scrap mountboard?

[red]

hi folks

ive got a new toy, a keencut gold I vaguely remember how they work
when I had some tuition but I need to practice. any ideas for alternative board to use
seems a shame to make a hash of good mount board!

thanks

[pramsay13]

Just use one big bit and get gradually smaller each time.
Or find a friendly local framer that will give you offcuts to practice on (if you want to travel to Stonehouse you can have a pile from me).
There are other types of cheaper boards but they feel different so probably better practising on the type of board you will probably use.

[Not your average framer]

I don't know how many members will agree with me, or not, but my instincts are to say it makes sense to me to practice with some of the mountboard that you are intending to use as your normal mountboard. Getting a good result on a different variety of mountboard might not mean very much if you later encounter problems when you come to use the real stuff. I know that it's a difficult one to call, but sometimes life can be like that!

Mountboard is a very competitive market these days and a number of companies are doing bargain ranges of mountboard in a range of certain colours only, but a lot of these will be really useful colours and the savings can be very helpful. Of course there is also a proviso with these deals and usually you either have to buy a certain quantity, or the price varies with the quantity. I leave you to talk to different suppliers to find out whats on offer, as although I have my own favourite for this, as a moderator, I don't wish to show bias.

As a final thought since you will be using the mountboard to practice on, there's nothing to stop you from cutting mounts that are worth looking at selling, if they turn out alright.

[Steve N]

As usual, very goodd advice Mark (not your average framer) , I agree, if you are practicing cutting mounts, you might as well cut them as standard sizes to fit ready made frames

[Keith Hewitt]

Mountboard is incredibly good value, considering the massive investment needed to make it.

You can buy 1 sheet of MUNKEN MOUNT BOARD for £3:30

See Lions latest catalogue pages 52 and 53

They even have a 2 sided board called DUO for the same price
Or better still buy 1 carton of 25 sheets and its only £2.97 per sheet
You can use as a single mount, a double mount, a support for the artwork, and even as a backing board on smaller pictures

[red]

thanks pramsay13 for offer if only I lived nearer!
great advice as always, I didn't realise mountboard
could be bought so cheaply, ive been looking in the
wrong places!

thanks again

[Not your average framer]

As Keith says it is very good value, but I would suggest that now we have some many suppliers offering special deals bargain ranges of mountboard, there possibly has never been a time when mountboard has been such good value. You can find these amazing deals in many supplier's catalogues and there is very often a bargain range with a limited range of colours and off the top of my head I can name three different supplier's offering either Colourmount, or Daler mountboard and who knows how many others are offering similar ranges. I'm sure that there must be other deals that I don't know of and maybe other makers mountboard too. Some of them are even offering sample chevrons to show your customers as well.

The time was when you could not be completely sure exactly what it was that you were buying, but it's not like that now. These were at one time cheaper versions with cheaper specs to match. We are now talking about conservation and whitecore specifications which match the normally quoted specifications from these respective original supplier's. It's the same product! It pays to ask. You just need to be willing to buy the quantity the supplier specifies. It's as simple as that!

A few tips: Supplier's who deliver to you directly using their own vehicle will probably not have the slightly dented corners that some see, when mountboard is packed to be delivery by a independent courier. If the mountboard is being delivered by courier, then some of the more up-market suppliers counter this by spending a little bit more on a more careful courier. From experience I would say that on average the more upmarket courier does make a noticable difference.