Tricks of the Trade

Sister

MGF, Master Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 18, 2004
Posts
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Alabama
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Since there are so many of you knowledgeable, experienced framers out there, I am starting this thread for your own personal "tricks of the trade." Give the rest of us some tips that can't be found in books or something we would probably never think of trying. This could be the source of a great publication someday. For instance, I put a bumpon on each side of a razor blade for a better grip.
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Good luck with this topic, Sister! I started a similar thread a few weeks ago called Favorite Grumble Tips and it died a pretty fast death.

I like your bumpon on blade tip, BTW, and my favorite tips were putting tape onto the dustcover before the bumpons, so they won't "bump-off" and the labeling of dust brushes "Art" and "Bench."

Maybe this thread will go somewhere.....
 
There are many little tricks that could be talked about. I don't know why people don't share more of this kind of stuff with each other. It really isn't something that will make or break one shop over another, just some little hints to make every day work a little easier.

1. I use a small piece of foamcore under the hold down foot of my Euro underpinner when v-nailing odd shaped or gessoed mouldings to act as a padding so the foot doesn't dent the moulding or crack the finish/gesso.

2. I tape the miter area of certain mouldings with framer's tape when there is a tendency for the moulding to chip out or break the gesso away from the outside edge of the miter. It minimizes the chipout and is easy to remove from the moulding after the cut is made.

3. I use Q-tips for a bunch of little jobs around the shop from applying small quantities of solvents or glue to an area to cleaning up areas in the inside of a miter joint that you can't reach because of the profile to mixing and applying custom blends of acrylic paints to mitered edges of mouldings and to eliminate the raw edge look on fancy compo'ed mouldings.

4. I sometimes apply 2" wide #811 tape to the front side of a matboard when making a reverse bevel cut for a fillet mounting. The tape is placed in the area of the corner cuts (of the matboard opening) and marked with a soft pencil. After the cuts are made the tape can be easily peeled off along with all traces of pencil marks.

5. I keep a couple of these yellow plastic bondo spreaders around to use for removing air pockets in laminate material before putting in the vacuum press or to spread fabric or SureMount type adhesives onto backing boards. They can also be used to remove small isolated air pockets in drymounted maps or other laminated items that have to be pinholed to remove air bubbles.

6. I keep an assortment of dental tools around for all sorts of purposes. You can ask your dentist to save some for you and they will usually be happy to as they toss them after they become slightly worn or are replaced by newer types.

7. Buy a good ceramic honing stone from Spyderco for touching up fillet chopper blades, wood chisels, or other sharp tools around the shop.

8. 400 grit sandpaper strips glued to small strips of wood will serve the same purpose that a fingernail emory board will to touch up matboard cuts or corners that didn't come out quite as intended. Before I bought my fillet chopper I would also use these to finetune a fillet leg to fit it into a mat opening.

9. A stiff bristled fingernail or "knuckle" brush does a fine job of removing pressure marks on suede board and will restore the swirl look or natural blotchy look to suede. A firm toothbrush will also work for this.

10. Most of you already know about clipping the head off of a finishing nail to use for a drill bit when nailing shadowbox moulding corners. They will make a hole the needed size and will never go in deeper than the nails being used. This allows the finishing nail to get a bite on the last few licks of the hammer. Also a scrap piece of matboard with a slit in it will serve well as a cushion around that nail when you are joining shadowbox corners with nails and a hammer. There isn't much that looks worse than a shadowbox corner with a half moon hammer mark in it where you missed the nailhead!

That should start things off for ya.

Framerguy
 
Those are great tips, Framerguy! I don't know what I would do without Q-tips! I use them for cleaning details on old frames, applying paint, glue, etc. I probably buy thousands of the little suckers a year - paper sticks only!!

I got all excited when my local drugstore offered bags of a THOUSAND swabs but unfortunately they ended up to be plastic (non-recyclable!) stems. So now I'm back to buying the boxes of 500 or 600 at a time. Generic only, never the real "Q-tip!"
 
