Tricks & Tips

Photocopied back
Sometimes the client requests that both faces of a picture are visible, i.e. the front and the back. One solution could be to frame the picture with two panels of glass, one on the front face and one on the back. This creates some problems though: first of all, in order to see the back of the picture it is necessary to turn it around. In some cases the better solution is to make a photocopy of the back face of the picture and frame the front and the back next to each other on one face. This way whoever looks at the picture, has an immediate vision of both sides, even though one side is obviously not the original. One must certainly first have the client's approval in order to do this. The solution is particularly advisable when the back is in black and white (maybe the back of a print, an original, a few sentences of dedication to somebody, pencil or pen sketching etc.). In this case the photocopy is practically the same as the original. A notation on the mountboard (or on the back of the frame) should explain that what is visible happens to be the photocopy of one face and that the original is on the back of the picture.

Don't wait too long
Remember that the incision line made from a glasscutter tends to "scar" after a few minutes. Hence, after having scored it, don't wait too long to snap it off. It could be more difficult to snap off or will not snap off at all.

Standardising measurements
If we could modify the measurements of a frame so that we produced standard measurement frames then we could obtain substantial savings in time and material by then standard sized materials. If the frame includes a mountboard then it is possible to play around with the dimensions of the mountboard in order to use a standard sized frame.
The glass could then be pre cut into the most commonly used measurements such as 30 x 40 cm (12" x 16"), 35 x 50 (14" x 20"), 40 x 50 (16" x 20"), 50 x 70 (20" x 28") etc. Mass production cutting is faster and there is also less waste in cut offs. Glass supplied in cases should be purchased in sizes that allow the least wastage after the cutting of standard sized glass: 40, 50, 60, 70 cm (16", 18", 20", 22") etc. When the sheets of glass are delivered the glass is cut on the basis of a precise cutting scheme. The cut sheets should then be orderly stored away so that they can easily be found and removed when needed.
When necessary these pre cut sheets could also be used when smaller sizes are required. If for example a 30 x 39 (12" x 15 1/2") sheet is needed then it would be preferable to cut off 1 cm (1/2") from a 30 x 40 (12" x 16") sheet than to use a new fully sized sheet.
Savings in materials and time can also be achieved by pre-cutting backboards. The pre cut pieces of backboard should be stored next to the pre cut panels of glass of the same size so that both pieces can be removed contemporarily when needed.

Prints on glass
Have you ever broken a glass print (for example a Yugoslav naïfs) that your customer brought to you for framing? In these cases there is nothing we can do. We can however limit the risks for next time. When a client brings you a glass print you should first of all look at the thickness. The greater the thickness the less risk there is of the glass breaking. See if there are any cracks of the edges of the glass; we know that the cracks will tend to move towards the centre of the picture. Tell the client of this fact so that special care need to be taken and that the responsibility of eventual cracking shouldn't be ours. This assumes even greater importance the greater the value of the print.
At the moment of the application it would be advisable to cover the edges of the glass with masking tape. This is done in order to avoid that the nails or points, used to secure the glass to the frame, touch the glass.

Defects of a bevelled mountboard
The most common defect found while cutting a bevelled mountboard is the overcutting made at the corners. There are basically two reasons:

Each time that a piece of cardboard is to be cut and its thickness differs from the previous one cut then it is necessary to change both the deepness of the blade and the measuring scale.

Problems of wedges
Sometimes the wedges cannot penetrate the wood, but they partially remain outside. The main reason is probably that the wood is too hard compared with the air pressure.
The air pressure must be proportionate to the wood hardness. The harder the wood, the greater the pressure. For obeche, ajous, and samba wood a pressure of about 4 atmospheres is sufficient; for ramin the pressure must be of about 6 atmospheres.
Another problem: when you insert one wedge upon another, the second one slips to the side. It is necessary to remember that normally wedges are sharpened only on one side. When you insert the second wedge it does not exactly position itself against the base of the first wedge, but it slides to the side. This happens especially when the frame undergoes a slight shifting after insertion of the first wedge. In order to avoid this I suggest the following. First, make sure that the frame is kept very steady when you insert one wedge upon the other. Second, possibly use wedges sharpened on both edges (if you can find them). The wedges do not rise vertically on the wood but tend to bend. The reasons could be: