Neat backing finish?

[T.J.G]

Hi there, I’m wondering if anyone has some suggestions for creating a neater gummed-taped back. I’m relatively new to framing, but have never been satisfied with the finish when taping over framing points; can see them bulging through paper. I’m thinking of trying the tape first, then fixing points.

Any thoughts appreciated

Thanks

Thomas

[Not your average framer]

Yes, I know what you are thinking. First comment that I would make it that too many of the rolls of brown gummed papet tape are a bit too thin, in fact so thin that you can almost see through the tape. There is a big emphasis on getting the cheapest tape whether it looks good or not. Well cheap thin brown gummed paper tape does not look great.

I stopped buying the thin stuff a long time ago and now I get my brown gummed paper tape from a local packaging suppliers and it's much thicker (like 110 gsm), not the 60 to 70 gsm many of our framing suppliers are selling. This is not having a go at our suppliers, but an extra choice of a thicker type of gummed tape at a higher price would be nice for many of us who don't mind paying the extra for something that looks so much better.

I would really like it if I could be black gummed paper tape and backing boards with a black rear surface as well. It just looks stunning with brass plated d-rings and brass standed picture wire on the rear of the frame with black tape and black backing board, Sadly such stuff does not seem to readily available anywhere, which is a real pity.

[T.J.G]

Thanks Mark, hadn’t thought of thicker tape, I’ll investigate that! Black is a classy look, shame aren’t more easy options!

[Rainbow]

This is not having a go at our suppliers, but an extra choice of a thicker type of gummed tape at a higher price would be nice for many of us who don't mind paying the extra for something that looks so much better.

Couldn't agree more. Suppliers offer different price points for all manner of other items, so why not gummed tape. Without naming names, the last lot of gummed tape I got from a supplier was really cheap and nasty - they'd dumbed down from the previous purchase I'd made.

I’m thinking of trying the tape first, then fixing points.

I don't understand that - what purpose would it serve? If the purpose of the backing tape is partly to reduce the risk of dust/insects getting in, and partly to give a neat finish, putting the tape on before the fixing points wouldn't fulfil either of those two purposes. Unless I'm misreading it!


If the tabs look as if they might bulge through the tape, I sometimes put a strip of masking tape over the tabs before applying the gummed tape. Not ideal but better than letting the tabs break through.

[Not your average framer]

I've seen the strip of masking tape under the gummed paper tape on so many older frames. I think that it must have been a common practice in bygone years. Also it seems that the masking tape was better stuff in those days as well. The masking tape also appears to stop the framing points from becoming rusty which may be part of the original intention. My rolls of gummed paper tape are 70mm wide which seems to be the main width sold to local packaging suppliers. I find that wider rolls of tape are much easier to work with and also thicker gummed paper tape has a proportionally greater thickness of the gum coating, which seems to produce a more sticky tape and it remains a little bit more slippy and sticky for longer while you are applying the tape.

A neat trick that I have seen on some older frames is that after the framers points have been fitted, the whole back including the frames points are covered with mount board which has been stuck to the centre of the backing board and completely hides the placement of the framing points, completely hiding them. The gummed paper tape than is applied to this layer of mount board and the frame, preventing the framers points from becoming wet and therefore preventing rusting of the framers points. However you choose to produce a nice neat presentation of the rear of the frame, I think that neatness has a lot to do with spending a little more time making it look neat. I'm not much of a fan of using staples to fix the back in place, but many framers do this and it is less obvious than framers points if you are only applying one layer of tape. A very up market framers over the other side of Dartmoor from me applers to always use staples and the backs always look neat.

[T.J.G]

I don't understand that - what purpose would it serve? If the purpose of the backing tape is partly to reduce the risk of dust/insects getting in, and partly to give a neat finish, putting the tape on before the fixing points wouldn't fulfil either of those two purposes. Unless I'm misreading it!

Thanks for your comment, I suppose my outlook is that I’d rather see the function of the points rather than trying to hide them and fail. If the tape goes on neat, that’s stops bugs dust etc, then points only break the tape at the point of entry but hold artwork securely.