Add to framerguy number six, tools used in pottery are also great for applying putty as well as various other tasks.
A change up on Framerguy's number eight, i like to use extra Fusion tissue to adhere 400 grit paper to 4 ply mat board. I like this because then i can cut a reverse bevel on the board and use a sharp edge in the corners of 8,12, and 16 ply mats...the tricky ones.

Ok this is an odd one but I will give it a wirl, it does work. When you get one of those old frames in that tend to be falling apart this trick can help. Some older frames are joined at the face of the moulding, but not in the back (where the vnails would go). So get some glus and paper towels and tooth picks. Wad up the paper towels with glue and use the toothpicks to force it into the join. This will take up the space, and it will add strength with glue.
Patrick Leeland
 
Thank you all. Framerguy, those are all great. I had forgotten I do use Q-tips to spread and clean filler from corners. Hopefully, there will be more coming. Sorry, Framar, I missed your post and thanks for contributing.
 
When putting frames together - always put the long leg on the left ("L on L") and the short on the right. If you get in the habit of this, you'll never end up with the 2 sets not matching.

When I'm nailing corners, I do all the touchup and nailhole filling, etc while the corner is still in the vise. That gives the glue another few seconds to set up, and I get a necessary job out of the way. Also, if v-nailing, I do any touchups while it is still in the vise - same reason.

When cutting mats, get in the habit of writing the name and color number on the back corner of the drop out, or cutoff. You'll never scratch your head over color names/numbers again.

Make a "depth tester" by taking a small square of glass (oh, about 4x4) and a square of foamcore, and about 3 pieces of matboard (representing a triple mat.) Wrap all this together with clear packing tape and use to check to see if a rabbet is deep enough for all the "stuff" you have to put in there. I have one with 3/16 foamcore and one with 1/8 foamcore.

Use white or red pencils to mark the lines on the back of blackcore mats for your manual matcutter.
Use the blades from your matcutter for finishing out cuts on mats. After all, the matcutter only uses the very tip for cutting, and you're using more to the "middle" of the blade for finishing cuts.

I use a very fine file to "seam" the glass edges. And I use the boxes that chops come in to put glass scraps. By the time one is full, it isn't too heavy for me to lift, plus, I just close it back up and tape shut and it is ready for the garbage.

On the fitting table - baby food jars or pimemto jars are great for keeping screws, nails, and small hardware.
Keep a stick of beeswax for rubbing the screws across before inserting.
Use acrylic artists paints (thicker) to paint a depth line around your drill bit to prevent drilling too deeply for hangers or screweyes.
Old, cheap, blunt tipped children's scissors work great in cutting regular wire (but they won't cut coated wire.)
"End cutter" pliers make removing framer's points or diamond points a breeze.
Keep the removed framer's points in a jar to use with the manual fitting tool when fitting pastels or frames where you don't want to "jar" the package with the "recoil" of the framing gun.
I use the long handles cottontips to remove specks from the frame package. also, using a long strip of matboard about 1/4 or 3/8 wide, with a "smidgeon" of atg tape on the end also works.
(Taping everything together works great, too. I just haven't gotten in the habit of doing that everytime.)

And there you have it - a "day in the life..."

Betty

[ 03-22-2005, 08:22 AM: Message edited by: B. Newman ]
 
I bought a small "Computer Vacuum" out of an office supply catalog. It has a very small brush attachment and works great for cleaning suede or textured mats.
 
A couple of more things came floating through the haze this morning:

11. I was an Altoids addict at one time and I saved all those little tins. (Don't ask why.) I use them for the same purposes that Betty uses the baby food jars. If you buy screws, screw eyes, or D-rings by the thousand, these metal cans that tea comes in are great for storing them. (Twinings cans or Henley tea cans.) They seal well and you can place a self adhesive label on each to identify the contents.

12. If you happen to cut a piece of glass or a set of matboards a scosh too short, (I may be the only one who has done this! ........... more than once!!), you can shim these up by cutting a piece of matboard about the width of the mat/glass package and slipping into the rabbet under the mats and glass. When you shoot your framer's points in they will hold everything including your shim in place.

