The Framers Forum

Hi All

Had a previously stretched canvas brought to me for framing.

Laid the canvas between acid free tissue and mount board for a few weeks then framed it using the 'T' hinge method. Moved it from the workshop into the house ready for customer collection. Luckily customer has not yet collected it, because today I went into the room where it was kept, only to find it looking wavey.

Ideas on how to flatten it again and how best to secure it please? I thought the 'T' hinge would have let it settle?

I'm confused. You've T hinge mounted a canvas with a window mount? Rather than restretch it onto stretcher bars and frame it?

I would not expect that to stay flat, without stretcher bars, or sticking it down onto something that will keep it flat. Canvas is too floppy to expect much else.

Hi All

Unusual I know, but the customer wanted it that way under glass in a traditional mounted way. Also, there was only an half inch of canvas border around the main image, too small to affect a wrap/stretch around stretcher bars.

It is what it is and I have what I have got. Any ideas?

If the canvas is not of value Dry mount it to board,
Thats will keep it flat

Hi

In the hot press? Or on a adhesive board?

I have had a few where the customer has wanted a canvas to be mounted and framed.

In those circumstances I have stretched as normal and then placed in the frame with foamboard around the edges to make up the size.

You could either stretch it using a shallow stretcher moulding
sew extensions and stretch as normal
stick it on to a board (assuming no value)

Peter's suggestion above of sewing extensions sounds ideal. But if the customer isn't willing to pay for that work, would it be feasible (albeit cheap and cheerful) to staple it to some mountboard through the half-inch border? Or if you were to use foamboard instead of mountboard, the staples could be pushed in a little so that they were flush. I must admit I've never done this myself, so if it's a totally bad idea, perhaps some more experienced framers here would knock it on the head!

Your main problem is if you frame anything you must keep it in normal/ideal condition to stay flat 19 degrees +\- 2 degrees and not left in the damp, car, workshop or near heat, strong light, moisture, rooms like kitchens and bathrooms, conservatory where humidity changes.

I seen many artist put all there framed picture in a car for an exhibition the night before only to unpack them and find them rippled.

T- hinges would have probable of worked ideally with a lighter canvas tape hinge in the right conditions.

Many ways to try some are not reversible some are and the customer has to agree to your choice.

Drymount, wet mount with PVA, Drymount with PVA, spray mount, textile tape, adding on extensions and lacing or pinning, stapling to a board strainer or stretcher to name a few.

But if the you can’t get the customer to pay for your time after advising him of a reversible method, you must get him to sign a disclaimer before proceeding.

I would use a tag gun stretching it to mountboard.
I would slightly damp the back of the canvas with de-ionised water and pin out first to an old board, wait till it’s dry before tagging to the mountboard, tagging into the 1/2 of canvas around the edge.

It’s quick and reversible.

Mitreman

I would use the hot press

Customers often ask for oils to be mounted like watercolours and this is because they are not framers.
I'm not saying this is wrong as such and certainly not impossible but to me it's a cock-eyed procedure.

You would need to wet-mount it with PVA or stretch it on bars. Half a inch margin is not ideal but can be done.

I would be very reluctant to use heat. You don't know how it will react.

A card mount is not the best thing to put on an oil/acrylic. Oil may leach out of the paint and foul the mount.
Acrylic may actually stick to the mount. You'll need a bit more clearance from the glass than a single mount
can provide.

All in all the method is fraught with difficultly. But if the customer insists on it he will just have to cough up the cash.

This isn't an oil but a charcoal drawing. It should be mounted ideally but it was on a full sheet of mountboard.
This would make it enormous and very heavy and unwieldy. Being on a rigid substrate it didn't actually need a
mount, but to achieve the mounted look I used an ivory-painted panel inside the frame. The drawing is inside
a 1/2" cushion moulding painted to match the panel, and under the glass. This way the glass area and therefore
the weight is reduced considerably. It was a big lump as it was.

A similar way could be used on oils, but you must fix it to a board or stretch it.

This is it

Triple mount, AR 70 glass.

Half inch border on the canvas is beyond my skill set.

If I was to get permission to glue down wit pva glue, do you water it down? how do you keep it flat - by applying a large flat weight? What would you suggest you glue it to?, mount board, art board,MDF etc?

You need two hefty boards. 3/4" chipboard is ideal. The mounting board could be 2.5mm MDF.
Coat the MDF liberally with builder's PVA (Unibond). Apply with brush or roller. Place the painting on the first
hefty board and cover with silcone release paper or a plastic sheet. Them cover with foam blanket as used in mounting presses.
Place the second hefty board on top and pile as much weight on as you can find. (Books) Leave at least 24hrs.

PVA is a good method as said above,
You can also if the oil is not very textured, paste your board with PVA allow to dry until still tacky.
Place your oil on the board, smooth out.
Then cover with silicone paper or a glossy release film, then foam, place in a hot press on a low temp and the heat reactivates the glue, I used to do hundreds this way in 80’s when the Hong Kong oils where in fashion.

Or EVA?

I used to sell HK oils and always put them on stretcher bars. Increased the perceived value by 100%.

I agree better on stretchers which I did as well for an upgraded jobs, but I was doing hundreds and could still get a good price. As decorative art.

Back in the 80’s you could still get the same price as being. Stretched when they where in fashion.
The pictures sold themselves and looked great in swept frames or 3” gold frames with linen slips, easy money.
Not so easy today as the internet net has killed it off.

I've never done all that well with hong kong oils. Some customers bring something in for stretching, or framing that they bought while on holiday, but in general they are not wanting to spend what it normally would cost to get something stretched. So it's a cut price job much of the time and you can't make much of a living doing too many cheap jobs. Some are stuck down on to MDF and not necessarily framed at all. They don't look to bad, stuck down onto a double thickness of 12mm MDF and wrapped around to look like they have been properly stretched and there's enough thickness of MDF to insert screws for the d-rings on the back. The customers are told this is not the best option, but they seem happy enough.

I seal the reverse face with shellac followed with a bit of paste wax to prevent any contamination from the MDF escaping and no one seems unhappy about this. I have much more success with older oils, either brought in for framing by customers, or nicer painting that I have picked up from auctions, or boot sales. Lots of older pictures can be had quite cheaply if the frames are a bit tatty. It's not generally worth spending much time on fixing the old frames and most go straight in the dumpster. Selling old frames is not usually worth the effort, old frames are no longer considered worth anything, so why bother. It's much more sensible to know what your market is and exploit that properly.