Why is custom framing so expensive?
Just as being able to wear “off-the-rack” clothing as compared to having clothes custom made to fit you properly, custom framing allows for the artwork to be properly prepared and fit into the frame package to provide it with the best atmosphere for longevity.Not all pictures require custom framing; but, since you are going to the trouble of getting it framed [not inexpensive in itself] why not get it custom framed so that the artwork, picture, memorabilia, etc. will be shown at its best with the best protection framing can give it? Correct measuring, mounting the artwork, substrate to mount the art on, color & quality of matting to compliment & protect the artwork, frame selection for style and suitability to hold the entire frame package…, these are not always done correctly by “just anyone”. Custom picture framers have studied their ‘craft’ and apprenticed to gain the techniques they use to properly frame your item. There also are the expenses: of equipment to work with [to do the job properly & efficiently],quality supplies to work with, building rent, “business overhead”, insurance, continuing education to stay current with the ever changing science of framing, just to mention a few of the things that go into pricing. Perhaps it is sufficient to say, that anyone can put something into a frame, but framing properly is quite another thing.
Isn’t “regular glass” good enough to use for my picture?
It depends. If you have an item of little or no monetary value and is easily replaced when it fades, then clear glass is fine. The optimum protection for any framed piece is glazing that provides protection from harmful ultra violet light rays that help destroy paper, paint, fabric, etc. We recommend TruVue Museum glass.
Do I need to ‘re-frame’ my antique picture?
As with everything in life, changes are a fact --“new and improved” products & methods [to help protect & preserve our valuables] change rapidly. Vintage & antique framing did not know about or use products and procedures that neutralize acids and gases given off by items in the frame package. Sealing the edge if the frame so acid from the wood does not penetrate the picture is important. Old paintings were not covered with glazing to protect them from pollutants in the environment; now it is recommended that all art be under glass to protect it from the many pollutants in our environment. The wooden frame that canvas is stretched over for painting is rarely sealed to keep the acids in the wood from deteriorating the canvas over time – it should be sealed. Plain paper mats [by definition of paper], with the heat & humidity in the environment deteriorate due to the acids [hydrochloric & sulfuric] they produce; this also acid-burns the art they are sitting on top of. The old wooden shingle backing on antique prints acidifies so badly that sometimes it will eat through the picture itself, or through the backing on old mirrors. Proper re-framing will conserve and / or preserve these antiques for many years to come.
Does Village Frame Shoppe wholesale picture frames?
No, Village Frame Shoppe makes frames for specific projects that customers bring in for custom framing. Wholesale frame suppliers abound on the internet and generally can be arranged at large commercial frame store.
Do you need to keep my art work, memorabilia while you work on the frame project?
It is a good idea to leave the piece to be framed with the framer so that the “tweaking” needed to “custom frame” your piece can be done correctly. There is nothing so frustrating as to be 1/16” too wide a mat opening for the picture! Be assured that Village Frame Shoppe will take all reasonable precautions in caring for your treasured piece from the time it enters the Shoppe until your pick-up your finished frame package.
Do you ship framed pieces?
Village Frame Shoppe does not usually ship any framed pieces. To properly ship a framed piece the packaging is very expensive. Should you want to ship a framed piece, the wrapping & shipping will be done by UPS; contact us to make arrangements for that special service.
Useful Framing Information
Hinging Artwork: Attaching by suspension tabs or hinges centered on the top edge of the artwork.
Original works of art, signed & numbered prints or etchings, fine graphics – any valuable piece of work – should be hinge mounted to the backer substrate (not to the back of the matting). Photos, reproductions, posters, etc. may be hinged by a single piece (1” wide) of Scotch 810 brand (green plaid box) frosted tape—it is conservation quality- it will not dry out and free the artwork.
If the artwork is very heavy (heavy weight watercolor paper may fall into this category), then place two or more hinges across the top of the piece. Beginning in the center and equally spacing the rest between the center hinge and the outer edge of the paper. Not more than ¼ inch of the hinging material should be touching the back of the paper.
Artwork should never be fastened by a continuous strip across the top or bottom or sides. Paper, by nature, expands and contracts with the temperature and humidity in the air around it; it must be free to do so. If secured other than by hinges it will buckle and may do so enough to come in contact with the glazing and stick to the glass.
Never use masking tape to secure artwork as it will dry out over time, become brittle and release the artwork causing it to fall. Also, the adhesive of the masking tape will get into the fibers and can not be removed, causing discoloration and possible damage to the paper.