13. I use an old ice pick for starting holes in the backs of frames for screws or screweyes rather than using a drill. I have one that I bought at a yard sale many years ago and I have it sharpened to a fine point so it will penetrate the toughest of ash or oak mouldings. I use a similar tool, a rather blunt scratch awl that is about 8" long to spin in screweyes when I have to use them. I start them by hand in the holes I punched with the ice pick and then insert the tip of the scratch awl into the screweye and start twirling.

14. I keep a dressmaker's tape measure around just for the bloody hang of it. You never know when you need to measure something that isn't straight or square and these cloth tapes are perfect for such jobs.

FGII
 
If the batteries in your remote don't work when you REALLy need to change the channel but don't want to get up... switch the batteries position in the remote and your good for another 7-8 changes before it will completely crap out. OR scream bloody murder until your wife runs into the room then tell her "nevermind, would you mind turning on the Simpsons while your here?"

Warning: only use the last one if the remote is really dead.

I know it was a tricks of the trade posting but this is important info here.
 
Betty, I made a depth tester today as you described, as I had two large shadowboxes to complete. Thanks, that was great and I plan to put it to use often as we do lots of shadowboxes.
 
Sorry, I forgot to mention to keep them coming Framerguy.
 
I've been home sick today (laptopping in bed), but am gonna make a depth tester as well. Has happened twice when I chose a moulding too shallow for what we wanted to design. Great tip. Q-tips are indispensable!
 
"1. I use a small piece of foamcore under the hold down foot of my Euro underpinner when v-nailing odd shaped or gessoed mouldings to act as a padding so the foot doesn't dent the moulding or crack the finish/gesso."

WOW. and here I thought that was what all that white expanded plastic sheeting that LJ keeps sending me was for...... who would have thunk it?! :D
 
If you have suededboard that is too marked up, mist it with a plant mister and then iron it. It removes all sorts of goobers.
Black soft pastel makes a good mender on black suedeboard. It's the only thing I have found that is black enough not to show...
 
Originally posted by Baer Charlton:
"1. I use a small piece of foamcore under the hold down foot of my Euro underpinner when v-nailing odd shaped or gessoed mouldings to act as a padding so the foot doesn't dent the moulding or crack the finish/gesso."

<font color=red>WOW. and here I thought that was what all that white expanded plastic sheeting that LJ keeps sending me was for...... who would have thunk it?! </font> :D
I guess you could use all that sheeting for your underpinner, Baer, but one length shipment would give you about 5 year's worth of padding, I would think!! :eek:
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I do save that foam wrap though. It comes in mighty handy for padding the framing that I ship in my shop built shipping containers that I make out of one by lumber and double strength cardboard! But that was covered in another thread sometime back.
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I won't number this one but that expanded flexible foam does serve as a pretty good nonslip pad for handling a quantity of frames that are the same size. I just finished 68 framed posters for a music festival here next weekend and I draped a sheet of that foam over the top of each framing and leaned them against one another with no fear of marring the frames.

(Today I will put corners on them and bag them for handout to all the sponsors of the festival.)

FGII
 
So many favorites already covered! Mar, not sure why your thread didn't take off?? Great idea, so many new grumblers, sure to unearth something we haven't figured out yet!

Here's some of mine- most of these y'all know, I'm sure.

* Spit is highly under-appreciated in the natural solvent world. That's all I'm saying...

* My favorite puttying/dig glue out of crevices after joining tools: razor blade, awl,(w/ point covered in a rag), cotton swabs, and bamboo skewers or toothpicks, whatever I have closest.
* I mix putty and keep it in a small plastic divided box (thx Mar!)

* Organization in your frame shop is one of the best tricks of the trade you can learn. I know this is an odd tip, but I hate not finding stuff- everything has it's place!
-when the place gets full (mat/foam scrap) call schools, arts programs, donate it- clean it out!
-write #s on matboard, as soon as you realize it is being separated from any identifying info. - the sample is put away, the big sheet gets cut up, whatever.
--mark glass scraps on the edge, if you cannot tell the diff. between the side to score and not, mark it. It is a lot easier to take the time and study the glass and figure out which side is which, so you can tell w/o factory markings. And, be realistic @ how much scrap you're really gonna use up. Get rid of the rest.
--in a metal trash can, one as big as you alone can handle when it is full of glass. I put mine in the back of my car on a recycle run, and it is done, no muss, no fuss. (my shop is small, tho.
)

**keep a first aid kit available in an open container, or something you don't have to try and unlock, undo, etc. with a gushing cut! I'm not a big fan of the bloody band aid box.
**if I have to wear nail polish in the shop, (almost never!) I wear gloves when handling artwork and matboard.
**clear plastic quilter's rule- red grids to an 1/8", marked on the edge with 1/16. very handy in lining stuff up, checking margins of prints, easily cleaned for no marking up of artwork.
** wire spool boxes are the perfect height to support long legs of frame being joined in a vise.

