big poster big problem

[Teresa]

I have to frame a Louis Vuitton Americas Cup poster, its big 1280 x 1600 and not quality paper, it cost 316 euros, the customer would like spacers he knows it wont lay flat, the problem I have is what to back it with, any suggestions on how to frame it would be appreciated, I cant work out how to post a pic of it http://www.posterclassics.com/vintage-boat-poster.html

[GeoSpectrum]

Id be more worried about the glazing, spacers will give a very large unsupported span of glass. That is if you are glazing it? If so it will need a decent size frame to support the weight which you could brace across the back at spacing a the same size as standard backing board. Summit like that....

[Teresa]

I'm using a big square moulding from Simons pheo range, ive looked at most options, glass, acrylic. dry mounting, I was going to back it with foam board but its not big enough, I cant think what to do,

[Roboframer]

This one http://theframersforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14364 is not stuck down and the backing boards are all spliced. It was still a nightmare and I ended up wishing I'd turned it away! We found a big black flumb after sealing and dealing with that managed to badly scratch the acrylic AND the inner frame!

But anyway, the frame-in-a-frame like that is very strong and gives a lot more support to the glazing than rebate spacers, no way would I entertain those on something this size. I know that PHOE range too and IMHO there's nothing in it big enough for this without a sub-frame.

Run; live to fight another day!

.

[Teresa]

Ive had it in my workshop for a few months, the customer has just moved and now has room for it, I wish I hadn't taken it on, the posters in the series are printed on crappy paper and were probably meant to be pasted on billboards !

[IFGL]

Have you quoted for it?
They may take it and run after they find out what it will.cost to frame it, it is going to run to way more than the cost of the poster.

[joh5nny]

I've just double checked and Wessex do a 10mm foam board that's bigger than your dimensions - about 3m x 1.5m. Code is F09.

[prospero]

I would use a subframe with a crossbar(s). Put a sheet of MDF on the subfame (the inside) and then lay foamboard or mountboard on the MDF. Tack it lightly to the MDF with small tabs of ds tape. Any joins can be taped over with p90 tape. To save weight you could omit the MDF and use 10mm foamcore. If you can get a sheet big enough all the better, but if you have to splice, make the splices sit over a crossbar.

For spacing I would use some sort of slip. The width of this will depend on how much you can encroach onto the poster. If you can come in about 10mm you could use a 30mm gold slip. Cut the slip the right size and join it with 3 or 5mm v-nails. The outer size of the slip should be the same as the subframe/undermount board so you'll have to do some fine calculations.
Then the crafty bit.... Cut strips of 2-ply board about 12mm wide and stick them to the back of the slip frame along the back edge. This will allow the margin of the poster to go under the slip without being crimped and with bit of elbow room between the edges of the poster and the 2-ply strips. Hinge the poster along the top and maybe a couple of loose hinges at the sides. The slip goes on top - maybe a few strips of p90 to hold it in place. For the glazing I would go for acrylic or maybe even polycarbonate.
The outer frame would then just drop over the whole lot and attached. If the subframe sticks out past the back of the frame I would use bendy plates to attach.
The big PHOEs should have enough depth to swallow a subframe/backer/slip/glazing. It's a hefty moulding but not really hefty enough on it's own for a frame this size and weight.
Hangings on the subframe. With a little bit of thought you can make a cleat system integral to the subframe. Please enquire for more details....

[IFGL]

If you use acrylic be aware it expands more than glass, you have to give it plenty of room or it will bow when it gets warm.

[Framie]

I found out the hard way the large sheets of 10mm foam board are not flat and wont stay flat. I used two 5mm's stuck opposite ways and that worked (advice taken from here) .

[Teresa]

Thanks for all your help and advice, Im away for a week and will tackle it when i get back, its the biggest print I've had in, next time I'll just say no !

[IFGL]

Don't say no, just alocate enough time and price it right, I have float mounted prints three times that size and charged in the thousands for framing, if they can afford it we can do it

[Not your average framer]

I would want a lot of money to frame something like that and I know what I am talking about, because I have framed items that are bigger than that and I only have a small workshop, so I know what I am letting myself in for. I hope you have explained to your customer that the poster will cockle, the problem is knowing how much. It will take a brave person to say how much. My advice is to allow plenty of space behind the glazing and some more.

The frame needs to be really stiff and the sub-frame with cross bars needs to be really solid. I often use 34mm x 34mm PAR pine for larger frames, or even 34mm x 46mm PAR pine. I may sound a bit over the top, but large frames with generously size obeche mouldings can give a lot more than you might expect. !0mm foamboard goes down quite flat on to a sub-frame with an adequate number of cross bars.

You can get the 4.4mm laminated glass from Wessex and this is not only strong and safe, but it has an impressive UV spec as well. Not cheap though, but well worth the money if the poster is going to have any long term value.

[prospero]

Covering a subframe. (cat optional)

[prospero]

This is one of two cleats I supplied with the above frame.



They fit under the top rail of the subframe which has a little cavity built in to take the plywood facing.
This stops it slipping off. All the customer had to do is have a careful measure-up, bang in the hammer-fixings
and lift the beast on. I did this several years ago and it hasn't fallen off yet. Those hammer bolts go very deep into the
brickwork and six of them will support a big weight.

[IFGL]

Nice work Peter!

[Jamesnkr]

If he wants it to lie flat, then send it to be linen backed. Graham Bignell will do that with a fairly quick turnaround. Personally I don't generally like to see posters lying flat like that. Takes all the life out of them.

http://www.grahambignellstudio.co.uk/ar ... m/posters/

[StevenG]

Don't say no, just alocate enough time and price it right, I have float mounted prints three times that size and charged in the thousands for framing, if they can afford it we can do it

Just out of interest - did you use hinges etc for something like that? Did it sag? Bow in the middle? Just wondering? I couldn't even fit something like that into my workshop btw!!

[IFGL]

I used a lot of pass through hinges, to my knowledge it has not sagged.