What knowledge have those in the framing industry failed to embracecubic framer wrote:To give your customer the confidence that you are giving the best value for money requires a knowledge that those in the framing industry have failed to embrace.
I have canvassed a lot of framers, since I retired in the hope that I could find someone I could recommend for the enquiries I still get about 3D framing. Yes, I can get UV acrylic bonded covers, but they look like every other display case that comes out of the display industry. A knowledge and understanding of the victorian/edwardian 3D framing might be a good starting place, the fact that there is no available text on the subject shows that 3D framing did not progress through the 20th century as the did the picture framing techniques.
The best 3D framers of the 19th century were taxidermist, but to be contemptuous of their work is foolish and does not give room for a creative and open minded approach to the craft of 3D framing. Also knowledge of their work will show that Domes were not the only solution and the preform market had its limitations.
If you take two matching pieces of glass 3mm preferably, and place them flat on a work surface, two edges touching, then tape them together with masking tape they will fold like a hinge, fold back 180 degrees so that the glass is back to back, press firmly back to back to create a crease, the hinge will work with the inside edges of the glass practically touching.
Bend the joint to 90 degrees, I call this a zero offset position for a zero offset joint. Zero because there is no gap between the inside edges, the joint will be formed by a triangular fillet of silicone bonding the two glass edges and a flat surface of silicone forming the hypotenuse. That’s the method, to execute the method you must develop a procedure.
Your procedure to create this joint should include arrassing the edges of the glass and taping the outer surface of the glass. Position the glass at the required angle, 90 degrees and inject silicone into the groove so that there is a slight excess, then place a strip of smooth release paper (test before to make sure that silicone does not bond) on the surface of the silicone and gently massage with a flat surface, such as spatula along the line of the joint until the edges of the glass can be seen against the release paper. Let set overnight and peel back the release paper and remove the masking tape, cut away the overspill of cured silicone, which does not stick to the masking tape.
If you think this joint is tidy enough then see if you can work out the procedure to do five panes, it is possible but I have not got the time to spell it out now. It is my intention to have the graphics and instructions to create several different types of covers suitable for framing footballs later this Autumn.