I am interested in dry mount reversal tips. And, how some of y'all have saved mats, artwork, etc... you know, the ones that get made up on the fly from desperation!
 
oh yeah, the reverse bevel cut for fillets - on suede/silk mats. I mark the mat as normal, and instead of cutting with the fallout underneath the cutting bar (whatever it's called), I cut it with the fallout on the other side of the blade, where you can see it. You know, how you learned not to cut a mat! That way, no need to mark up the front of the board- ever.

Instead of beeswax, Betty, I use small travel size soap to rub on screws before inserting..the ones you collect from hotel rooms.
I don't use screweyes very often, but when I do, they get soaped up first.

Put bumpons/ or stickers on first, always. You will never put hardware on upside down again. Unless you're sniffing unseal, then all bets are off.
 
OK, GG, ya lost me on the reverse mat cutting technique! Run that one by me one more time, please.

I haven't had my wakeup cup of green tea yet and my antioxidants are running on empty.
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(In addition to beeswax and soap, a plain ol' candle works on the screw threads also.)
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FGII
 
Tom, I think she means instead of the margin of the mat to the left of the cutter bar, cut with the margin on the right (as if you cut one of the edges of a multi-opening mat with a bevel the wrong way - not that anyone but me has ever done that...)

Betty
 
Betty is exactly right.

Instead of even messing with the front of the mat (the purty suede we don't want to muck up), mark the margins on the back, as you would any other mat, then - cut it like you were taught NOT to... reversing the bevel, which, in this case, is what you want!

Good thing Betty can explain stuff.
 
Thanks Betty & GG. That's what I thought y'all said, I just didn't register it in the proper file folder upstairs.
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(Yeah, ............... Betty's good at 'splainin' stuff.)
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FGII,
had my tea and I'm ready to rock 'n roll!
 
Hang on Mar, the surgery is acomin'. Then you won't confuse me with GumboGirl....to often :D .

Jara, the best way to not muck up the suede, is to cut the mat any ol' way you want [even over cuts that would embarass a sargent major] THEN wrap the suede around the cuts.

It looks nicer too.
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Yes, Gumbogirl, spit (or framer's juice as I learned to call it) has worked wonders in some cases.

With suedes and linens being natural dust collectors, tape works the best in getting those final little specks. (It's also good to get lint off your clothes.)

Many scratches and dents in suedes will fluff back if you breathe on the mat and then brush (old toothbrushes work great). (Breathe like you use to in your childhood on a cold window to write your name in the vapor.)

Bounty papertowels work as well or better than any glass cleaning clothes.

Keep thinking, I know you have more to add.
 
"Breathing" on them has been known to even out the emulsion on color photos which have "flattened" a bit in the mounting press. Or steam if a large flat area.

I'm gonna see (ahem) if I can call my GP and have him plead my case to the eye doc to move up the surgery. If you think I'm making mistakes reading the Grumble - you should see me inspecting white mats for goobers!

Either that or go to a cheap eye place and get me some coke-bottle glasses!

YIKES!
 
GG- when using your cutting method, the sight opening on the face of the mat will be a teeny bit smaller (tighter) than the marked size on the back, so if the target size is critical, it might make sense to consider making your cutline marks on the back slightly oversize to begin with.