[Not your average framer]

The masking tape has been applied over the framers points on all the frames on which I have seen this. I have never done this myself. I do not personally understand howthe gummed paper tape is going to adequately adhere to the masking tape, which is usually silicone coated to premit it to be removed easily from the reels of tape.

[T.J.G]

Thanks Mark, the top of my above comment was suppose to be quote, can’t see how you delete messages. Anyway, I like your suggestions, trying to figure out the staple option, is that points driven by air driven nailers or pneumatic staple driver? Not heard of using staples as points before.

Thanks
Thomas

[Not your average framer]

I generally use either the Kikisui self adhesive backing tape, or the thicker gunned paper tape. There self adhesive kikisui tape looks neat when you first put it on, but hot humid summers tend to allow it to lift is places on the rear of wooden mouldings over time. Being a self adhesive tape, I assume that it is unlikely to cause the framers point to become rusty of time. I have never used any masking tape under the normal tape as it leaves a rigde in the top layer of tape, which I don't like to see. The Kikisui self adhesive tape is much quicker that gummed paper tape and therefore is useful for rush jobs.

I much prefer the gummed paper tape as I know that it will not lift in hot humid weather and to me looks much better than a glossy self adhesive tape like the Kikisui. I don't usually worry about the gummed paper tape being likely to rust the framers points as I have not seen any significant incidence of this being a serious problem. I sometimes will very occasionally cover over the framers points with mount board which I fix in place with very strong double sided tape and apply the gummed paper tape over the edges of the mount board for very special jobs.

Mirrors are usually an item where avoiding unnecessary extra costs, but they also might be in stock a while before they sell, so I have a cheaper backing board for these which is Simons BACK/01 and I avoid using self adhesive tapes, because the can look a bit tatty after being in stock a while, so mirrors are tape up with gummed paper tape as they will still look great for a reasonable amount of time. Mirrors to be sent by post as internet sales items by a friend of ours use a better quality more solid board as the cheaper BACK/01 has a corrogated core and might get dented in transit.

We have discussed spraying the backing board and tape with a black aerosol rattle can, but I'm not convinced that this will necessarily look particularly as good as we are hoping it would and it involves additional expense and an added time component. Perhaps this is an option that someone else might want to try, but personally I'm not all that sure if it would look all that good, or perhaps look a bit cheap instead. I don't mind spending a little extra time on making the rear of the frame look of a high standard, because I think that it gets noticed by the customers and can result in extra follow on orders.

[Not your average framer]

I have a variety of tab guns, including a budget pneumatic tab gun. I like the semi-rigid tabs which can be fired for a flexi-tab gun, but it's not worth buying the cheaper brands of tabs as they are a bit too bendy. I cannot fire these in as flush to the backing boards with my budget pneumatic gun and they are a bit too springy to bend them down flust with the backing board, so I either use an old Fletcher Terry flexi-tab gun with the bump inside the magazine ground away too take the generic shaped tabs, or an elderly Eletrrotech Flex-04 gun. Both of these guns will fire the semi-rigid tabs flat to the backing board.

I do not use the Fletcher Terry tabs because they cost substantiall more and also seem to rust more easily. That black coated flexi-tabs do not appear to be prone to rusting at all, if experience is anything to go by, but these flexi-tabs are not really considered as suitable for anything other than ready made fimes. If the frames need taping up at the back, then you should not be thinking of using flexi tabs at all, as they don't produce a solid and reliable fixing at all, but being bendy I can very easily fire them in to the frame with my budget pneumatic gun and bend the tabs down flat to the backing board by hand afterwards.

[T.J.G]

Thanks Mark, some good info there! I wasn’t sure what you were meaning with staples? Talking about the upmarket traders the other side of Dartmoor that use staples. I’ve only ever used points. Are staples applied the same way as points?

Thanks, Thomas

[Not your average framer]

Yes, they are. There is an Omer narrow crown stapler which fires the staples inn so that they are 7mm proud. they seem to be quite popular with some framers. They are not what you would call cheap, but high class equipment is rarely cheap anyway!