11 X 14 Walnut picture frames

[Cooler]

Although what you stated is very true I use museum glass on the frames in my home for the non-reflective properties it has along with the effect it has on the prints behind it.  To me it's worth the extra cost...to others maybe not so much...to each his own so to speak but there's more to museum glass than just the extra cost. 

"Museum-quality glass protects art from damage such as fading or brittleness caused by ultra-violet (UV) rays. It also reduces glare when a work is viewed from different angles, minimizing the mirror-like effect of typical glass and improving the intensity of colors and details."

I used to have a frame shop.  I've framed many photographs (traditional emulsion photos).  In 20 years whether the the image in in an envelope in the closet or on the wall the dyes will fade.  

Unless the image is printed on archival paper with archival inks, the same will happen with the inkjet prints.  It is more cost effective to put the image on a disc and re-print it than it is to print with archival materials.

When I sold a large print and framed it I would affix a glassine envelope to the dust jacket on the back of the frame and insert the negative.  That way the customer could come back in 10 or 15 years and have a new print made and have it re-fitted to the existing frame or choose to select a new frame.  

I knew picture framers who would use archival materials and techniques to frame $5.00 posters.  A silly waste of money (but a chance to make more money for the studio).

Archival materials and techniques are important to preserve priceless works of art.  With photographs that means using hinged rice paper mounting and archival paste.  But then the photo does not lie perfectly flat.

Dry mounting is the preferred method for mounting photographs.  It will yield a perfectly flat image.  But it is not reversible and thus not archival.  

Note:  You cannot dry mount some inkjet images as the ink will run when heated.

[bennybmn]

Polycarbonate (lexan) is UV blocking, that's part of the reason safety glasses are made of it. Not sure about glare... Probably not great. But it's readily available and cuts with a carbide blade ok.

[Cooler]

Polycarbonate (lexan) is UV blocking, that's part of the reason safety glasses are made of it. Not sure about glare... Probably not great. But it's readily available and cuts with a carbide blade ok.

I have a wall mounted mat board sizing machine that allows me to deeply score the polycarbonate and then snap it to break to size.  I have to score the line several times to get it deep enough though.  

A carbide blade designed for cutting formica (available at Home Depot) will work fine if you make several passes.

Cutting on the saw requires that you keep the material moving or it will melt.  You can cut rough to size and finish with a router to the exact dimensions, but scoring seems easiest.

This is the cutter I have:  http://www.skylinepictures.com/Mat_Board...ary_IL.jpg

If you are doing lots of this work it is  worthwhile otherwise it is too expensive.

[Duane N]

My goal this week is to complete all the small woodworking projects 100%.  With these Walnut frames I'm still waiting for the other print to show up then this project will be done.  One of the frames is hung.

[Cooler]

To make things easier I will describe how professional framers "fit" the art to the frame.

First we would make a "sandwich" which consists of the backing board, the mounted print, the mat board and the clean glass (more on that later).  After the sandwich is assembled the entire image area is carefully scanned looking for bits of dust or tiny pieces of paper from the mat board that might have gotten between the glass and the image area.  If there is any debris, then take off the glass and blow off the debris and reassemble and scan the surface again.  Repeat until no debris is apparent.

The debris is the main reason that professional picture framers avoid acrylic (or worse) styrene glazing.  They both generate static electricity and clearing the debris can be a very time consuming process.

After you have a clean sandwich gently drop it into the frame.  With your fingers to hold things in place pick up the frame and sandwich and examine it again.  Sometimes the act of dropping in the sandwich will free up some debris and you will have to clean all over again.

If all seems clean then drive in four points to hold the sandwich in place.  Again examine for debris.  If all looks good, then finish driving in the rest of the points.

Take one last look to make sure that the surface is clean and then add the dust paper to the rear and the eyelets and the picture frame wire.

Cleaning glass:

Use a high quality paper towel like Bounty or you will end up with lots of bits of paper on the glass surface.  I did not have microfiber cloth when I was a framer but it might be a better choice.  Clean both sides of the glass with a window cleaner and wipe dry.  Then using just clear water clean both sides again.  If you have "hard water" with lots of minerals, then use distilled water for this purpose.  If you don't eventually the residue of the glass cleaner will haze over.  Not much of a problem on the outside but a big problem on the image side of the glass.