My favorite speck-grabber is a length of plexi spacer with about 1/4" of the facing paper removed at the end to expose the adhesive. Before using, I touch the adhesive a few times to weaken it so none transfers to the surface you are de-specking.
Another handy thing to have around the shop is popsicle or craft sticks. These can be used to stir paints etc., and can be cut on the diagonal or any other shape (I have a benchtop bandsaw) to make small probes, burnishers, putty applier tools, etc.
Cosmetic sponges, available inexpensively in bags at Walgreen's, are exactly the same as expensive craft sponges sold at rubberstamp and scrapbooking stores. They are great for applying paint to rubber stamps, faux painting on mats, toning mouldings, etc. etc. They have a nice dense consistency.
A piece of 120 grit sandpaper (or finer) wrapped around a scrap of 1x2 wood makes a handy sanding block for smoothing corners of frames before touching up.
Those dense foam kneeling pads sold in the gardening dept. cut easily into various shapes for hold-down clamp padding when v-nailing. You can stack the pieces too for filling scoop areas in profiles. This eliminates a lot of readjusting of clamps during the v-nailing process. Experiment for best results.
:cool: Rick
 
What great tips everyone!!
Ok my favorites are

Those altoid tins also work great for storing those odd colors of putty that I am always making.Use a sharpie to mark the colors on the outside.
Speaking of putty--make your own putty spreader with craft sticks--look like popsicle sticks!
I cut the tips to a point and sand smooth.
We all know that putty is an alian life form bent on ruining our lives, protect your workstation with pieces of old release board,it cleans up with unseal and can be reused forever!
A Visa Vise pen works great to mark the score side of scrap glass.
You know that heavy paper board stuff that protects suade mats? We use it for a bunch of things--#1 place pieces between srap glass to prevent scratches, #2 place behind glass on wall cutter to protect from scratches,#3 We have a trimming table covered with foamcore and this board on top of that--the board gets cut up the foamcore dosn't.

Happy Framing
Elsa
 
You know that heavy paper board stuff that protects suade mats?
I also use those for interleaving between the few black-core boards I stock so they don't muck up the face of the next board.

(BTW, that's why I stock so few black core boards. I figure they might muck up the art just as well.)
 
Originally posted by Gumbogirl:
* Spit is highly under-appreciated in the natural solvent world. That's all I'm saying...
Jara's right! The most potent solvent in the WORLD is when a mama spits on a kleenex and cleans that smudge on a little boy's face! They have to know just how much scrubbing to do, or they could possibly take ALL the skin off!

I've often wondered if 'spit on a kleenex' from a non-Mom is as effective as a Mom. I think once a mother becomes a mother, the potency increases. Possibly as strong as acetone or nitric acid.

What do the chemistry books say about it, JerryV?
 
I just thought of another favorite tip:

Using a cardboard tube to roll cover paper offa acrylic glazing. Works like a breeze - now anyone have any tips on how to remove the paper FROM the tube when yer done??? Sometimes it gets stuck so bad I have to CUT it off!!!
 
Along with the popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and paint sticks, let's add the wooden cuticle sticks (called orange sticks). They are already cut at an angle on one end and a point on the other. They may cost a little more but no time is wasted on cutting and sanding. Speaking of sanding, fine emory boards or nail files work great on rough corners as well as smoothing edges of ragged matboard and foamboard. It is great getting all these responses; keep them coming even if you think everyone already knows--we may not.
 
Thanks FramerDave! I knew you were out there somewhere and could add your worldly advice and suggestions. Hope all is well with you. I know you could enlightened us with numerous shadowbox tricks and tips. (I know--never use silicone.)
 
Originally posted by FramerDave:
Next time you're in a Starbucks grab a handful of their wooden stirrers.
Let's see, 12,000 frameshops times one handful of coffee stirs per shop, ............... Yeah, Starbucks is gonna LOVE to see picture framers come in for a cup of joe!!!! :eek:
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:cool:
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Framerguy
 
You all probably already know these but I'll put them on anyway...

*Use a cupcake pan for all the hardware you use all the time. I put a couple different sizes of screws, hangers, and sleeves for the coated wire. This makes it easy for me to grab things quick right out of the same place when I am fitting.

*Make a measuring tool for the wire adjustment. Take a ruler and tape or glue a wall hook on the end. You can use the hook to grab the wire and pull on it like it would on the wall. This helps customers with multiple orders who plan to hang them at the same heighth on the wall.

