I believe it's standard practice to use 5mm foamboard when lacing fabric. By the time you've added the mount and the undermount, it makes quite a thick sandwich. There's no room left for the backboard, which I always have to fix to the frame, instead of inside the frame, and sometimes it restricts the choice of moulding to those with a reasonable rebate. I've toyed with the idea of using barrier board instead of undermount which would make it less thick, but barrier board seems a bit flimsy in view of the bulky fabric at the back.
So my question is... is there a problem with using 3mm foamboard instead of 5mm to make the sandwich less bulky?
Foamboard for fabric framing
-
- Posts: 222
- Joined: Thu 16 Jun, 2011 11:43 am
- Location: Hollingbourne, Maidstone
- Organisation: The Village Framer
- Interests: Photography, Mountainbiking
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
i often use 3mm instead of 5mm for that very reason - so many moulding just aren't deep enough. if the piece isn't too big then you shouldn't have a problem.
- Tudor Rose
- Posts: 1121
- Joined: Wed 10 Mar, 2010 4:07 pm
- Location: Dawlish, South Devon
- Organisation: The Framing Lot
- Interests: Tudor history, swimming, walking and needlework.
- Contact:
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
I usually use 2.4mm or 3.5mm conservation mount board.
Jo Palmer GCF(APF) Adv
Textile, Mount Design & Function & Conservation
Forum Moderator & Framing Educator
www.pictureframingtraining.com
Guild Certified Examiner & Guild Accredited Trainer
Guild Master from May 2019 to May 2022
Textile, Mount Design & Function & Conservation
Forum Moderator & Framing Educator
www.pictureframingtraining.com
Guild Certified Examiner & Guild Accredited Trainer
Guild Master from May 2019 to May 2022
-
- Posts: 11019
- Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
- Location: Devon, U.K.
- Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
- Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
- Location: Glorious Devon
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
Although I generally use foamboard for fabric framing myself, I still wonder if foamboard does not survive the years as well as conservastion, or even cotton rag mountboard. Some years ago, a customer brought in a couple of framed prints that had been framed in perhps the 1960's/1970's and the customer wanted them re-framed. The prints were quite famous ones, connected with quite a prestigious gallery, but frankly they looked a bit dated and I doubt if they justified spending much money on re-framing.
Unfortunately much on the core of the mountboard on to which these prints had been dry mounted had crumbled into dust. While I will admit that I don't know if the core material is the same as what is now used, I don't feel that this level of deterioration would have occurred with mountboard. I don't currently use mountboard, because my normal way of stretching fabric on to foamboard is hold the fabric in place with dressmakers ball headed pins, while lacing the frabric in place, followed by removing the pins.
I'm not really thinking that this same method, would be as suitable with mountboard, so I was just wondering how those who stretch fabric on to mountboard are doing this.
Thanks,
Mark
Unfortunately much on the core of the mountboard on to which these prints had been dry mounted had crumbled into dust. While I will admit that I don't know if the core material is the same as what is now used, I don't feel that this level of deterioration would have occurred with mountboard. I don't currently use mountboard, because my normal way of stretching fabric on to foamboard is hold the fabric in place with dressmakers ball headed pins, while lacing the frabric in place, followed by removing the pins.
I'm not really thinking that this same method, would be as suitable with mountboard, so I was just wondering how those who stretch fabric on to mountboard are doing this.
Thanks,
Mark
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
- David
- Posts: 404
- Joined: Sat 08 Sep, 2007 10:24 pm
- Location: Silverstone
- Organisation: Silverstone Framing
- Interests: Photography, Motor Racing, Military
- Location: Silverstone
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
I generally only use foamcore for formers in sports shirts, usually 5mm for regidity on a large size. For lacing fabrics I use a regular or thick conservation mountboard.
- Rainbow
- Posts: 892
- Joined: Tue 23 Jun, 2015 8:51 am
- Location: See my name, I'm somewhere over it
- Organisation: Picture sales and framing
- Interests: varied
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
I do the same, but with T-pins.Not your average framer wrote: ↑Sun 08 Sep, 2019 8:31 pm ...my normal way of stretching fabric on to foamboard is hold the fabric in place with dressmakers ball headed pins, while lacing the frabric in place, followed by removing the pins.
Thanks for all the assurances that 3mm is fine, that will make life much easier.
-
- Posts: 11019
- Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
- Location: Devon, U.K.
- Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
- Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
- Location: Glorious Devon
Re: Foamboard for fabric framing
I would quality the use of the 3mm foamboard with the thought that 5mm foamboard might be advisable in cases where the size of the fabric requires something a little more rigid to avoid bowing when laced. A lot depends up on how much tension is created by the lacing.
Mark Lacey
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer