The Framers Forum

Guys, just a quicky...is it acceptable to use mainlines polcore moulding along with ...truvue...bainbridge board etc??or is this a no no??

Cheers,
John

Don't see why not. Plenty of nasty things in wood as well. You can always isolate the frame by lining the rebate with foil tape, but personally I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it.

Being a commercial framer plastic is something we use on the more budget jobs. In small sizes plastic is certainly the cheapest option. I thus feel that I am cheating the customer by using plastic on more bespoke jobs. Having said all that plastic is a far more stable medium than wood and the finishes in some cases are better so really plastic does have some pluses especially those coming out of particular factories in the far east. However in the wider profiles plastic is not much cheaper than wood and I have often found some wood examples cheaper than a similar looking plastic.

I tend to stick to wood for original paintings and limited edition prints and I think if you are going to the expense of conservation boards and specialist glass the savings you make using plastic won't be that great.

Some plastic mouldings are produced as cheaper versions of much more expensive mouldings and can help when the customer is trying to work to a budget, so we all know where you are coming from.

Unfortunately, the amount of conservation related information about the use of plastic mouldings gives us little to go on, when making such decisions.

My advice would be, if in doubt seal the glass, mount and backing sandwich with aluminium barrier tape and hand over the finished job with a good conscience - you've done your best!

The question is: Where does the frame end and the outside world begin?

I tend to think of the frame as not part of the framing package but the bit on the outside that holds it all together. (On glazed/mounted paper art anyway)

The frame doesn't contact the art (or shouldn't) directly. On a typical mounted piece of paper-borne art, the edge of the paper would be maybe a couple of inches away.
So the only possible harm would be from noxious vapours emanating from said frame or any fluids in the frame migrating along the mount. It would have to be a pretty foul piece of moulding to do this. There are some woods like Teak that are very oily but most frame woods are reasonably innocuous. Same goes for plastic.

A far greater danger is for the customer to take the frame home and hang it on a nice freshly-plastered wall. Or in a bathroom. In a kitchen, directly over the chip pan.....
This of course is something that the framer has no control over. No matter how sh*t-hot on conservation techniques they are.

I don't use plastic mouldings, I don't like them, I'm a snob. But anything nasty they may have in them can't be any worse than the acids in wood mouldings especially when traces of the same acids are in some boards that are classed as conservation quality.

Plus acrylic glazing is 'plastic' - made from oil just like plastic mouldings - and what about acrylic spacers like econospace?

Unless the customer believes the frame is hand carved and gilded or something but actually it was poured in to a mould and left to set .... it's not an issue.

Foamcore?

Cheers guys, I thought mite be ok,

Plastic is near enough only option really, as in our area 95% of customers first question is....whats the cheapest I can have it done...ugh!!! Hardly get to do conservation pieces but is nice when I do!!:-) But the customer still hasnt said if they want it done yet....just an idea, what do you think it would cost...approx 14 x19, double mount with bainbridge, truvue, etc etc...forget the issue with moulding atm...

I would imagine it is half to do with those RMF's you can get in those stores that sells everything cheap!! We normally have about 2-3 customers a day who bring one and their picture along and want an odd sized mount cut, there and then...picture fitted...cleaned...sealed...all for under a couple of quid!!!

Had a woman come from said store that sells everything at 4:30, with a trolley of approx 25 different sized RMF's and wanted all her pics mounted (in different colours), cleaned & sealed within the hour.... after we told her that there would be a £2 extra charge per mount ontop of normal prices for the mounts, she buggered off pretty sharpish!! I was stupidly busy at the time, also preparing to close and my trusty handheld logan, probably couldnt cope with that much work!! well the mounts woulda been cut, but there is no way they woulda been sealed and cleaned, as I was working on my own that day!!

Yes

I would have charged her 15 quid per frame as long as they were under about 12x10. If she just wanted mounts then I would tell her to go away and measure up her pictures and bring me a list.

BaBaZa wrote:Yes

Shoulda just asked here!!

Yes

I do like a guy who knows what he means & says it
Succinct & to the point Ricky

^^^
did babaza mean "yes it's acceptable" or "Yes, its a no-no"?

OP: Just curious as to why you thought it might not be acceptable to use a plastic moulding, and who it would not be acceptable to? If your customer likes it, thats all the acceptance you need.

Is moulding available in wood too?

We haven't been going that long but have worked out that 80% want the cheapest posssible
and don't care one way or the other what it's made from.

You have to make a lot of polcore frames to make a living...

"You have to make a lot of polcore frames to make a living..."


Only if you price them wrong. Any moulding that does the same job but costs less will give you the opportunity to increase your mark up.

You have to make a lot of polcore frames to make a living...

Framing is a new venture at our photography studio which so far has been quite good
tying the framing in with printing has proved to be quite popular.

It's a massive learning curve and we only take on jobs that we are comfortable with after spending quite
a long time "destroying" practice pieces where a 10x8 beacame an 8x6 then a 5x7.

Our biggest order to date was for 12-36"x8" Polcore Frames plus printing and mounts
.
We do have some wood moulding which we price accordingly but found the "plastic"
to be more popular at this moment in time with the customers we get through the door.

a long time "destroying" practice pieces where a 10x8 beacame an 8x6 then a 5x7

How are you cutting them? I find polcore cuts very well on the morso.

How are you cutting them? I find polcore cuts very well on the morso.

I am using a Morso but was attempting to cut a piece in one go in the beginning, now I take my time and all is well.

DCS wrote:I am using a Morso but was attempting to cut a piece in one go in the beginning, now I take my time and all is well.

You should always make multiple cuts using the last stop to shave it to its final finish. Chomping just crushes the wood/plastic.