*In order to get the paper from the acrylic off of the print tube, roll the paper off the acrylic from one corner to the other, then when you are finished you should be able to just take the paper right off when you pull up the visible corner of paper.

*... you all probably know this one. After you score acrylic glass and have snapped it and there is still paper on the other side holding the pieces together, instead of cutting them away fold the pieces in both directions. First fold them towards each other with the uncut paper on the inside then fold them the other way and they should just snap apart!!

*...and I bet you know this one too... Use a lent roller on suede!! It works so well!
 
In adding the backing paper to an oversized job today, I was reminded of another tip. As you know, backing paper often sticks when you're not ready leaving crinkles and wrinkles. I roll the length of paper all the way to the end, position the end of the roll to the edge of the frame; by unrolling as you go down the frame (or across, whichever is longer), the paper stays flat for a neat finish. Also, rolling the length of paper before tearing off makes the job that much easier.
 
I was working on a metal frame today and realized that this little trick might be a good one to share.

You know how the screws on tapped corners are always not the right place when you grab them from your storage bin. For me it was always awkward to grab a screw driver, so what I do is......Make the "OK" sign with your fingers holding the screw then twirl the corner in towards your "O" untill the screws are even with the metal plate. This works 9 out 10 times there are still those stubborn ones that don't want to move well.

Elsa
 
Super fine (0000) steel wool will clean up many spots and minute scatches and marks on some mouldings. The trick is to test the any area first, and use "ever so slight" gentle straight strokes until the mark disappears. Won't work for all finishes, but sure has helped with many. Chuck
 
Thanks, Chuck. Also, I have used the 0000 to dull the shine on some of our inexpensive moldings. Seems the cheaper the molding, the more it shines. Most of my customers do not like the bright shiny silver or gold so I tone it down for them; makes them very happy.
 
Great ideas all. Here's a couple for ya:

When cutting multi opening double mat (without one of those fancy CMC thingies, cut all of the openings in the top mat as usual, then lay the top mat face down on the back side of the bottom mat and use a 1" peice of 1/4" plastic spacer to mark an "L" in each corner of each opening of the top mat. Then cut the bottom mat using the "L"s as your cut marks. Works pretty good.

The other one is what I like to call "Liner Putty" If you get any gapping in the face of a linen liner try trimming a little peice of fuzz from the underside of the liner (look on the cut ends, it hangs out there) and push it into the gap using the sharp edge of a mat blade. Works real nice.

Harry
 
Always handle an old, stretched canvas by the stretcher bars. Never allow your fingers to go even a tad bit inside of them.
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(See True Confession post on Warped).
 
Originally posted by Chuck T:
Super fine (0000) steel wool will clean up many spots and minute scatches and marks on some mouldings. Chuck
Sometimes good ol' Johnson paste wax is the better part of valor. Rub on a nice coat, wait about 10-20 minutes and polish to a very nice glow instead of shine.

And if you want that "Patina" look, use black or brown wax and rub out with pumic or rotten stone in the towel.
 
All those mouldings with a beeswax finish on them, like LJ's Coleurs Provence, Cortona and Pine River look much better if you buff them out with a nice soft cloth. Turns it from a dull waxy finish to a soft satiny one. Don't forget the samples too.
 
Here's another use for steel wool (real fine): Use to remove the stuborn buildup of dirt, paint and gunk from the edges of really old wavy glass when you are refitting an antique frame (with new matting and backing, of course!). Works like a charm - I used to scrape with a razor blade but the steel wool is far superior - just remember to clean any oil residue off the glass before refitting.
 
Nip off the 4 sharp corners of the glass to mimimize glass breakage in the frame. Especially metal frames. The sharp corners create high stress areas and that's where the break starts.
Also, a couple of swipes with a whetstone or hand seamer on the 8 sharp edges of the glass will help stop breakage and speck generation. As the glass moves back and forth in the frame the amount of the allowance, it shaves specks of wood, paint, or leaf off the rabbet. This takes about 15 seconds on a 16 x 20 and will save you more time than it takes. Think about how much time it takes to open up a dust covered frame job to remove a speck of stuff.
 
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