The Framers Forum

Today I made me first complete frame! Very pleased with myself.

However, I do have a question and I am hoping you guys can really help me.

I used SA tape on the back to seal the frame and I found doing the corners very difficult. Looking at the back of a frame I have in the house, gummed tape was used and it is very tight into the rebate and the tape has been cut and folded very neatly making the corners look really well. Is there a special way framers deal with taping the corners? On my frame today, I used 4 strips of tape the just pressed it down but I can not press it into the corners because it will tear. Any help would be most welcome.

Martyn

My attempt



Properly done

It's tricky - but not impossible - with a fair bit of space left in the rebate, to get SA tape pefect in the corners.

But it's far easier with gummed tape, so why not use that? It's a lot cheaper and just as effective too.

Other options are packing the back out to make it flush in the frame or a dustcover.

You can make a cut in the corner BUT you have to make sure there is still a complete seal or you could (should?) tape the glass art work backboard/undermount as a complete package to stop the bugs getting in.

As Robo' says gummed paper is more "mouldable" as well as being cheaper and I think looks more professional probably because it is just a traditional way of doing things.

Keep up the good work and keep standards high as that benefits us all.

john.

Hi Martyn.
Your corner is fine. No rules that say 'thou shalt push it right into the corner'. Some framers prefer not to push the tape right tight to the gap. Makes less of a 'dust shelf'. On the other hand this does leave an unsupported section that can be punctured...... It's a personal choice on the whole.
There is no way with any tape that you can get it to 'mould' without making an easing cut toward each end. To keep the seal, angle the cuts slightly outwards. Don't be too concerned about getting a perfect seal. The outside tape is mostly cosmetic. It won't keep the little bugs out, because they don't go in from the back, they always go in from the front. If you want a better seal, tape the glass/mounted art/backing together to form an internal sandwich.

Do consider using licky-sticky tape. It lasts longer. It's cheaper. It looks classier. It's easier to use. Get it at least 3" wide. The wider stuff allows you to tape right up to the outer edge of the frame. Hides a multitude of sins. The back of some moulding is not very pretty. With unglazed frames that are going to have canvases in, I always paper the backs and take the tape right into the rebate.

Thank you for the replies, I am making another frame for myself today so I will try gummed tape as suggested. I will also try the internal sandwich way of sealing them together, thank you prospero.

This may not apply to you but if you are trying to elevate your standards to one that provides an conservation/archival quality framing. It is as important as the materials used to leave an air gap between the wall and the back of your backing board of at least 10mm.
This will ensure no moisture is transferred from the wall onto your backing board so probably best to master the cut and tuck method asap.

Thank you for the advice gesso.

Please can you explain the cut & tuck method.

hope this makes sence.

Sorry some of the text has been cut off but you should get the jist!

Most Bugs that get into frames are the thunderfly type these crawl inside the frame via the tiny gap between the glass and the rebate.
If you want to avoid these little bugg'ers you will have to tape the glass and the mount into one sealed unit.

Those are really soooooper illustrations gesso. Did you do 'em?

Hi Prospero

google's Sketchup 7 (free here) http://sketchup.google.com/download/gsu.html

takes a while to learn but it enables you to work in 3D
Here's the new workshop...

Gesso,
Those illustrations are awesome. How long would it take to do one of the tape drawings with that software?

the taped corner I posted above took me 15 mins