Padding a frame- what to do?

Create a Post
P

PEAVY

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Jul 27, 2002
Posts
313
Loc
Wichita Falls, TEXAS
A customer would like their painting framed flush to the outside inner lip of the frame moulding.

ie. it is not sitting in the rabbit.

How do I do this?

Thank you very much for your advice on this!

PV
 
Piece of cake...just nail some 1/4" thick strips of wood to the sides of the painting. Then the strips will sit into the rabbet and you can frame up as normal. You can get the wood at the lumberyard or try a hobbie shop if you don't have a tablesaw. Paint the wood black or to match something so it doesn't show too bad. If you're worried about punching holes in the sides of the canvas I should point out that the staples have already done that. I would use nails instead of screws as they make smaller holes.
 
We actually offer this as a special design technique. As Frank says, just use some 1/4" lumber. Lowes sells it as lattice material. Here's how we do it:

Cut the lattice so that the outside dimension will fit tight to the inside of the frame. Join the lattice like a frame. It's thin, so it's best to just vise it with glue. Rather than paint it black (which looks good, just be sure it's FLAT black) we line it with fabric mat.

Attach the canvas to the inner frame, nail the inner frame to the outside frame and you're done.

What looks REALLY great is to show 1/4 of the inner frame - makes the canvas look like it's floating. Allow ANY frame to work like a floater frame. Customers love the look and so do we. $$$

Good luck
 
Peavy,

Larson makes these floater frame mouldings that you are referring to. They are "L" shaped with one leg pointing out and are attached to the back of the stretcher bars. If you have an account with LJ, look in their catalog. Otherwise, I can supply you with their moulding #'s tomorrow when I get to the shop.

Framerguy
 
Your description sounds as if the client wants
the opening (site) of the frame to be equal to
the outer dimensions of the canvas. To do that
you can fill the rabbet of the frame with lath
and use mending plates that are screwed into the
back of the frame and the back of the stretcher
bars to hold things together. Good brass mending
plates are quite bendable and can be formed to
compensate for differences between the depth of
the frame and the depth of the canvas. Cutting to
site dimensions is not difficult, but the person
doing the cutting must be made aware that that
is what is required.

Hugh
 
I have rarely seen a canvas that is perfectly square. I like the idea of this look, but I don't see how to overcome the problem of an off-square painting. Since a couple of you seem to have done this before, what is your solution?
 
The company that is supplying the moulding that the customer needs suggested filling the rabit with 1/4 inch foam core and securing the painting in the frame with a product called Offsets.

These are an L shaped piece of metal that screw into the stretcherbar and the the frame.

The rabbit is deep so, I think this might work.

From this discription, can you think of any problems I might run into?

PV
 
I wouldn't use foamcore as a filler if I were doing the job. If there were nothing else available, I might consider black foamcore but there are other methods of filling the gap behind the rabbet, a few of which were already mentioned.

Also, I wonder if offsets will provide enough space for screws if you are having to fill the entire rabbet?? They aren't usually used over that large a span. I would consider Hugh's suggestion if the offsets aren't wide enough between screw holes. The brass mending plates are easy to get and they are easy to shape. You can allow for as much lateral space with a mending plate as is needed.

Framerguy
 
Create a Post
Back
Top