Nielsen molding color drifts

charming

True Grumbler
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Feb 4, 2009
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First time customer comes into my store to frame 6 art photographs, and after a thorough discussion involving mat choice and Nielsen metal frame choice, we decide to go with Nielsen 177-164.

But, knowing that she & I spent a considerable amount of time choosing the right metal frame color, and taking into consideration the "look" she was after, I decide to visit the LJ warehouse only to find that the color of the molding has shifted to a darker color.

I then go to another local supplier (Framegraphis in Vancouver) to examine their inventory. I decide to go with LJ because they are my main supplier. I then have LJ cut me a new sample so I can show the customer.

I take the sample back to the store and do a mock up of the matted photograph. I place the original (obsolete) sample in one corner, place the new sample in another corner, and place a black sample and a silver sample in the other corners for reference.

I label each sample, photograph this mock up and send it to the customer.

She agrees with me that the replacement color for the original is okay. Not perfect, but dark enough to not look industrial, but also not dark enough to look black and heavy.

I order the 6 frames.

Today I cut the mats and glass, and open the packages with the new Nielsen metal frame.

Surprise, surprise. They are darker than the replacement sample that was cut for me from LJ inventory just a week ago. Compared to the "new" sample, they are black.

My point being that, in order to salvage a $1000.00 order, I have spent an additional 3-4 hours to carefully select (with the customer's input) a best color option, only to being given a completely unacceptable product.

What would you do?
 
Not familiar with the profile 177. Do you mean 117?

There are definitely variations in the anodized colors, and some of them look very different depending on the type and color temperature of the lighting in the room. That could explain why what you received appears different than it did in a warehouse.

:cool: Rick
 
Not familiar with the profile 177. Do you mean 117?

There are definitely variations in the anodized colors, and some of them look very different depending on the type and color temperature of the lighting in the room. That could explain why what you received appears different than it did in a warehouse.

:cool: Rick
Yes, sorry, meant 117, but I have examined the colors under the same lighting and there is a distinct obvious difference. My LJ rep is contacting Nielsenm and I will post their response.
 
This type of thing has happened to me more times than I can count, so I (like Bill Clinton) feel your pain. I'm sure Larson will take the moulding back. They're very good about that type of thing. That doesn't solve your problem, though. The chances anyone will be able to match your moulding are slim in my experience. I'm afraid, in the end, your customer will either have to accept the color you have or choose something else. That's the way it's turned out for me in the past.
 
Those are shifty, for sure. So sorry this happened. Just went through this with some other mats/frames, and it can feel Sysyphian.
 
Those are shifty, for sure. So sorry this happened. Just went through this with some other mats/frames, and it can feel Sysyphian.
Just FYI: the Nielsen rep when contacted denies that their colors ever shift. Only due to age, so I guess my local LJ is carrying very old inventory one week, then very new inventory the next
 
Just FYI: the Nielsen rep when contacted denies that their colors ever shift. Only due to age, so I guess my local LJ is carrying very old inventory one week, then very new inventory the next

Oy!

The brushed Florentines have shifted over time, as evidenced by our need to repeatedly replace samples. (i.e. -155, -167 and -165 finishes).
They've also had trouble with profiles 21 and 65. Profile 21 has come with the color much lighter in application than on the samples, with some circular flaws in the finish.
65 has also come in looking different than the sample. I love Nielsen and use them often, but they do have a few glitches.
 
For years I framed the license plates on my cars using Nielsen aluminum mouldings, and they always reacted to the outdoor conditions by shifting in lightness and color. Matte black, for example, turns nearly purple. UV radiation may be the main culprit, but perhaps summer heat or winter cold had some effects, too.
 
Just FYI: the Nielsen rep when contacted denies that their colors ever shift. Only due to age, so I guess my local LJ is carrying very old inventory one week, then very new inventory the next

What a crock. We all know that reps and companies never lie, colors never shift. mats colors are consistent and mouldings never change. It must be us. It's all our fault.

425228_10150649465653465_129446698464_11262957_238251587_n.jpg
 
The anodized colors on metal mouldings definitely fade with prolonged light exposure. In this case, though, it would seem to be variations in the manufacturing process.
:cool: Rick
 
I think this case is particularly galling because it shows a failure on the parts of both the manufacturer and the distributor given that a trip was made to the warehouse and the color needed was specified. We have had several (well, a fairly huge number of) orders where the moulding, either chopped or in length, within a single order doesn't match. The same goes for matboard.
 
As quickly as some reps come and go, perhaps they should say, 'In the six months of my employment with this company, I have not seen (fill in the blank)'.
For all I know, your rep has been around for a long time, but just sayin'.
 
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