Very lagre print - help

[davy Thomson]

I have been asked to frame a very large limited edition woodcut print size 1500 x 1500mm.

The customer wanted an off white mount but I advised i cant get mountboard big enough so agreed to have it framed withou a mount.

I cannot find a backboard large enough to mount the print on to. I have tried local builders merchants but their sheet material is 2400 x 1200. Any suggestions how to overcome this problem. Also once what is the best method of attaching the print to the board bearing in mind it has to be revesible

[Graysalchemy]

First of all you will need some form of slip the keep the glass away from the artwork, that is obviously the whole reason for a mount. Solid Glass 01405767897 do large sheets of 2mm mdf and acrylic glass cut to size. I had some 1800x1800mm cut recently. For the slip I tend to use a bare wood arqadia moulding 151400000 which I glue and joint and then paint an off white. It looks good. You will also have to line the wooden slip with some mount card or conservation tape to protect the artwork from the print and you could really do with some mount board or barrier board to protect the print from the backing which could be made from jumbo mountboard sheets taped together.

This will not be an easy job to do as you will need alot of bench space. The frame will also need to be fairly substantial to take the weight even of acrylic glass. The frame will need to be glued and under pinned and perhaps biscuit jointed for strength. Also it will be a nightmare to clean and keep clean whilst you put the picture in.

As I said I did two before Christmas and they were a pig. I am a commercial framer with a lot of space and quite used to handling very large items, but I wished I hadn't bothered doing them. It wasn't worth the time spent with what I had quoted.

Good Luck

[astraios]

Dibond sheets (alu composite) come in size 2×3m ... try some sign making / printing company to cut it for you on that dimension.

[prospero]

You might have big problems with cockling if you frame it with the edges clamped down.

Idea off the top of my head......

You can make a big board by splicing two pieces of foamcore together. Make two more and stick them to the first two with the join at 90deg. Then you will have a nice thick board that is rigid. The join won't show when the print is hinged to it. Make the board about 3/4" bigger all round than the print. You then need a slip about 1" wide (as AG suggested), but don't let the slip press against the print. Put stick a strip of mount board about 10mm wide along the outside edge of the underneath of the slip. This will lift the slip up slightly so the edges of the print can move freely.