The Framers Forum

Spent the afternoon spring cleaning and have come up with a couple of quandaries.

I have a wooden printers tray filled with little momentos -(Junk!) that we have collected when on holidays over the years but it is a real dust magnet. For a long time before I took up framing I have considered putting some kind of front on it to stop most of the dust but it would need to be removable - any ideas??

Another dust collector I have is a Crayfish/Crawfish/Spiny Lobster(the name depends on where you live) shed shell which is very fragile - something else I have often considered putting in a frame/box - any ideas for this - full length it is about 18-24". Nothing too expensive as it is mainly a curiosity which the kids take in to school from time to time and eventually when they leave home may go to there or the museum here if they want it.

This is just an trawl for ideas but maybe there will be one I can use

thanks

For the tray maybe a tight fitting deep rebated frame. Glass, narrow mount just to conceal pins holding the glass in.

Re the shell, the first question is how are you going to support it? Two possible solutions; first, use EVACON a reversable conservation adhesive and glue the shell to a piece of mountboard but then removal at a later stage could be time consuming; second, use craft wire or coloured threads to fasten the shell to its support. By using different strands of coloured threads you may be able to disguise them also the use of threads makes later removal very easy. By using threads the shell remains in its original condition.

I would use mountboard for the support drilling holes in the appropriate positions if threads are used, I might consider gluing the mountboard to a piece of foamcore depending on weight/rigidity. Then build my box to the required depth using box moulding, line the inside of the box with mountboard/foamcore, so that the wood sides are not visible and to provide a support for the shell and its support. If this lining can be seen on the inside of the sight edge of the moulding then slip in a window mount. Then finish the framing off as normal.

Not sure about printers box without seeing it!!

Hi lynnbmack,
I have framed many print trays in the past; I buy them from auction and fill them with memorabilia.
As a selling pitch I say to customers,
“You know all those little items you put away in a draw that never see the light of day why not dig them out and make a themed frame”
Like Granddads medals add in some photos a bullet a ration book etc. Or on another theme Miniature tins which I collect like master voice gramophone needles, a mint tint or ointment tin.
They all look great framed and you can even collect items yourself to frame and sell like coins.
Before filling the tray I attach slotted mirror plates to the top of the back of the tray for hanging over two screws in the wall, this way the plates are not seen and the box lays flush on the wall, you could add four buffers to the back of the tray for air circulation.
To fill the tray this is what I do, I cut out some of the inner wall sections to make the required size holes for the objects to be framed. Touch up the saw cuts with brown stain; if it’s a tatty tray, I stain the whole box.
Then into some of the holes I push a small block of wood covered in a coloured baize (to suit the theme, say blue for Air force) to bring the items forward such as thin objects like a badge. This gives a great effect, as some object are set back and some set forward.
I make a frame in a moulding of at least 2 inches this hides the sides of the tray. I make it a snug fit; I chisel out little rectangles in the rebate of the frame where I attach a piece of leather strap at one end with a staple(strap size is approx ½ x 1.1/2) which also attaches to the side of the box later (two on each end and 3 on the sides).
I fill the box and attach the objects with silicone if needed, or they just stay in place propped up with the wooden covered block to glass level.
I silicone the glass into frame and allow to dry.
Once dry I put the frame and glass over the tray with the leather straps protruding down the sides of the tray, I turn it over and pull the strap taught and insert a round headed screw with a washer into the tray side, now the frame is secure to the tray.
The screws can be removed anytime to remove or add objects easily.
The Picture below shows a tray filled with miniature tins I collected from boot sales and antique market stalls. I have included my granddads scout whistle and left in some type set blocks with letters that mean something to me.

The themes are unlimited; the world is your oyster.

MITREMAN

www.framersequipment.co.uk

Thanks

that looks like the kind of idea I was after - a lot of the objects I have are quite fragile and will need to be fixed in slightly differently but as they are all mine I can experiment!!

That will be one of my projects for the next wee while!

For some time I've been planning on getting some moulding made so I can easily make my own print tray type dividers.

