Mountboard look but not behind glass

[Gillthepainter]

is there a way to frame an oil painting, usually on panel, that has the look of a mountboard?

To explain, I've got a couple of oil paintings behind glass.
Small, but with an ivory mountboard surrounding them. I'd like to take the glass off as they are a bit lost, but of course, mountboard cannot be left to the air/dirt/fingerprints.

I have used bolsa wood before as a test, which looks OK I guess, but is a bit too soft. And costs a bit.

I got a bare wood slip from Lion, this one I quite like: https://www.lionpic.co.uk/p/22089/45mm- ... Mix-Credit
Although it's out of stock. And at 1cm, it is a little chunky on the eye.

Any 40mm slips out there that are thinner, wooden or white, not paper covered, that spring to mind.
Or is there a way to cover mountboard so that it will resist the elements.

I've got an old morso, so cutting wood is fine.

[prospero]

People do sometimes want a card mount but no glass. It takes a bit of explaining that it's not a good idea.

Best way is to replace the mount with a painted liner. This of course depends on the way the panel fits into the mount.
if there is a lot a it under the mount then it's not going to fit a std liner. You can use thick mb and paint it. This will make the
surface durable. But because card is a bit wappy and liable to curl it would need to be glued to a wood backing. Not too difficult.

I can't really suggest further without seeing the thing.

[YPF]

Try using anti-reflective glass. If the piece is small it shouldn’t cost a great deal.

[David McCormack]

I got a bare wood slip from Lion, this one I quite like: https://www.lionpic.co.uk/p/22089/45mm- ... Mix-Credit
Although it's out of stock.

Their website shows over 600m available?

Try Rose and Hollis, their slips are thinner but not as wide.

Good suggestion from YPF.

[prospero]

This is R&H A14 Obeche liner. About 70mm wide. Gives the 'mount' look. They also do two flat slips, one with a bevel
and the other a cove. About 7-8mm thick.

stackedgreen002.jpg (90.07 KiB) Viewed 5080 times

[Gillthepainter]

Yes I prefer a bevel to a cove.
I believe that's what I'm looking for, Prospero. Thank you.

The problem with sticking with the existing mountboard or chopping mdf, and covering or painting it, is I get bowing. I've also tried covering with linen myself, and it looks pretty crap.
Probably because I cannot cut a long strip without it looking wobbly.

To show you what I mean, and being a painter not a framer.
These large mount effect, plus outer frame really sells well. That's just how it is. In white, or recently sometimes white washed. Like this:



Sometimes my "art tiles" need a deeper slip/mount of around 40 or 50mm.
Plus, on the second image, I'm not sure if you can see, but the surround is chunky even clunky.

I'm wanting to rethink my framing materials for an exhibition coming up early next year.
But I do still like this style.

I'm not using the glass any more, as it does take away from the vibrancy of the oils that I slap on,
and I've seen people just walk past pieces when I put them behind glass.


PS
There's probably a single frame that will reproduce this.
But I have a lot of simple white and bare wood 2.5cm moulding in stock. And it's just the mount board inner bit I need to buy at the moment.

[Gillthepainter]

I think liner is the answer I was looking for.
I've been thinking "slip" and "fillet". I've not heard of liner before.
Thank you.

[prospero]

A 'slip' is a flat, fairly thin piece. Originally used as a glass spacer, also as a purely visual element to add a (usually gold) edge
to a frame. So-called one would presume because it slips in between glass and art. A 'liner' is essentially the same thing but has a rebate.

I do a LOT of painted liners. Most are in the off-white category. A 50/50 mix of acrylic Titanium White/Titanium Buff gives my the tone I want.
Sometimes a toning wash of very dilute Raw Umber with a dab of white mixed in. Flood it on and wipe it off to give a very subtle mucky aged effect.
Unless you like the woodgrain pattern you need to fill the grain and apply several coats of thick ripple coat paint followed by a good sanding before
applying the top coats of acrylic. The ripple paint gives you the option of making a textured surface. It will hold brushmarks so you can stipple the
wet paint or apply with a palette knife for the 'rough plaster' effect. Can look very good if you don't overdo it.


R&H A286 is a bevelled liner about 50mm wide.

A231 is a flat slip with a bevel about 70mm.

[prospero]

Part 2.....

There is a way to use card on liners. There is some board generally called 'grey board'. In the past it was used for backing board but it's terrible stuff
and sucks up moisture from the air like a sponge. It's basically just grey pulp. But it does have it's uses.... Because it is a solid lump and has no facing
papers it can be easily painted. Also easy to cut.



The inner 'mount' part of the above frame is made with Grey Board. There are two layers joined together which gives it a bit of body and stops
curling. It's painted for a faux leather effect but you could just as easily do it white/ivory. The board has a smooth side and a slightly bumpy side.
This frame has glass, but only in the oval window.


*** Thanks to the 'Old Master' Pete Bingham who devised the method.

[prospero]

Part 3.....

A286 liner painted.

psegblackframe003.jpg (1.57 MiB) Viewed 5021 times

[Gillthepainter]

This is really kind of you.
I've ordered 10 x A2+ greyboard. To have a play. Your slightly off white instructions are great - white can be too stark.
A framer chum who's retired showed me how to achieve the layered mottle effect. And some gun metal effects too.

For larger paintings, I will need an A286 liner, painted. I do need the structure of a wood for these pieces.

But for my smaller pieces, I shall see if the greyboard will do the job nicely.
Especially if I can glue 2 pieces as in your photo, giving me a double aperture (if that's what it's called).

Thank you.