Before assembling the glass to the sandwich hold it up to the light and examine every square inch looking for streaks and paper or fiber particles.  If you see streaks then use the clear water again to clean the glass.  

If you are not used to handling glass then running a knife sharpener or a sharpening stone to make the glass safe for handling.  Something like this works fine:  http://rk.wsimgs.com/wsimgs/rk/images/dp...img91c.jpg

I prefer this to screw eyes as the picture will hug the wall more closely:  http://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1eQzBKVXXXX...50x350.jpg

[MsNomer]

I recently discovered "e-cloth" available on Amazon. A ridiculous price for a microfiber cloth, but you have to see to believe how well this cloth just dampened with water cleans glass, even filthy glass like car windows. I think it would be a winner for this application.

[Cooler]

I recently discovered "e-cloth" available on Amazon.  A ridiculous price for a microfiber cloth, but you have to see to believe how well this cloth just dampened with water cleans glass, even filthy glass like car windows.  I think it would be a winner for this application.

I found that if I clean my interior car glass with Windex and it starts to cloud up that there is enough residue to clean the glass again using just water.  Not only that the second cleaning stays clear longer than the first.  

By in large I only use Windex on the 3rd or 4th cleaning.

I've been using chamois cloth to clean my IPod, and my eyeglasses and the faces of my watches.  I've not found anything that works as well.

I wanted to reduce the amount of paper towels my housekeeper was using so I bought a bundle of microfiber cloths for her to use.  She now insists that all her clients provide the microfiber cloths.

Note:  On the microfiber cloths, to reduce the selling prices they have been steadily reducing the size of the cloths.  My first ones measure 18" x 18"; then 16" x 16".  I declined to buy the 13" x 13" ones--they are too small.  

They now have "Professional Car Wash" cloths that measure 16" x 24" but cost a good bit more.

[Johnbro]

Just to clarify on the whole UV question: a Kleenix will block UV; a tee shirt will, and so will basically any glass.  Easy to demonstrate--when you go to the beach, do you get sunburned under your clothes? Nope. They block UV. Do you get sunburned in the house? Nope, they block UV. Those photo-reactive lenses on your glasses, notice how they won't change when you're driving? It's because they are UV activated and the windows in your car block UV. So special glass to block UV (like some sunglasses manufacturers advertise) is pure bunko. And UV indoors is almost non-existent unless you have "black" lights all over the place. The best reason to pick special glass is glare if that matters to you.

[MsNomer]

To clarify a bit more: Ordinary glass blocks UVB. It does not block UVA. Windshields block UVA because they are laminated. Ever notice the tan on your left arm after a long drive even with the window up?

Polycarbonate blocks UVA--museums put polycarbonate sleeves on their fluorescent tubes to protect their collections from UVA. I use them because I have systemic lupus--UVA makes me sick.

[Cooler]

Just to clarify on the whole UV question: a Kleenix will block UV; a tee shirt will, and so will basically any glass.  Easy to demonstrate--when you go to the beach, do you get sunburned under your clothes? Nope. They block UV. Do you get sunburned in the house? Nope, they block UV. Those photo-reactive lenses on your glasses, notice how they won't change when you're driving? It's because they are UV activated and the windows in your car block UV. So special glass to block UV (like some sunglasses manufacturers advertise) is pure bunko. And UV indoors is almost non-existent unless you have "black" lights all over the place. The best reason to pick special glass is glare if that matters to you.

The UV from florescent bulbs wreck havoc on the dyes in photographs and printed images.  Paints don't use dyes they use pigments and those don't tend to fade.

Images under regular glass with exposure to florescent lights would fade badly.

My standard question when I would frame a picture was, "Where will this picture hang?"  If it was in a child's room or a room where children might play unsupervised I always recommended acrylic glazing.  It was more expensive but did not break into  dangerous shards.

Polystyrene glazing was cheaper but that was its only advantage.  It scratched easily.  It did not block any of the UV.  And it would shatter into shards that were nearly as dangerous as glass.  It was available in very thin sheets that refused to lay flat.  I refused to carry it, but the discounters used it often.