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matt scarlett wrote:Do you think at this early stage it would be better for me to get into the whole 'build the frame yourself' or should I go to a framer, 'TELL them' how I want my prints to be framed, and go from there?
I like your wave studies Matt
I would say build up a good relationship with a local framer and they will get to know how you want your work framed. If you're going to tell them anything then tell them you don't want your art stuck down with brown sticky tape as shown in the time lapse video of the FATG member in your link
Original art on paper should be mounted with conservation paper hinges or with no adhesives at all if possible. I know the video shows a postcard or something being mounted but why not show an original piece of art being framed to conservation standard..... show the best you can do
David McCormack wrote:
I like your wave studies Matt
I would say build up a good relationship with a local framer and they will get to know how you want your work framed. If you're going to tell them anything then tell them you don't want your art stuck down with brown sticky tape as shown in the time lapse video of the FATG member in your link
Original art on paper should be mounted with conservation paper hinges or with no adhesives at all if possible. I know the video shows a postcard or something being mounted but why not show an original piece of art being framed to conservation standard..... show the best you can do
No I wouldn't say so, there will be some very good FATG members just like there will be very good framers who are not members, however there will also be members who are not quite as versed in conservation practices just as there will be those who are not members also not as well versed. However the thing that sticks in my craw is that the guild for many years has banged on to the general public that its guild commended framers are better framers than those who are not, which is simply not true, we have all seen car crash framing from GCF's who should have known better.
Here's another but with a single mount. The platform mount is the under mount you'd use (or should) anyway but bonded to the back of the aperture mount, single, double, whatever - with the 'platforms' cut out of it and then taped back in over the artwork. It calls for very accurate cutting, multiple or single aperture.
As for black mouldings, if you want a perfect matt or satin finish it will probably be the coating that is just as important as the wood, I've no idea what sort of wood most of my matt black mouldings are made from but my favourites are amongst the cheapest out there.
matt scarlett wrote:
My only hesitation is that the ash shows quite a bit of grain. Anything as good where the grain is less 'showy?
That's why it's used. The grain is the 'face' of the moulding. More interesting than plain black some might say... generally you try to accentuate the grain to a greater or lesser extent.
You can get dead flat black mouldings. To me that's exactly the impression they convey - dead. And from a practical point of view they mark easily and show it and are impossible to touch up.
Grain for me every time, that's why I like werking with wood... it has character. For a deep black finish I like two coats of Plaka paint finished with a dark brown wax. I find neutral wax can show up as white in the grain.
I've been thinking to buy a Logan Mat cutter, probably the 301 or something, then just get a framer to supply me with the frame and glazing. Is this a god way a saving just a little bit of money or is it false economy?
it depends just how long it takes you to get the knack, you sound like someone who is not going to accept 2nd best, although it is completely possible to get professional results with that cutter you might have wasted hundreds or more in failed mounts before you get the knack.
I have seen it many times .
Consider a reasonable professional mount cutter is around 1k many excide 20k (my own included) it's gonna be hard to match.
For what it would cost i would get someone to cut them on a cmc, by far the best cut. I know a lot of people here don't have access to a cmc and cut good mounts but its easy to spot a cmc mount and one cut by hand.
And if you do want to hand cut mounts then at least go for a keen cut or a fletcher, a logan is a few stops up from a hobby cutter.
Having said that I have an old logan going for £60 if you want.
Graysalchemy wrote:For what it would cost i would get someone to cut them on a cmc, by far the best cut. I know a lot of people here don't have access to a cmc and cut good mounts but its easy to spot a cmc mount and one cut by hand.
And if you do want to hand cut mounts then at least go for a keen cut or a fletcher, a logan is a few stops up from a hobby cutter.
Having said that I have an old logan going for £60 if you want.
Just thought I'd give it a go, get a bit more involved. But if the finish is that noticeable, then I guess I'll have to stick to the original plan of going to a framer. However, what model of Logan do you have, and can i still buy cutters/blade for it?
Both the Fletcher and Keencut cutters look impressive, but for now I could probably just about afford the blades
I had a look at the Valiani Mat Pro i Manual Mat cutter, but again budget and space are at a premium for the time being.
My thinking was to get the business side of thing rolling was to offer the prints mounted, as i don't have the budget to hold a lot of stock, re; the frames etc. I can hold some framed stock, but not a lot. And then build up to a point where I can offer the complete package.
I'm assuming Museum Mount Board is the best quality?
If you are offering mounted prints to be taken away and framed elsewhere then you're probably wasting your money on the 'best' quality boards. I and most others would only use those for a complete framing job using 99% UV filtering glass and you don't know if that's going to happen after it's left you, especially for a reproduction. I also have a different opinion to most this side of the pond on what actually is the 'best' anyway! But you're safe with cotton if that's the way you want to go.
Conservation/museum boards protect artwork by doing - wait for it ........ nothing! IOW the longer they can stay in their original condition the better they are and some mad people like me believe that pure alpha-cellulose is pure alpha cellulose - period (as opposed to full stop, because it's across-the-pond-thinking). The wood pulp version just took longer to process than the cotton version. BUT ... tech spec can be bewildering and the only trade body we have won't actually tell us what is best because they want to be impartial to their supplier members.
So I'll tell you (dear reader) what is best because I couldn't give one!
Artcare is best - Artcare by Nielsen-Bainbridge - it incorporates zeolites and micro-chambers that trap pollutants and turn them in to harmless salts, the technology, although not new or exclusive to them, they have patented for mount board and it really, really irks the **** out of other manufacturers. Nielsen-Bainbridge do not support our trade body.
The wood pulp version (alphamat artcare) IMHO out performs any other manufacturer's cotton board because it is ACTIVE (and it's cheaper than any cotton board) but it also comes in cotton (Alpharag artcare) and THAT, if you want to be anal, is the best there is ....IMHO (and that of the library of congress apparently) ... oh, and it is also at least on a par with non 'active' cotton boards price-wise and comes in more colours, far more.
But you won't be able to get it direct from Nielsen like what I and others can, they is, like, fussy!
After all that, in your position, I'd sub it out and concentrate on what you do best, if you can find a framer that can provide the quality and the price. I'm not the only framer offering these artcare boards as default, look for one who is, maybe?
Contacted Nielson's directly and they put me onto one a framing shop in Plymouth, one that I had visited and liked. So for now, I'll go with them. I'll consider buying a CNC machine or a decent mat cutter later. It'll be cool to get into the production side of things, get me away from my drawing board!
Like my art work, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I just want to give the best quality out there. I don't rally care about price.
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