The Framers Forum

If a customer purchases a custom frame (no printing or framing, just the frame)... do you unpeel the acrylic before dispatching or allow the customer to do it?

I would leave it on for protection, it also means less work for you. Just stick a label on with instructions.

AG

Thanks, that's what I was thinking, all stop me having to mess around trying to keep dust off it

I have just framed up 50 like that this afternoon and that is my excuse keeps the dust off

I made up a few ready mades today to use up some acrylic offcuts and thought of this thread.

I removed the film for a couple of reasons ...

1. To make sure the acrylic had not been damaged - the film is always marked and scratched so you can't really tell until it's removed.

2. To make sure the customer cannot get it home, damage it and claim it was damaged under the film - you'd not be able to prove otherwise.

The other option would be to leave it on until it's sold and peel it off in front of the customer, but that could be a pain if you're busy or if you sell a lot at a time......... or if that's when you find a scratch!

We leave it on until shrink wrap stage then peel it off. It's at that stage when you find the inevitable scratch and end up wanting to smash the whole thing on the floor. Not very laid back in our workshop.

I peel the outside and leave it on the inside. That way you can see marks ans scratches but it allows the customer to peel and put the artwork in without having to over clean which can cause more problems with scratching.

For a custom frame I'd definitely want the customer to see there are no blemishes/scratches in my presence.

For a ready made, if I was going to leave one side 'unpeeled' it would be the outside, because that has more chance of being damaged while on display. The only ready made frame I have on display with 'perspex' that I did not make myself is large - a Nielsen aluminium frame (for sport shirts) with a snap-on front. It came peeled; it's wrecked! When I sell it I'll have to quickly cut a new piece, but it'll be 3mm cast acrylic; not the nasty 2mm styrene Nielsen used.

What sort of acrylic are people using as the standard, where are you sourcing it and how are you cutting it? I have used specialist acrylic but this is not cost effective for some and I have manged to avoid using the 2mm flimsy acrylic so far.