The Framers Forum

Hello Framers

I need some professional advice, I have a silver spoon collection to frame. I have clear plastic spoon clips to hold the spoons to the back board, but that isn't secure enough to stop the spoons from moving or rotating slightly.

How can i secure the spoons further, can i use silicone glue or PVA to hold the back of the spoon in place?

I don't want a permanent fix, as the spoons will need to be cleaned every 2-3 years and the frame sealed again.

Thank you all for any advice!

Kin

I have used Melinex straps very successfully for this sort of thing. A quick search on here for them should produce some explanatory posts.

Why do these spoons need cleaning every two to three years. There are recognised archival methods which are completely safe for preventing tarnishing and / or corrosion which work very very well within the environment inside a frame.

My I draw your attention to two archival products that I think may prove useful in this situation, the first one is a product called silver safe and from what I remember this company supplies mountboard which has preservation properties which are beneficial for protecting silver items against tarnishing and also protecting photographs using silver related photographic processes.

The second product is heritage wax with can protect a wide range of items from, either tarnishing, or corrosion by providing an invisible non-permiable gas blocking coating which acts as a barrier to gases and polution in the atmosphere which can cause tarnishing, or corrosion.

There is also another product, which I don't know the name of, which is a specially impregnated paper which can be fitted inside the frame to release protective vapours. Unfortunately this paper has a limited life and eventually the paper has to be replaced.

While I recognise the value and benefits of Mylar straps, they are not always invisible in every situation, so I would also mention the fact that there are a considerable range of different lengths of both fine and standard types of the tags used in price tag guns,

Also these tags are available in either nylon, or polyester and in some cases can be visually less obvious than Mylar straps, according to what works best in the relevent situation. I stock quite a number of different sizes of these tags and use them in many different applications for all manner of object framing requirement.

I am deliberately not indicating that either Mylar straps, or tags are in anyway better, or worse than each other. The most appropriate one for any given requirement should be a matter of choice according to which is deemed most satisfactory in the specific situation.

Not your average framer wrote:Why do these spoons need cleaning every two to three years. There are recognised archival methods which are completely safe for preventing tarnishing and / or corrosion which work very very well within the environment inside a frame.

My I draw your attention to two archival products that I think may prove useful in this situation, the first one is a product called silver safe and from what I remember this company supplies mountboard which has preservation properties which are beneficial for protecting silver items against tarnishing and also protecting photographs using silver related photographic processes.

The second product is heritage wax with can protect a wide range of items from, either tarnishing, or corrosion by providing an invisible non-permiable gas blocking coating which acts as a barrier to gases and polution in the atmosphere which can cause tarnishing, or corrosion.

There is also another product, which I don't know the name of, which is a specially impregnated paper which can be fitted inside the frame to release protective vapours. Unfortunately this paper has a limited life and eventually the paper has to be replaced.

While I recognise the value and benefits of Mylar straps, they are not always invisible in every situation, so I would also mention the fact that there are a considerable range of different lengths of both fine and standard types of the tags used in price tag guns,

Also these tags are available in either nylon, or polyester and in some cases can be visually less obvious than Mylar straps, according to what works best in the relevent situation. I stock quite a number of different sizes of these tags and use them in many different applications for all manner of object framing requirement.

I am deliberately not indicating that either Mylar straps, or tags are in anyway better, or worse than each other. The most appropriate one for any given requirement should be a matter of choice according to which is deemed most satisfactory in the specific situation.

Hello Not your average Framer

The customer assumes they would need to clean them every few years?

With my limited experience in framing silverware, I'm not aware of the products on the market. Could you include links to suppliers for these products, I've had a search, but they are not bringing up the products I think you are talking about?

What is the product called Silver Safe, and I can't find a Heritage Wax apart from the furniture wax? Am I suppose to put this on the silver spoons to protect from tarnishing?

Mylar straps are too visible. As for price tag guns, they leave a huge visible hole.

Thank you for your advice.

Lion sell Renaissance Wax which is aimed at protecting coins, knives etc

Kinlee wrote:
Mylar straps are too visible.

I can cut Melinex/Mylar straps less than 2mm wide - in my view far less visible than something like a Mighty Mount spoon holder.

As an aside; I have silver spoons and medals framed more than 4 years ago that still retain their shine - in a reasonable frame I find they tarnish far more slowly than people think they might.

If you use suede covered mountboard, which look great with medals and the such, holes don't show very much, I too would use Melinex/Mylar straps less than 2mm wide, and have done many a time in the past with no problems.

Steve N wrote:If you use suede covered mountboard, which look great with medals and the such, holes don't show very much, I too would use Melinex/Mylar straps less than 2mm wide, and have done many a time in the past with no problems.

Hi Steve N.

Thank you for your advice. I'm a new framers, and still learning and experimenting with my materials. I've never used Melinex/Mylar strips before, how is it used?

Thank you?

Just done a quick search of the forum for Melinex/Mylar straps and came up with this one

https://www.theframersforum.com/viewtop ... aps#p61708

have a look at the 3rd reply,

I should be very careful indeed about using wax on the silver. Your customer might not be at all happy about that.

I would happily advise the customer what kind of wax or other products to use. Definitely wouldn't be doing it myself unless I knew what I was doing (and, maybe more importantly , was charging appropriately for it!).

Also, I would have thought that wanting to take them out and using glue to stick them down would seem a bit strange...

I would use the spoon clips (lion sell ones that work). Never really had a problem. If they didn't seem secure enough (bearing in mind that the customer wants them easily removable) then something to hold it in place at the bottom would help. Melinex or even a bit of thread would be my go to.

kartoffelngeist wrote:I would happily advise the customer what kind of wax or other products to use. Definitely wouldn't be doing it myself unless I knew what I was doing (and, maybe more importantly , was charging appropriately for it!).

Also, I would have thought that wanting to take them out and using glue to stick them down would seem a bit strange...

I would use the spoon clips (lion sell ones that work). Never really had a problem. If they didn't seem secure enough (bearing in mind that the customer wants them easily removable) then something to hold it in place at the bottom would help. Melinex or even a bit of thread would be my go to.

Hi Kartoffelngeist.

I have taken all advice on board, and I agree with your method. I'm going to use the clips and use clear nylon thread to secure at the base.

Thank you.

Opps, I should have typed Renaissance wax, sorry problem with my memory. Renaissance wax is available from Picreator and I think that some of the Silver safe materials are available from Conservation Resources in Oxford, but the don't appear to stock the full range of silver safe products. I've included some links for other silver protection products.

http://picreator.co.uk/renaissance-wax/

http://www.conservation-resources.co.uk ... ilver+safe

https://www.preservationequipment.com/C ... hoto-Paper

https://www.corrosionvci.com/corrosion_ ... _paper.htm

https://silverguard.com/pages/3m-anti-t ... trips-faqs

https://www.interceptjewelrycare.com/