The best method to hinge artwork is with mulberry paper (Japanese paper) and wheat starch or rice starch paste. This will not stain the paper, is acid-free, and is completely and easily reversible. The mulberry paper is torn (to give a feathered edge), not cut, - adding a thin line of distilled water may be traced over the paper at the spot desired to aid in the “pulling apart” of the fibers (tearing). Pull the paper apart while wet. The hinge tab is usually about one inch wide (wider if more strength is needed). The tab should not extend more than ¼ inch onto the back of the artwork.
A small amount of the wheat paste is brushed onto the tab until is absorbed by the fibers of the mulberry paper. The shiny look of the paste will begin to look dull. It is then ready to apply to the back of the artwork. Lay the artwork face down on a firm surface with a blotter between the surface and the artwork where the hinge is being applied. Apply the tab (hinge) in the selected location and press firmly to secure it. Place another blotter piece, protected by a piece of spun nylon to keep it from adhering to the weight, add the weight and let the hinge dry for a minimum of 15 – 20 minutes.
Types of hinges:
- T-hinge
- Suspension hinge
- V-hinge or Japanese hinge
- S-hinge or concealed pendant hinge or pass-through hinge
The following information is taken from the FACTS website & material furnished to picture framers.
Hanging Artwork by Cord or Wire
FACTS publishes this document as a public service. Its use is voluntary, and all results obtained by its use must be entirely the responsibility of the user. This document is subject to revision, change and/or withdrawal at any time. © FACTS 2000
1. This document examines problems that may occur when hanging framed artwork with a flexible wire or cord hanging system.
2.1 The most common method used to hang framed art requires the attachment of a wire or cord to each of the vertical sides of the frame with screw eyes or similar fasteners. The wire or cord is then placed over a single picture hook or similar fastener attached to a wall.
2.2 This method places tremendous tension on both the wire and the wire anchor points on the frame. The tension will often break the wire, pull out fasteners, split the frame, and/or bow the sides and top of the frame. Any of the preceding can result in damage to the art within the frame and to the frame itself.
2.3 If the wire is fastened to the anchor-points so that it is near horizontal across the back of the frame, the forces on the wire and each anchor-point can be as much as 14 times the weight of the frame. (See Fig. 1)
2.4 If the angle of the wire is increased to near-vertical, the forces are reduced to slightly more than one half (1/2) the weight of the frame at each wire anchor-point. (See Fig. 1)
2.5 The use of a single hook in the wall, regardless of the frame size, rarely allows for the cord or wire to have more than a 15° or 20° angle up from horizontal. The forces on the wire and anchor-points on each side of the frame are more than 2 times the weight of the frame.
2.6 By using 2 hooks in the wall and adjusting the wire to near-vertical, the stresses on the wire and anchor-points are decreased to slightly more than one half (1/2) the weight of the frame at each wire anchor-point. (See Fig. 1)
2.8 Forces directed near-vertical on the wire anchor-points minimize side forces on the frame, thereby reducing forces on the artwork/glazing package.
The angle is measured in degrees by imagining a horizontal line between the two anchor-points and a vertical line that bisects the horizontal line and intersects the line of the wire/cord as well. (See Fig. 1 at bottom of page).
4.0 Procedure
4.1 Fig. 1 shows a typical rear view of a frame with the anchor-points on the vertical sides of the frame approx. 1/3 down from the top of the frame. The 15° wire angle is common practice, although many framers attach the wire more tightly.
4.2 The laws of physics show that for any 10 lb. frame with the wire attached 15° up from the horizontal, the resulting force pulling on the wire from each anchor-point is 19 lbs. The force increases as the angle decreases and decreases as the angle increases.
4.3 A common problem (in addition to stripped-out screw eyes, split moulding, and broken wire) resulting from a wire positioned too near to the horizontal is the top of the frame bending upward as a result of the wire forces.
4.4 A typical frame allowance is 1/8" and a typical rabbet width on a modern moulding is 3/16"- l/4"; an un-bowed frame top is engaged a scant 1/16"- l/8" with the top edge of the glazing. Gravity ensures the artwork/glazing package is resting on the bottom frame leg. Bowing of the top frame leg can expose the top edge of the glazing. In metal frames, exposing the top edge of the glass combined with pressure from spring clips can break the glass.
5.0 Recommendations
5.1 Attach the wire so that when the frame is hung from 2 hangers the wire is at least 60° up from horizontal. This procedure significantly reduces the forces mentioned above as well as ensures the frame will hang level.
5.2 Remember that one function of the frame allowance is to allow the art, mats, backing and glazing to expand freely with changes in temperature and humidity. If the sides of the frame are pulled inward by excessive force on the wire, the art and the other materials in the frame package can buckle. The side forces can also warp or break the glazing.
