Sink mounting a sheet of postage stamps

[Not your average framer]

I recently had to mount a commemorative sheet of stamps. This is not something I've done much of so someone may have an even better solution. Encapsulating the stamps is probably the most prefered way of doing this, but I opted to sink mount them because I don't have the correct "very thin" type of double sided tape for encapsulating them and I'd also prefer to practice the encapsulating technique before trying it on a customers job.

The window mount was cut as normal, in this case to overlap the edges of the sheet by 3mm. Behind this I fixed a reverse cut mount with a aperture slightly larger than the sheet of stamps. In my case this was just a normally cut mount turned to face the other way round. The stamps were then dropped into place followed by a cut to size sheet of mylar to prevent the stamps becoming adhered by the adhesive coating to anything behind them. The drop-out from cutting the reverse mount was then dropped in place behind the mylar and secured by taping the drop-out in place from the back.

[Roboframer]

Got any piccies Mark?

You can get 3m 415 tape from Lion or PEL - it's what they used to use in The States (or at least on TFG) until 3M 889 tape came along - which I can't find in the UK (so I got ten rolls from The States)

415 tape is quite narrow - about 1/4" but it's not the width that's important, it's the thickness, 415 tape is fine. Just that 889 gets stronger with age.

[Not your average framer]

Got any piccies Mark?

It's already taped and strung for the customer to collect early tomorrow morning, so it's too late to photograph the inside.

Incidentally, included in the same frame is a postcard showing the same images as the stamps, which is viewable from both sides. The rear glass is taped in place with Lion's black crepe tape and secured on top of the tape with brass plated turn-buttons and screws. (Normally I like to use a deeper moulding and make a little slip frame to fit into the back, but the customer wanted a particular moulding and viewing the back was a last minute request).

The point I was getting round to is this: While I was taping up the back, it dawned on me that if I could pursade the coustomer to change the back mount to black, that I could have done the classic all black back. Both sides have non-reflective glass, which I think would have made the all black back look really classy.

It would have looked great, but it was not to be.

Maybe I'll do a display sample anyway. Who knows, it may create some extra orders.

[Roboframer]

Hi Mark,

Only arksed because a detailed description like that is quite hard to visualise and leaves one begging for more!

When I got to to the mylar bit I thought you'd maybe done an overlay, but then realised you were talking about dropping things in from the back. I can't visualise most of your description.

What is this non reflective glass you speak of?

[Not your average framer]

Hi Mark,

Only arksed because a detailed description like that is quite hard to visualise and leaves one begging for more!

When I got to to the mylar bit I thought you'd maybe done an overlay, but then realised you were talking about dropping things in from the back. I can't visualise most of your description.

What is this non reflective glass you speak of?

Hi John,

When I get the chance I make a demo and do some pics. BTW, the non reflective glass is Matobel.