The Framers Forum

Hello fellow framers.

I've been given a number of images that have to be mounted in tray frames with a 1cm gap between the image and the rim. I'm hand-making the rims and they're being professionally sprayed to achieve a London-gallery finish! Has anyone got a reversible method of fixing such images? If you have I'd be most grateful for your advice.

Thanks very much.

What substrate are the images on? Paper? Canvas?

I can't think of method of reversible mounting in this circumstance. It's either stuck or it isn't.
There are so-called reversible mounting films but from my experience they tend to reverse themselves spontaneously.

They are paintings on both 5mm ply or hardboard.

You can't get more reversible than screws! 5mm isn't that much for the screw to hold onto so you could glue some wooden batterns on the backs to make up to a suitable thickness.

Another reversible method would be velcro?

I always use screws. I have had to take them out on occasion and screws make it easy without strain on the artwork

Screws for me too.

Sorry. Got the wrong end of the stick.....

What they said ^^^^^

The post was a bit ambiguous and could only be answered once it was clarified the ‘images’ were paintings on ply or hardboard.

Industrial DS tape or silicone. I've seen both used for this sort of job.

On a related note I was in London a couple of weeks back visiting the RA summer exhibition, after the show I went for a walk around the galleries in the local area. In one window I saw the back of several frames (they were facing into the shop) silicone sealant was holding the canvas into the frame and the back was aright old mess. I popped into the shop. (Que shop assistant looking down nose at me). The small paintings were selling at prices ranging £1,200 and £8,000. And I bet they weren't worried about reversibility.

I used to get a lot of paintings in the reframe where the canvas had been toenailed into the frame. Not lightweight
nails either. Great big 3" nails put right though the stretcher bars. Getting them out of the frames involved a lot of careful
leverage. Sometimes an angle grinder. These paintings were sometimes into the five-figure price bracket and unleashing a
torrent of sparks near to them was a bit alarming. All totally unnecessary if offset brackets/screws had been used.

On panels that are too thin to accept screws it's a compromise: Gluing battens on the back and screwing into the battens is
arguably the best solution although it does technically alter the state of the piece irreparably and therefore is classed as 'damage'.
You would not want to do it on a work of great importance. Using foam ds tape might be OK on smaller works. It is amazingly sticky
and lasts a long time. As long as you can do it so that the edge of the tape is accessible enough to slip a knife/saw blade in to release
the panel. Levering is not an option - you will break either the frame or panel before the tape gives.

I find the easiest way is to ,make up a frame of the battens and screw to the tray frame from the back, with countersink screws, now working from the front with the tray frame flat on the bench, put glue on the battens and place the artwork on top, now you can position the artwork so you have an even space all-round, simple

That's a really neat idea Steve

What a simple yet practical idea Steve

Can't wait to use that. Thank you for posting

Peter