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psychoframer

True Grumbler
Joined
Dec 27, 2001
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57
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Titusville, Pa
I'm sure that I'm the only one that has ever done this, but I've got a design in my head that I want to excute using a cove mat. Unfortunately, I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I entered a print in a copetition and I wanted to use the experience to expand my techniques. Now I could give up and just go back to the drawing board, but I really think that the cove would accentuate this picture. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The trouble I'm having is that I'm getting little wrinkles from my creases.

Thanks in advance.

Tom Hancock
 
Elisab welcome to the Grumble

Mat Cutting & Decoration by Vivian C. Kristler, CPF
See Pages 66 & 67

Lots of pictures on Cove Mats in this book, I’m not sure if I can describe it well.

It is a Mat/Mount which has parts of the four corners cut away to allow it to be shaped in a concave shape with a flat area around the cut out in the centre, something like you would make with a sloped liner/inner moulding which would then be covered with fabric.

Why you would use mat/mount board to make one of these things is beyond me (I suspect the framers torture chamber) with all the support it needs at the back and the tricking around that it needs to make, when you could use a wide plain/barefaced wood liner/slope inner moulding, I suspect the Mat/Mount board method would take considerably longer than the wood moulding method……………..yes I can get from my local moulding manufacture an inner moulding which would allow me to make a Cove Mat/Mount and from a quick look at the Foster catalogue Tel: 323 759-9156 they would appear to have profiles which could also be used.
 
Dermot,

I think you have accurately described my frustration as "the framers torture chamer." I don't know why I got hung up on choosing that technique, but it's turned into a war against the mat board. Of course, the mat board is up 3-0!

Thanks,

Tom
 
Psycho - How about cheating??? Larson makes a black silk (362758) and a white linen (362756) cove liner. Could you cover them with the fabric of your choice?

Kit
 
Would it help to dampen the back a little to allow it to stretch a bit? Hey, it works with sheetrock! Maybe you need to roll it around a tube or pipe?
 
I used this method once...just once! What a royal pain! It did look incredible, though. Did you try to wrap the fabric after you created the cove? Big mistake! I mounted the fabric to my board first, and when I cut away the corners I only cut through the back of the board, not the fabric. Then I peeled the cut-away board away from the fabric and wrapped the fabric around the edge of the board to create a smooth end-wrapped look. I didn't have any other wrinkling problems.
 
I just wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions, alas, my patience waned and I opted for another treatment. I'm just chalking it up to a learning experience (isn't that neat how people can put a positive spin on their failures). It's ironic that Dermot would recommend a book by Vivian Kistler, because I recently attended one of her presentations at the Ohio chapter of PPFA. She was fantastic if you ever get an opportunity to hear her speak you should go, she is both entertaining and informative! I ended up winning a door prize (a book she wrote on framing collectibles)in which she referred to the Cove technique, that's where I got the idea. There was a small illustration, which basically looked like a modified box you would make for a shadowbox. She made referrence to a book on measuring angles for coves, but I in my bravado I figured "I'm pretty handy, how hard could it really be?"

Thanks again,

Tom
 
Least anyone think I was being critical of Vivian in my post above please understand that my comments about the difficulty of Cove Mount/Mats were aimed at my own limitations, the hair went up on the back of my neck when I saw what was involved just way out of my talents and there is no way I would get paid for the sort of labour involved in that sort of work, I’m sure there are framers out there who find Cove Mount/Mats a breeze using Mount/Mat board, my hat is off to you guy’s.

The sad reality is that the pricing of framing in Ireland leaves very little room for the adventurous framer, I have heard of European and Japanese artists coming to Ireland to get their framing done because their spend power per frame is so much greater in Ireland for the framing they want, believe me quite a few framers do a very good but limited type of framing here in Ireland but the rewards in most cases are limited, well that’s a story for another day.
 
Dermot,

I certainly hope I didn't offend with my comment about Vivian, I just genuinely thought it was ironic. I'll try and remember different people might interpret my posts in more than one way.

Once again, I hope I haven't offended anyone.

Tom
 
Well,

It must be like Brian Wolf's and Buddy's mat cutting. It takes practice.

I tried one of those cove mats once--and only once. My spin is that I "can't be good at all the decorating techniques." Another is that I "don't care for that design" particularly.

Spin could be a good Warped subject, don't ya think?
 
Originally posted by psychoframer:
Dermot,

I certainly hope I didn't offend with my comment about Vivian, I just genuinely thought it was ironic. I'll try and remember different people might interpret my posts in more than one way.

Once again, I hope I haven't offended anyone.

Tom
Click to expand...
Tom no offence to me I'm just trying not to walk on any toe's, without much sucess these days.

Dermot
 
I remember seeing a product a few years ago, maybe from L-J, backings that were pre-made in different sizes and different depths, coved or stepped to save the framer from having to build your own. Never used one and maybe they are not on the market anymore but it sounds like what Tom is trying to build. If I'm wrong tell me and don't worry about hurting my feelings tdavis
shrug.gif
 
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