Framing large artwork without mounts

[Ray]

I want to frame a large piece of artwork on fine art paper. It measures roughly 1100mm square. The customer does not want a mount around the work which would hang it in place.

I will use a thin fillet around the frame to prevent contact with the glass but I am afraid of the centre of the artwork warping slightly and not looking flat (or even touching the glass with a thin fillet). I do want to protect the artwork and it cannot be glued to a board. Has anybody had experience of these issues and how best to resolve them.

[JFeig]

I would recommend an air gap between the glazing and the art of 6mm - 12mm.

[prospero]

One way is to use a wide slip to act both as a spacer and to extend the rebate width.

I framed a 32x18 print the other day and used a 30mm wide gold slip. It was matched the frame so
the work didn't look mounted, although the slip acts like a mount in the practical sense.
The main thing to avoid is crimping the edges of the paper. It can be hinged to a back board in
the usual way. The sneaky part is to lay a strip of tape along the back of the slip along the outside edge.
I used a 10mm wide strip of linen tape which has just about the right thickness. The paper went about 10mm
under the slip, leaving a generous amount of 'elbow room'. you need to isolate the slip where it is near the
paper with aluminium tape.

There are drawbacks. There is only a very small amount of the paper margin you can get under the slip, so
it's not held gently as it would be in a proper mount. There is a risk of the paper popping out along one edge.
But if you avoid placing it face-down it should be alright.

On large pieces of paper there is always the chance of it going wavy. It may or may not go wavy with this method.
It depends on the paper. But if you restrict the edges it is almost certain it will go wavy.

[Roboframer]

I like to use a double frame so the inner has a rebate, this one was 1740x605 (glass size) and it's the second one I've done.

The mounting/backing boards make the rebate flush and then a final backing board is fixed to the back of the inner frame, this takes out the pinching effect (which you could minimise anyway by putting no pressure on your tab gun when firing the points in) and gives pretty much the same effect as a platform mount.

[Ray]

Thank you. Definitely see where you are both coming from and Prospero I think the wide slip idea will fit the artwork I have nicely and still retain a minimalist look.

[Not your average framer]

Rose and Hollis have a nice collection of bevelled liner mouldings which will not only keep the artwork away from the glass, but some of them also have reasonably wide rebates which can be very helpful with some artworks. I like A276, A279, A199 and A218, these are of course barewood mouldings and will need painting, but at least none of them will cost you very much.

[prospero]

Speaking of R&H, they do some flat (no rebate) sections that are handy for making huge 'mounts'.

A231 is 70mm wide - 9mm thick with a bevel

A245 is the same but with a nice coved edge.

With the corners blended and painted they look like a nice thick mount.

* If you store your mouldings in an unheated room or a shed it's good idea to bring these mouldings
inside in the warm for a few days before cutting/joining. If the moulding shrinks it will show a crack
across the mitre which don't look good.

** If you paint these mouldings then it's another good idea to space them off the glass or you can get dark
spots here and there. A strip of thin board tacked along the outer edges (no wider than the outer frame rebate)
will fix this problem.

[Ray]

Also, related to this and along similar lines. Artwork that is larger than the width of a jumbo sheet of mountboard, any suggestions on a way to hinge the artwork to something that would not cause damage to the art over time. Easy enough to keep in place using MDF (I usually use Artbak but again, not large enough).

[IFGL]

does that mean you are hinging directly to the backing board of the frame?

[Roboframer]

You can splice boards together, you can then even cover them with fabric to hide the joins and you can buy massive sheets of mount board, conservation/museum stuff too. Then mount with mounting strips or even hinge in the normal way.

[Ray]

Yes IFGL I am hinging directly to the mountboard which will sit directly behind the slip.

[Ray]

Just thought I would post a photograph of the completed frame. 1100mm square. The artwork is held in plece with a wooded slip taped at the back to allow the paper some breathing space (thanks Prospero). It is probably the largest piece I have done so far which was not helped by my pinning machine jamming mid way through putting the frame together.

Satisfying to see the completed result which the customer was yery happy with (the most important part!).
Thank you to you all for your advice.

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