The Framers Forum

I am wanting advice regarding the use of polystyrene for the framing of sports jerseys. In the past, to create the necessary space for the jersey between the backing board and the mat/glazing, I have glued multiple layers of 5mm foam board together using PVA glue, but this is time consuming when you need to build the required thickness by using 4 or 5 layers. I am wondering if I can cut down on the time required by using strips of 20 or 25mm polystyrene, cut from a large sheet. Are there any negative implications to using this material? I am assuming that it would be easy to cut using a trimmer knife and also easy to glue using PVA.
Thanks in anticipation of any tips you can provide.

I use 10mm foamboard. I cut the strips twice as wide as I need them and then cut a line down the middle around 8mm deep. I can then snap the foamboard strip back on itself to form a 20mm deep strip. Hope that makes sense.
I can't see anything wrong with using polystyrene other than I already use foamboard for other framing purposes so have a supply of it, and I can easily stick it to mountboard etc. whereas I can imagine polystyrene not wanting to stick to anything.

Thanks. Those are great tips. I will give that a try.

Unless you are going to cut the polystyrene with heated wire, you are going to get loads of bits of polystyrene all over the place, over the work bench, floor and in the frame, stuck to the sports shirt, it will take all day to frame one shirt
I use paper covered wooden slips such as D&J Simons http://www.djsimons.co.uk/index.php?rou ... slip%2F000
you can also get plain wood slips in different sizes, just cut them to length and join them top and bottom with a 3mm underpin, easy-peasy

I haven't got a clue what you three are on about but thanks for link to djsimons site Steve. I have a lot to learn


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There are a few deep mouldings that have complimentary spacers - about 25mm deep. A few are poly mouldings.
Easy to cut and not too expensive.

Check out Lion https://www.lionpic.co.uk/moulding/mine ... e-spacers/

I think the type of spacers TimPZ is talking about are those used between the window-mount and under-mount i.e. not visible.

David McCormack wrote
"I think the type of spacers TimPZ is talking about are those used between the window-mount and under-mount i.e. not visible."

well I still wouldn't use polystyrene, for the reasons I wrote earlier, plus I would imagine there would be a lot of 'off gassing'

I wouldn't use polystyrene either. Foamboard would be my choice... a good use for off cuts

David McCormack wrote:I think the type of spacers TimPZ is talking about are those used between the window-mount and under-mount i.e. not visible.

Yes - that's what I was referring to. On the basis of the comments and suggestions provided I am going to go with using 10mm foam board - it will help save time and uses very well proven and reliable material.

Thanks for all your assistance - much appreciated!!

Steve N wrote: plus I would imagine there would be a lot of 'off gassing'

For a polyester sports shirt... criminal...