Looking for Framing Help

[wparsonsgisnet]

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I am preparing for a photo show in March/April and would like some suggestions for framing.  I'll have prints from 8x8 up to 17x25.  I plan to matte them (have a cutter), and would like some suggestions for framing.  I'm expecting the glass to be the item that bankrupts me.

 

Lemme know, guys.

 

Thanks,  Bill

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[david strachan]

Good luck Bill, sure it'll be a success.

 

May i suggest NOT using "non-reflective"glass...it flattens any picture.

 

A lot of work, but big rewards.

 

...

[250swb]

Are there any museums or gallery's nearby who can rent you the frames? 

[masjah]

Here in the UK you can buy a "standard" size frame very cheaply indeed, but which looks OK, from several major chain stores (either household furnishings or DIY). I used to belong to an exhibition group of amateur photographers that displayed in places such as regional libraries. Surprisingly perhaps, displayed together, they don't look at all cheap and nasty. We too cut our own mattes, so we could tailor whatever size of cropped print we had to the standard 40mm x 50mm frame. The only snag we found was that being a cheap frame, with repeated re-use, the "tangs" (or whatever the word is) that you bend in and out to hold the back in place, eventually broke or came loose. This was remedied by one of the group buying a gun from a frame supplier which would insert fresh ones.

[Guest]

While not being helpful to the OP a useful company in the UK is https://www.fredaldous.co.uk/. It’s the sort of place which always has something you find useful and at sensible prices for art and craft needs.

[stuny]

Bill -

 

It's good to see you posting again, and I trust you are well.

 

Most museums, such as I've seen at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts usually frame photos simply, matted and in fairly narrow black frames.

 

It has been quite some time since I've framed any photos but i do recall black metal frame pieces which a photographer would buy four pieces to assemble in the size needed.  Go to this link to see this concept:  http://www.frameusa.com/metal-frames/u-frame-kit-i-picture-frames

 

Best of luck with the photo show, and please show us some of your framed prints, as well as report on how the show went.

[wildlightphoto]

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My frustration with available pre-made frames eventually led me to make them myself.  No need to use standard sizes or someone else's idea of a proper cross-section, milled from salvaged hardwoods like oak (usually salvaged cabinetry) and walnut (http://thewalnutplace.com) and yes it's the glass that will bankrupt you.

Edited January 13, 2018 by wildlightphoto

[Jeff S]

I typically stock Nielsen metal frame sides from Dick Blick. They come in different lengths that I can mix and assemble to create sizes to match my mat and glass sizes.

 

I buy Tru Vue glass, both Conservation Clear and Museum, in boxes of lites (pieces of glass) from a local glass company. This allows me to purchase at a small fraction of the retail cost.

 

I custom cut window mats from pre-cut sizes to suit individual prints and assemble with the above.

 

Jeff

Edited January 13, 2018 by Jeff S

[LocalHero1953]

I use plain white or cream mattes in a Nielsen black aluminium narrow frame: Pearl or Accent are the two styles I usually use.

I choose acrylic 'glass' where available for weight reasons, not glass 'glass'. If I'm not expecting sticky fingers in close proximity, and it's a short term exhibition, then I omit the 'glass' so that the print can be seen better: no reflections, no glossy finish to a matt or textured paper.

Edited January 13, 2018 by LocalHero1953

[Guest]

Thank you Jeff and LocalHero.

Just done a search and www.eframe.co.uk sell Nielsen frames and do a bespoke size service. Well worth a try.

Edited January 13, 2018 by Guest

[Jeff S]

I stock Nielsen Style 93 frames in Matte Black and in German Silver, in inch lengths of 14,18, 22, 24 and 28. These accommodate my most used mat and glass sizes. With the frames, I order 2 Omni hangars per frame ( to use with my wire kit) and specify the old hardware kits that include 2 metal corner pieces.... one with screws...for each corner (these make assembly easier than the newer style) to hold the frame pieces together.

 

Jeff

[pico]

I'm expecting the glass to be the item that bankrupts me.

 

A very successful show of photographs at a local museum used no glass at all over the prints, and it also had apparently simple lighting by a master. I suggest first you investigate, if you have not already, the lighting conditions.

 

Very best of luck

Edited January 14, 2018 by pico

[Jeff S]

I buy 14x18 Conservation Clear glass for roughly $2.50 apiece, and Museum glass for under $15. The latter is for shows or where lighting conditions require, and is not far from no glass at all.

 

Jeff

[Bill W]

I have always used Nielsen frames. I buy them in a common size already matted and print to match the mat size opening. 

[Jeff S]

I have always used Nielsen frames. I buy them in a common size already matted and print to match the mat size opening.

Easy to custom cut mats to the dimensions that best suit the picture and maintain often critical edges.

 

Jeff

[Michael Hiles]

I buy standard frames from IKEA (I forget which model – I like the simple metal versions). They are fairly cheap, quite well made and are easily reusable. I generally buy the 15.75 x 19.75 inch silver versions. They are also available in white and black.  They look very good IMO. This is also a convenient size for standard mat boards of 40 x 32. 

 

This size is ideal for my standard sized print of 9.66 x 14 (I fill an 11 x 14 sheet of paper with a full negative). The approx. 3-inch borders of the overmat look very good.

 

These frames come with standard glass which works well, and effective clip systems.

 

The next size down works well with a 7.5 x 11 inch print (1/2 of an 11 x 14 piece of paper, much better than 8 x 10).

 

I dry mount the prints myself (I have a big press that I got cheaply from a school that was closing its darkroom). I also have a Logan mat cutter that works really well. 

 

I started doing this because I wanted to cheaply get pictures on the wall – and not just in a bottom drawer somewhere. I also occasionally give matted and framed prints as gifts – they seem to be appreciated, and they don’t cost much.