The Framers Forum

I have been tasked with faming two pairs of football boots in separate frames along with 3 photographs each. The customer has requested the fixings to be reversible. They are modern Nike football boots seemingly made out of one piece of moulded synthetic material with no where very much to attach anything apart from the laces. One pair of boots needs to sit with the studs on the backboard as they have been signed across the top of the toe section, the other pair on their sides. I have experimented with melinex strips which is ok but shows. Has anyone else had to frame boots like this and have any other suggestions?

Normally the studs on football boots screw off. Screw them all off, drill matching holes on the backboard and screw them back in.

Sometimes this is where unusual methods come to the rescue. Underneath the boots and between the studs you may be able to locate some very strong rare earth magnets. It is essential that these magnets will be mounted such that they will contact the surface of the boots between the studs. All that is necessary after this is to insert some more rare earth magnets inside the boots, arranged so the the pairs of magnets attract each other and not repel.

You will need decent sized magnets for this to work and rare earth magnets of this size will not be cheap. Don't be tempted to just stick the magnets to the board at the back of the frame with just something that is only an adhesive. I recommend some heavy duty fuse wire around the magnets and through the rare board and Araldite between the magnets and the board, plus more Araldite bonding the fuse wire to the magnets and securing the fuse wire to the rear of the board as well.

The magnets inside the boots will be retained by magnetic attraction to the other magnets along. Don't be tempted to try and get by with smaller magnets, go for plenty of retaining power. Better safe than sorry!

Nice and easy, plus no big deal to do it.