The Framers Forum

Hi all,

I have looking for a framer in the Somerset/ Bristol/ Bath region who might be interested in taking on a framing job for a lady who came to me for other small frames. She is having a painting done in acrylic on canvas up in Scotland somewhere and is looking to get it framed. The artist is apparently going to take it off the stretcher bars and roll it to send it to her but she then wants it framed locally. The main issue is that it is apparently approximately 5ft by 5ft and she wants it glazed.

I have explained that it will need restretching and does not need to be glazed but she is definite about it. I have explained that my workshop is not big enough to handle something that size if we are adding glazing and also I cannot manhandle glass that size on my own so suggested that she speak to other framers in Bristol but they have apparently turned it down too.

She is aware that it would be costly and she has opted for UV70 type high clarity glass on her other work so should have a reasonable budget. I have mentioned to her that it may need to be acrylic glazing rather than glass.

Oh and she has no way to transport the finished frame so would need a courier to be arranged for her too!

Would this be a job you would be interested in? if so then I will pass on your details and she would probably get in touch in a few week time?

Thanks all.

More and more museums and collectors are protecting paintings with glazing. Acrylic mediums are more porous than oil based paints and coatings and thus harder to clean. A frame job that size would only be glazes with acrylic if it were my decision.

If the painting will be taken off the bars, inform the artist to use a large diameter (at least 25-30 cm) tube as an inner core for the painting with the painting facing out when rolled. The used bars can be placed inside the tube.

I hope she realises just how heavy the finished frame will be. Will require some serious hangings, best done with
a cleat system. As for transport, I would recommend a specialist mover such as https://www.aardvarkartservices.com/

** If I were doing it, I would go with UV70. Plastic glazing would need to be 6mm thick so any weight saving over glass
would be nil.

The best way to tackle this (but I don't want to do it, so don't ask)

Is the artist sending the stretchers so it can go back on, if not then that would be another expense to factor in

She would have to bring it into the workshop so it can be measured accurately, also she will have to choose a frame that can be ordered on chop with Hoffman dovetails

Then order all components, moulding , stretchers (if originals are not supplied) , acrylic glazing , and get them delivered to her address or wherever it will be hung

When you get word everything has been delivered, you take along a willing helper or 2 and you build on site, you will need a floor area at least double the area of the paining to work in

I did this about 25 years ago at a office where they wanted a 8ft x 6ft poster framed at the top of the stairs, in 6mm glass, we assembled it in the boardroom and borrowed about 4 office huys to help us carry it along the corridor to the top of the stairs and help hang and attach it to the wall, a very pleasant morning spent

It's not going to be every framer that would know how to construct an adequately solid frame for a painting of that size and what's more it's going to be an eye watering price. Some framer's handle big framing jobs like that on a regular basis and simply contract such jobs out to another framer, who does stuff like that and add their own margin on top. It might be worth thinking about doing the same!