The Framers Forum

Hi all, I have an unusual framing problem I could use some suggestions on.
I have two paitings, 356mm x 457mm (oil on preprepared canvas on board - the thin things you buy cheaply from the art shop to save you having to prime and stretch canvas).
The content of one painting runs onto the second painting. The curious thing is it’s been designed so that it you can put A next to B, or B next to A, or A on top of B, etc and the image runs on perfectly to the adjoining painting.
The customer wants a single hanging solution which will accommodate both the side by side arrangement and the one on top of the other arrangement.
I'm thinking I could glue the paintings to light subframes then attach fixings to the inside of the subframe within the void created so they could be hung flush with the wall.
I'm also thinking that if I put 2 nails in the wall so they just fit inside the width of a single subframe then that could serve both the side by side and one over the other arrangements: the latter would entail hanging the top painting normally on the two nails, then the lower painting could be suspended from the top by means of a couple of strong fabric strips (or something like that) fastened to the inside of the subframe top and bottom; the side by side hang would entail hanging each painting on one of each of the nails - they'd be slightly off centre but I'm wondering whether this would force the two paintings against each other where they meet, which would make for a flusher fit.
Hopefully the diagram attached makes this a bit clearer.
What do people think? Would it work? Is there a better way?
Many thanks,
Calico

Wouldn't it be nice if artists thought out the framing options before doing the work!

How about this?

Get the customer to paint an area of their wall with magnetic paint.

Frame both images in a lightweight moulding with magnetic strips instead of hanging attachments. Images can be moved around at will.

Magnetic paint!
Jim, are you pulling my chain?

Cripes! Just googled it and the stuff exists - sorry, Jim

any altnernative suggestions in case he can't paint the wall (rented property, etc.)

And don't YOU dare bang nails into a cutomer's wall, unless you are well covered by insurance

Jim's magnetic idea sounds interesting. As an alternative you could glue magnets to the back of the paintings and then frame a piece of magnetic board or vinyl big enough for the paintings to be moved around within the frame?

Why not use velcro corners and create a frame with suitable material to accommodate the varous permutations?

Like it! Or maybe combine the ideas and simply paint the bottom of an L section frame with magnetic paint. Wonder if it would hold the weight, though, especially as I'm thinking of gluing these two paintings onto 6mm MDF to straighten them out. What do you think?

Good Luck.


There is (or was) a aluminium section that was very minimal. Only showed about 4mm face and about 12mm deep - if my memory serves me right. Neilsen section I think. If you did all the panels in this (assuming they fit under the rebate), then you could safely hang them and also clip them together using mini bulldog clips.

As a code to my earlier post, I put the your very sensible suggestion about attaching the paintings magnetically to the customer. He doesn't approve. Instead wants me to knock up his own design which involves cutting straight edged lengths and separate square blocks which rely on dowels to attach a. to a subframe glued to the paintings, and b. to each other - in effect, framing lego.

I've been advised, and it makes sense, not to turn down any work at such an early stage in my career, but I'd be mad to get involved in this, right?

I saw a jigsaw making machine at the Spring Fair one year. Don't know what made me think of that.

I've got my bench joiners hat on Calico; and unless you've got the facilities to make a jig to accurately drill (on a pillar-drill), you may experience some difficulty getting everything to line up; in terms of dowels to holes etc
Unless your business/trading position, at the moment, is in dire need, I'd give it a miss.
One of the problems with this sort of thing is that customers who come up with their own ideas of what is or is not a good design, are often difficult to please when presented with the invoice.

Quote. ...attaching the paintings magnetically to the customer.... Now that sounds like a sensible way ahead.

that sounds like a sensible way ahead.

Alan - you're star

This crazy job was finished recently and I'm delivering the last of it this week, and customer is well pleased. So thought I'd show you how it all worked out. There were two frames in the end - one portrait, one landscape. There was a lot of talk about using velcro to attach the two panels so they could be repositioned, but I didn't think it would be precise enough to allow for a perfect flush fit and also my experience of strong velcro is it's more likely to tear a chunk out of the surface it's glued to than unpeel as it's supposed to. So I made some French cleats out of MDF and they work perfectly. Took a bit of time getting them in exactly the right position, but v. pleased with the result.

but v. pleased with the result.

I should imagine you are. That looks like a splendid result. Very well done.
I suspect that you're pleased that you persevered, aren't you ?
I find that overcoming a difficult problem in the workshop does my confidence a lot of good.
Good for you

That's a brilliant solution to a PITA request. Very nice!

Thanks guys!
I have to say I was glad to have perservered. It's like Elvis said, "back down from a fight and you'll feel lik s*%t for the rest of your life"