Hi all,
I had a customer in today, he brought a painting in which was on a thick paper, the way it was painted was the artist had painted all the paper in black and scraped off parts to create a image, which looked lovely. Now back to business the size of the painting is 6ft X 3ft 6" he dosn't want any mount he only wants a plain black moulding around 60mm wide because of space restrictions where he wants to hang it, I've never even thought of framing anything this big. I do understand the safety aspect of anything this size, but I could do with something explaining from the start type of glazing, frame reinforcement, hanging system etc, or should I just give him a rediculous price so he won't have it done.
Can you explain in simple terms so I understand it please. (not too much technical jargon).
Thanks
Adrian
Oversize Painting
Re: Oversize Painting
Well first you have to devise a method of holding the thing steady. I would float it on a sheet of foamcore - that is get a sheet of foamcore board about 1/4" smaller all round and attach hinges to the back of the paper and wrap them round the foamcore. You will need hinges all the way round - maybe 1' apart. You are then safe to glue the foam core to a more solid backing which could be hardboard maybe 2" bigger all round with the visible parts around the edge painted black.
3mm hardboard comes in 8x4' sheets so no problem there. Apart from the logistics of obtaining such a sheet. if you have to get it cut to size and delivered, that's not an inconsiderable expense.
Foamcore is more of a snag. 5mm thick is readily available in 40"x60" sheets. Not big enough. You could join 2 sheets - you won't see the join. But a better way would be to laminate two layers of 3mm board by PVAing them together. This will make a stronger board as you can stagger the joins in the upper and lower layers. You will need a big, flat area to do this operation.
So far so good......
A 60mm frame might be man enough to support the whole issue, but I would make a subframe out of 4"x1" timber - same size as the hardboard - to form the main strength of the frame. Not difficult to do, although a biscuit joiner would make it easier to get extra strength in the corners. A crossbar in the middle would be a good idea. Fix the hardboard to the subframe with a dab of glue here and there.
You could use glass for the glazing. It would be very heavy though. 3mm acrylic should do the job. Another special order......
The customer may or may not want the edges showing. In the case were he wants the edges covered by the frame rebate, this makes the job slightly more involved as it is important that the edges aren't restricted. I would still float it though. It will never lay perfectly flat, but the hinge method will allow some movement. Some spacer arrangement - maybe 20mm - would be necessary. You may have to put a slip in the extend the rebate with to accommodate the spacer and cover the edge.
Assemble the whole thing face-up on a bench. Put the spacers around the edge and tack them in place with a few panel pins. Glazing on top - tape around the edge to hold it in place.
The frame itself becomes more or less an after thought. With the board fixed to the subframe and the glazing taped around, you could almost hang it as is. You could use a narrow frame with a deep rebate ( 50mm would be nice as it would swallow the whole package.) The frame would only serve to cover edge and hold the glazing more firmly than the tape. A few bendy plates (Lion do them) could be used to secure the outer frame to the subframe.
Hanging.
The beauty of using a subframe is the it can be used to support the weight very evenly. At the back you have a cavity (or two if you use a cross brace). The under side of the top rail of the subframe is the ideal support area. Make a batten (or two) out of the same timber, so it fits in the cavity. Fix a strip of timber - about 2mm sq - to the underside of the top rail of the subframe, flush with the outside. This creates a little space*.
The batten(s) are screwed securely to the wall, suitably levelled and positioned. Fix a couple of mirror plates to the wall battens so the narrow end protrudes a little over the top edge. The idea is, you lift the whole frame onto the battens and the mirror plates slip into the little space*.
This way the weight is spread along the length of the battens and the mirror plates prevent it slipping forward. Once installed, this forms a very stable form of hanging.
That's my idea anyway.
Price. Don't underestimate the time and general embuggerance involved in a job this size. I'm thinking about £800 (+vat).
3mm hardboard comes in 8x4' sheets so no problem there. Apart from the logistics of obtaining such a sheet. if you have to get it cut to size and delivered, that's not an inconsiderable expense.
Foamcore is more of a snag. 5mm thick is readily available in 40"x60" sheets. Not big enough. You could join 2 sheets - you won't see the join. But a better way would be to laminate two layers of 3mm board by PVAing them together. This will make a stronger board as you can stagger the joins in the upper and lower layers. You will need a big, flat area to do this operation.
So far so good......
A 60mm frame might be man enough to support the whole issue, but I would make a subframe out of 4"x1" timber - same size as the hardboard - to form the main strength of the frame. Not difficult to do, although a biscuit joiner would make it easier to get extra strength in the corners. A crossbar in the middle would be a good idea. Fix the hardboard to the subframe with a dab of glue here and there.
You could use glass for the glazing. It would be very heavy though. 3mm acrylic should do the job. Another special order......
The customer may or may not want the edges showing. In the case were he wants the edges covered by the frame rebate, this makes the job slightly more involved as it is important that the edges aren't restricted. I would still float it though. It will never lay perfectly flat, but the hinge method will allow some movement. Some spacer arrangement - maybe 20mm - would be necessary. You may have to put a slip in the extend the rebate with to accommodate the spacer and cover the edge.
Assemble the whole thing face-up on a bench. Put the spacers around the edge and tack them in place with a few panel pins. Glazing on top - tape around the edge to hold it in place.
The frame itself becomes more or less an after thought. With the board fixed to the subframe and the glazing taped around, you could almost hang it as is. You could use a narrow frame with a deep rebate ( 50mm would be nice as it would swallow the whole package.) The frame would only serve to cover edge and hold the glazing more firmly than the tape. A few bendy plates (Lion do them) could be used to secure the outer frame to the subframe.
Hanging.
The beauty of using a subframe is the it can be used to support the weight very evenly. At the back you have a cavity (or two if you use a cross brace). The under side of the top rail of the subframe is the ideal support area. Make a batten (or two) out of the same timber, so it fits in the cavity. Fix a strip of timber - about 2mm sq - to the underside of the top rail of the subframe, flush with the outside. This creates a little space*.
The batten(s) are screwed securely to the wall, suitably levelled and positioned. Fix a couple of mirror plates to the wall battens so the narrow end protrudes a little over the top edge. The idea is, you lift the whole frame onto the battens and the mirror plates slip into the little space*.
This way the weight is spread along the length of the battens and the mirror plates prevent it slipping forward. Once installed, this forms a very stable form of hanging.
That's my idea anyway.
Price. Don't underestimate the time and general embuggerance involved in a job this size. I'm thinking about £800 (+vat).
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