grandfather).

Then we had fun with it. . . the story we created was, "when he was older and understood the historical importance of what he had (1944), he found a frame that was about the right size, and then took a dynamite box and made the risers (keeping the tattooed logos on the box). [Hey! Times were tight then.] He then stained the sides to kind of match the frame.

He then placed the bottle, photo (now in leatherette travel folder) and the letter into the frame and sealed it up.

So here is what it looked like.
The frame is next to the box. Note the logo.
01EPikesPeakDynamiteside01.jpg


Dog toothed joint was standard for Dynamite boxes.
02EPikesPeakDynamiteside03.jpg


The whole interior was barrier-ed.
03EPikesPeakbarrierwalls02.jpg


The objects were mounted in a linen covered tray mat.
04ETrayMatreadytoinsert01.jpg


Then the tray (Artcare mat-board) was sealed to the Museum glass and the package was slide into the frame and secured.

The backing was the piece d'resistance.. actual newspaper Sunday May 28, 1944 mounted to Artcare mat-board then secured to the frame with PVA.
06EPikesPeakfinishedback01.jpg


Customer loved it. He's now running a museum in eastern Oregon that deals with the end of the Oregon Trail... So this will go great in their new/old ranch house.

05EPikesPeakfinished01.jpg
 
Yet another simply amazing framing job, Baer
thumbsup.gif


Would you go into detail on how you actually mounted the objects in the linen covered tray mat?

Also, would you explain what you meant by the "tray was sealed to the Museum glass"? I guess my brain isn't quite awake this morning
icon21.gif


Thanks for including photos of the different stages in your project. I never think to take a photo until the project is complete!
 
Baer, the dynamite crate idea is a great one for the box part. How did you finish, or did you, the outsides of the crate?

And yes, yes, how did you mount the objects inside??

As per usual Baer Par, another great framing project.
 
The letter [copy of original] was mounted with Hugh Phibb's "T" hinges. Rice paper folded over a sheet of baggie then ironed. The ends are folded back to expose the gluing surfaces that get micro dotting, and the now very stiff polymer bonded "stem" is easily inserted through a slit and glued down in the back.
08ET-Hinges.jpg


Once the letter was down, the "leatherette" travel folder (leather mat board), was glued down with Pure PVA, and the bottle was glued to the leather also with pure PVA, which is no invasive and totally reversable on the bottle.
04ETrayMatreadytoinsert01.jpg


The original photo and inter-neg are stored per their needs as is the original letter, once it got back from the conservator. The conservator commented that my "aged" copy of the letter looked nicely beyond restorative condition. LOL

This is what the logo looked like after the staining and wax.
10ELogoontop.jpg
 
Thanks, Baer, for the further explanations of your mounting methods. They are really helpful, along with the extra pictures you posted.

Just a few more clarifications, please. The pure "PVA" that you use, would Lineco's Neutral ph Adhesive be suitable? I hope I don't look too stupid in asking this next question
shrug.gif
, but, when you say you ironed the rice paper over a sheet of baggie, do you mean a plastic sandwich baggie?

I just find this information so fascinating and it never ceases to amaze me what I learn from the Grumble.
 
You're batting 1000. Lineco Neutral is Pure PVA or close enough because thats what the curator brought for me to use.. yes, we laughed about great minds that weren't ours.... :D

Trust me when I say, I never would have thought of this.. sandwich baggie.. who knew we were being little preservationist as we jammed our PB&Js into that there baggie.

And it doesn't take much heat. I just folded a sheet of paper over a strip and sliced off the width I wanted later.
 
Baer, that is just way too cool. Not in a million years, would I have thought of using a sandwich baggie. Thanks again for the info - I'll be filing these tidbits away for later use!
 
OK - I have read this about three times now and I still am uncertain as to whether you actually ironed the baggie onto the back of the paper or used it as release paper?????

If the former - why? Or did you iron the baggie onto the hinges?

Beautiful - as always - and how did you make the dynamite logo - your laser guy???
 
Originally posted by Baer Charlton
Whoa!! ease up... Hugh thought it up. Thank him. He's the master. You da man Hugh.
My sentiments exactly, so, many thanks to Hugh!!
thumbsup.gif
(sorry for not giving credit where credit is due since Baer did mention he used Hugh's T-hinges. I was just glad Baer explained how to make them, although maybe the process had already been explained in some prior post
)
 
Mar, Take a say 8.5 x 11 sheet of rice paper with the grain running the 11. Fold the paper so you now have a double thick 4.25 x 11.

Take a 1 gallon baggie and slice a chunk out of the side that is about 3x11. Place in the fold so that it is against the fold. this leaves two ends that are aobut 1.25" that are un-welded.

Iron the folded sandwich so the baggie melts and welds the two sides of rice paper together. Place under glass to cool for about 30 seconds.

Slice off a 1" by 4.25" piece. You can now fold back the two ends resulting in a "T" with the two faces presenting a glue surface of 1x2.5. This can be resized as needed.

Here you can see that the stiff "stem" allows for elevated security.
08ET-Hinges.jpg
 
OK - I think I get it - you were making the hinges stronger, right - and almost water-proof to boot!

Next kwestion:

WHY??? Isn't that a whole lot of bother to go through for a fake letter? Wouldn't it have been easier to dab a couple of spots of PVA on the back and glue it into position?

Or is yours the Norm Abrams over-the-top method??? Ya know, earthquake-proof, and all???

Just funnin' ya, Bro Baer - you know I'm a big fan of your work!!!
 
Good question Mar. The stem allowed me to attach the letter, not on the linen, but suspended about 1/2" above, at one point and 1/4" at another.

This makes the letter to appear more, "just put in there" instead of "smashed down and glued to the mat".
 
I am still lost, but don't both, I will see this used and "get it" sometime in the next decade. Sorry I am dense today.

PL

forgot to mention, simple, but very sweet look
 
If I had wanted something like that to appear to "float" above the surface, even as yours appears to, I think I woulda glued a couple chunks of foamcore under it...

Leave it to you, Baer, to come up with the most difficult approach!

Now I am REALLY looking forward to the fabric workshop!!!
 
The "chunks" of foam core would have created still another flat surface that the paper is glued down too. The beauty of the "T" hinge is that the mounting surface pivots on the stem allowing for a natural flex and curve.

It also will allow for a bit of movement much like a shock absorber...

Besides, after lunch you recycle the baggie . . . how hard is that?
 
BEAUTIFUL job, Baer! I love that face frame. Is that AMPF? How did you attach it to the side box?
One thing that strikes me is that newspaper back. The "For Vacation Reading" ad is surprisingly contemporary in its typeface and layout compared to the rest of the paper which exhibits the typically more naive style of graphics.
Anyway, not to upstage appreciation of your work. You did a "dynamite" job.
:cool: Rick
 
Rick, the frame is Gryphon.

#20 bisquits and Hide glue. [old school - suspenders and belt]

Yes the curved type couldn't have been "set", so my guess is that the photo was mocked-up [paste-up] then re-photographeded and a Steel plate etch was done.
 
Back
Top