What it takes is two different mouldings. The horizontal mouldings are 50% wider than the vertical mouldings, or to put it another way the vertical mouldings are two thirds of the thickness of the horizontal mouldings.

O.K. this is the technique:

All four sides of the box are lined with sections made from the horizonal moulding.

The top and bottom liners are cut on the Morso to accept the ends of any vertical moulding which need to fit into them. The depth of these cuts is set by placing a scrap on the narrower moulding on top of the moulding being cut and bringing the front edge of the blades forward until they are stopped by the moulding scrap. The cut is now made into the moulding below the scrap and at it's widest point the V shaped cut is exactly the width of the narrower vertical moulding. Thie depth of this cut also happens to be one third of the thickness of this wider horizontal moulding.

The side mouldings are V cut in the same way with another peice of scrap so that the V cut depth is exactly half on the thickness of the moulding.

As by now I expect you should be beginning to see that all the remaining sections of moulding required can be accurately cut to fit each position by variations of the same technique. Obviously where the end of one section fits into another it is cut from both sides to a depth of exactly half of the thickness of the moulding. The depth of the V cuts into the horizontal dividers are only one third of the thickness of this moulding, so it can remain one complete section connecting to both sides.

I've not yet made any boxes this way, but I have tried the method on a few scrap bits to see if it works and it does.

Incidentally, I'm also planning to add profiling to the front edges of the dividers to have an elegant radius which will cleanly mitre together for a nice finished result.

A variation of this idea could easily be made with even wider horizontal mouldings with a centre rebate on the front edges for fitting printed paper strips so each compartment can be annotated accordingly.

MITREMAN wrote: I fill the box and attach the objects with silicone if needed,

I love the look of these boxes, but have never seen them down here.

The 's' word worries me though. It's seems a shame to me to to put all that effort into making something that looks so great and not mount the items using a preservation method.

Last one I did I put piano hinge down one side of the frame/printers tray and the other side had a hook and eye catch to facilitate opening like a door.

osgood wrote:
The 's' word worries me though. It's seems a shame to me to to put all that effort into making something that looks so great and not mount the items using a preservation method.

Seconded - silicone may seem an easy solution (no pun) and we're still seeing its use condoned in our trade mags and at seminars.

The best methods don't have to be the most difficult/slowest/most expensive.

Those tins with lids on? I'd maybe remove the lid, secure in place with an 'X' of melinex straps, then put the lid back on. Simple and totally undo-able.

Roboframer wrote: Simple and totally undo-able.

"not do-able"? or 'able to be undone'???

Thanks for seconding that John!

Hi Osgood,
I take on board your point about preservation methods in framing objects in the trays.
The example frame in the photo I framed over 20 yrs ago and still look’s good. The objects in the case are not of great value only on a personal level (granddads whistle).
I have been framing 31 years now so yes if I was to frame it again or frame something similar for a customer I would always recommend conservation methods.
I could you use reversible conservation adhesive, wire/nylon, around my baize covered wooden block. Plastic mighty mounts (object holders), foam split blocks or form my own acrylic mountings there are many methods
The trays for your reference are type set printers trays, which would have been used to store all the printer’s letter blocks and symbols for printing newspapers years ago.
Fineedge,
I have used your method of a piano hinge down one side of the frame/printers tray to, I had a customer who collected thimbles and spoons and wanted to add to her collection at a later date, this box I cut v slots in the shelves to hang the spoons and made small cushion from split foam covered in brush nylon to accommodate the thimbles. I also cut out some of the walls and added a museum mounted photo of the ladies grandma who started the collection and a small mount in museum board to cover the face edge of the tray.
This frame the customer wanted to hang portrait.
You can frame many things with these trays if you keep an open mind and think about your design layout, ask the customers what they have and recommend other items that could be added to enhance the finished product.
I added a brass plaque with her grandmas DOB and details on to the front of the frame the customer was very pleased and recommened other people who collected items.

Cheers MITREMAN

www.framersequipment.co.uk