There are numerous other hanging methods and commercially available hanging systems that allow frames to be hung without stressing either the frame or the art.
http://www.artfacts.org
ART ON PAPER
Drawings, etchings, engravings, watercolors, pastels, lithographs, etc. as well as all other media that uses paper as the support for the art is referred to as Art On Paper.
The type of paper, its thickness, composition, manufacture and appearance may vary. But all paper is affected to a greater or lesser degree by the same problems. Proper handling, framing and storage may minimize these problems. But then ultimately, the condition of all paper art is determined by two basic facts: nothing will last forever, and, everything is always in a constant state of change. Somewhere between the poster thumb-tacked to a outside wall, and the Declaration of Independence sealed in its carefully constructed, controlled and continuously monitored environment, there is a compromise.
1. Our environment is not conducive to a long a life for paper if:
a) Its is not made of quality materials,
b) abused by handling,
c) exposed adverse environmental conditions, such strong light, high temperatures and extreme humidity.
2. Art on paper is not a flat media, and should not be expected to always maintain a flat surface. Paper reacts to environmental changes, it expands and contracts with these changes, during this process the paper may become wavy as the changes are occurring. This is the normal life of all papers.
3. Restriction of these normal changes that occur in paper such as:
a) perimeter gluing or taping,
b) mounting with spots of adhesive,
c) holding all four corners in a fixed position,
d) or any other method that restrict a portion of the paper can create undue stress and cause additional destructive problems.
A glazing material placed directly on the artwork can also create problems as the support paper adjusts to its changing environment.
All light contains ultraviolet rays, which contribute to the artwork's and the paper's deterioration, especially in paper made from unpurified wood pulp. Paper should not be constantly exposed to large amounts of ultraviolet rays. Many museums solve the problem by displaying art on paper only in low light conditions and only short periods of time.
In our acidic environment, paper and paper products will become acidic, this may occur more rapidly in some areas and with some types of papers.
To reduce the problems with art on paper, maintain its condition, and extend its life an active program of maintenance should be started. This program should start with a professional condition examination of the artwork.
Framing, like everything else, is not forever and the framing materials may need to be replaced periodically.
Acid free or pH Neutral framing materials should always be used when condition and longevity are required.
The display environment will have a daily effect and should be carefully considered if the long-term condition of the art on paper is important.
http://www.artfacts.org/quickfacts/about_paper.html
FINDING A PICTURE FRAMER
Picture framers are not all the same; framing has its standards but it is also an art. You can rely upon period designs, color relationships, and materials preservation standards as being the same, but the innovation and creative work will not be the same from shop to shop. Do not count on every framer having the same materials sources, or in house standards of quality. Remember most framers are craftspersons that do their best work when they can do the type of framing they like best.
When you are in search of a framer make sure that they also like the type of art you do, with this in common you have a good base for a successful relationship. Most picture framers depend upon referrals from satisfied customers to grow. Looking at a friends framing if you like it ask where it was done. Visit frame shops in your area, to see what type of work they do, most shops have examples of there work hanging, talk to them about your art, ask them about their preservation framing. Take a copy of the FACTS Standard for Maximum Preservation Framing (see FACTS Standards to print a copy) with you and discuss the relevant articles, talk about their inclusion or exclusion and how it will effect your artwork and its framing. Ask how long it takes, ask about price, a clear understanding is always creates a better relationship. By the time you have discussed your art, its framing, the costs, and time scheduling, you should have a good feeling about whether this is the framer for your needs. Due to the fact that custom framing is just that most frame shops will ask for a deposit. This is the major reason for fully discussing you framing and it he materials to be used as well as any other specialties, you should know what you are giving a deposit for and what the finished job will look like.
Some framers limit the type of work they do, or specialize in one or more types of framing. These are the things that should be discussed and understood it is important that you have confidence in your framer the choice of materials and techniques that will be used in your framing. Improper quality materials and /or techniques can adversely effect or even damage your art.
When looking for qualified help, check for professional associations and affiliations, it is not a guarantee of quality but it dose indicate a professional attitude toward there work. It is not enough just to look in the phone book and pick a name, give the same thought to your choice of conservator or framer as you would to your choice of a physician. The professions are similar, nothing is known absolutely, and the learning process is constant. A diploma or certificate is not a guarantee quality; most education comes with experience. A professional never minds being asked to show you his or her work, or provide you with references.
It is important to ask questions and to thoroughly understand the procedures and risks involved in framing. Beware of the professional who "knows it all". No one lives that long.
http://www.artfacts.org/quickfacts/about_paper.html
