Need advice on a project

[reflections607]

Morning! I was at my daughters piano lesson last week and the piano teacher asked me if I could fix something for her. It's a chinese silk embroidery framed in a round frame on a stand and the glass is broken. She wants me to replace the glass. I have not done anything like this before and I thought it best to see if anyone here had any words of wisdom, caution, advice, whatever before agreeing to do it just in case there is something I don't know about this type of thing. About the time I said sure I can fix this, you would all say don't touch it with a ten foot pole! So, if I can figure out how to post a picture, I will do so and see what ya'll have to say.

In the second picture you can see where the round frame comes apart. I sort of messed with it a bit and it seems like it will come apart fairly easy. In the third picture there is something going on at the bottom, not sure exactly what it is.

Comments?

Thanks!

Julie

 

[Couture's Gallery]

is in convex glass? can't tell from photo..also not enough info to advise on

 

[Jim Miller]

Cutting round glass is not difficult to do with a hand-held cutter. Make a template on paper, tape the glass on top of it. Score all the way around, following the template by looking through the glass. Make score lines radiating out from the round score line, tap the bottom of the sheet, and snap out one section at a time. There are instructions in several framing books about this. You probably could find illustrated instructions online, and maybe with a Grumble search, as well.

In photo #2 it looks like the frame has separated at a joint. Round and oval frames usually are assembled from several pieces of wood, joined before the shaping and finishing. Glue it back together using a strap clamp overnight.

In photo #3 it looks like the glass is pressed against the silk, and that looks like a tide-line from moisture. If so, water (probably glass cleaner) has seeped between the glass and frame lip, wicking up into the porous materials at the bottom of the frame.

When you replace the glass, be sure to separate it from the silk by a spacer. For round & oval frames I generally use the CMC to cut a very thin double mat, which may hide under the lip. But in this case I'd make it wide enough to cover the tide-line stain.

 

[reflections607]

I know there should be a spacer but, there is no room for it. The frame has only enough room in it for the 2 pieces of glass and the fabric. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything funky I should be thinking about. Like the fabric disintegrating when I take it out from between the 2 pieces of glass.

Thanks!

Julie

 

[Jim Miller]

... Just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything funky I should be thinking about. Like the fabric disintegrating when I take it out from between the 2 pieces of glass.

Yes, you should be thinking about that. We have no way to determine the condition of the silk from here.

 

[BILL WARD]

"tide-line from moisture"



EXCELLENT opportunity to educate yet another member of 'the great unwashed' (but very wet)!!!!!!!! inform 'em as to the benefits to be derived for the proper application of UV glazing(even 'cheap' touristy stuff fades). And never NEVER never spray the glass with the washer material---ALWAYS spray the cloth/paper towel.

would it not be better/easier(in that there is NO room for matting) to use acrylic as the glazing?? It has less of the air/temperature/moisture problems than glass, AND it's much easier to cut into the proper gross-circular shapes(as you can use a saw to cut 'to' the shape and belt sander with med grit to swiftly get the piece into final shape!) Dont forget to leave the papers on the acrylic while sizing/shaping things AND do the sanding AWAY from your fiting area AND use the compressor AND vacuum to blow/suck the stuff off YOU before you get serious about the assembly(do this from your head down to your toes---but be prepared with your dust brush--those little tiny pieces are insidious.

Finally, tell 'em to pass this advice on to ALL their friends/neighbors and to NOT forget to mention just how smart YOU are for knowing all that(slip 'em some biz cards!)!