Curved boards

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fitz
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Curved boards

Post by fitz »

I have a customer whose father was a prolific oil painter. His father died last year and he has a number of paintings that he wants to get framed. The value of these is not in the artwork as such but hugely sentimental. Problem is a large number of the pieces are on thin board which has bowed/warped over the years. I have searched on the forum and found previous threads but from quite a few years ago in relation to how to flatten out these boards to make them fit for framing. I’m thinking about just backing them with 2.5mm MDF to try to force them flat against the frame moulding. Is there another way such as sticking them down to a substrate before framing in order to flatten them? I obviously want to do the best job I can for my customer who was very emotional about the paintings. Sorry if this is a repetitive issue but would welcome any thoughts..
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Rainbow
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Re: Curved boards

Post by Rainbow »

This is quite a recent thread about warped boards:

viewtopic.php?f=32&t=20320
fitz
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Re: Curved boards

Post by fitz »

That’s great many thanks👍
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Re: Curved boards

Post by Not your average framer »

Trying to force these boards flat is very likely to crack the paint and cause some of the paint to flake off overtime. Also in addition to this, if trying to force the boards flat is putting strain of the frame it is potentially likely to warp the frame and even open the mitred corner joints. Trying to force the boards flat generally never works, more often causes strains in the boards, which can cause the boards to become dished instead. Another unfortunate factors can be that if the boards has a wood grain in their construction, such as real wood, or ply wood then the Structure of the wood grain will naturally want do do it own thing and the natural forces producing this effect are very significant and are not very easily restrained.

It is for this reason, that curved boards are mounted in curved craddles for proper support and it is not uncommon to create filler piece as slips in front of the boards, which have been contoured to fill and uneven gaps. Of course this sort of work can be quite time consuming and difficult to accomplish and will to be easy to determine the necessary degree of time required to do this part of the work in advance, some quiting an accurate price in advavamce of completing is likely to be very difficult to be able to do. You need to be very careful about this as producing a correctly curved craddle and slips can easily exceed any price you had originally quoted and as a result you may be significantly out of pocket.

I would recommend that you quote for the frame and the craddle, plus shaped slip frame separately. It is a lot easier to be accurate when costing a normally frame, as compared to the rest of the job, which where I would quote a price range rather than a fixed price. I have done the sort of thing before and a band saw makes jobs like this a great deal easier to do. Alternatively a coping saw is also a cheaper alternative option. This is not something which you can just guess at, but you will need to make out the require shape onto the craddle, so that you have a pencil lineto cut to. This sort of job is likely to be easier for some and more difficult for others, so be realistic about how your abilities are likely to enable you to cope.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
fitz
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Re: Curved boards

Post by fitz »

Thanks for this information Mark. The boards are fairly thin about 2mm so maybe using a 2.5 mm MDF backing board will hold them in flatter. They aren’t massively concave and still relatively pliable but all points noted with thanks.
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Re: Curved boards

Post by Not your average framer »

Stretching the paint layers even slightly may have as yet unknown consequences and this may mean that things which later go wrong cannnot always be put right. I would strongly urge caution about how you do this. It is much safer not to attempt to flatten the original boards whatsoever, we just don't know what longer term effect this may cause. Wood is in many ways a living thing and still behaves in unintended ways long after it is no longer part of the tree from which it was taken.

Sticking these boards onto MDF is not a good idea either, because MDF is a less permanent and durable material than the original boards are likely to be also there are plenty of not conservation frienld chenicals and contaminants in the MDF. So, perhaps MDF is not the best material after all. Once you have stuck anything permanently to the rear of the artwork, the artwork is not longer considered to be in original condition and you have compromised any futher potential financial value.

I would not suggest gluing anything to the back of the boards and therefore to an original artwork at all. It's not what a professional picture framer is supposed to be doing. Ask anyone associated with the Fine Art Trade Guild, it is very definitely against all recognised guidelines and normally accepted standards. Very simply original artwork are to be left in original condition and curved, otherwise no longer flat boards are not to be forced flat as the longer term effects of doing so are unkown and very likely to result in unwanted consequences. Putting it simply don't do it!
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
fitz
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Re: Curved boards

Post by fitz »

I think you misunderstood I don’t intend to glue or stick anything. I will be framing the pieces as they are and using 2.5mm MDF as a backing board instead of the corri cor I normally use.
Not your average framer
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Re: Curved boards

Post by Not your average framer »

Oh I see!

All the best,
Mark.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
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