Plate mounting

[Bracken643]

I have been recently asked to mount a number of plates in a glass frame. The box frame is no problem but what should I use to mount the plate on to the mount board I take it I will be mounting through the board on to a stronger backing. I was thinking about getting plate hangers and using them but I think I have seen something from lion.

[silvercleave]

Are the plates completely flat or more like a shallow dishes? Melinex strips passed through the mount board back and fixed at the back if they are flat, if dish shaped cut a circle in the mount for the dish to sit into to stop it slipping, the melinex then only has to hold the dish in place.

does that make sense?

Ian

[Roboframer]

Spring plate hangers are fine, it's what they're intended for. Instead of using the hanger incorporated, pass that plus the springs through an aperture in the mounting board and slide a strip of mount board through it to hold it in place. Exactly what I did here.

[Roboframer]

Oops, double-posted!

[silvercleave]

I was told that using hangers on valuable plates is a no no, (cannot find the article at present)

perhaps they aren't valuable or are silver / epns.

[Roboframer]

The gummed plate hangers might be, just a disc that you wet to activate the adhesive and, in theory, just wet again to remove. Would you say that formed rods would be OK, wire covered in shrink tubing? It's a great method and it's exactly what these plate hangers are, but all connected with a spring, which, if passed through the mounting board, does not come in to contact with the plate.

You could of course just make your own formed rods.

[silvercleave]

I would go with Robo's way braken 625

[Trillian]

This is from the V&A Museum's website:

Mounts for ceramics

Mounts are often used to show decorative ceramics that are in good condition but they aren't always suitable for cracked or restored pieces. Mounts need to be the right size for the piece - if they are too tight they can chip the edges, whilst if they are too large they won't hold the piece securely.

Museums often use inert plastic (e.g. Perspex) for mounts, as seen here, but there are many other safe options. Proprietary adjustable plastic hangers, called wall plate stands (supplier: Dauphin), wooden display stands and grooved shelves in display cupboards are all suitable. Plastic coated metal sprung plate hangers should only be used if the dish is in good condition. Bare metal hangers can cause scratches or chips and will stain the ceramic if it corrodes. Avoid mounts with hard sharp edges or using metal pins to stop plates sliding forward, as they can chip or scratch unless they are padded.

As usual, it really depends on the value, condition and dimensions of the item to be framed. If the plates are valuable or fragile, it might be worth looking at Dauphin's adjustable display stands here

[Timh]

just done a plate for someone
I used Lions plate fixing holders and it worked very well

there is a range of plastic holders for all sorts of stuff and doesn't mark the piece either

[pramsay13]

There was an article by Mal Reynolds in Arqadia's 4 Walls magazine, issue number 7. He cuts a shape into foamboard to support it, probably depends on the shape of it whether it works every time.
Here's the link for all of the magazines http://www.arqadia.co.uk/docpages.aspx? ... e=magazine

[Roboframer]

The Dauphin hangers are wall hangers, there's a hole for a wall hook, that's not much use in a frame, it's the frame that hangs from the wall hook(s). You'd have to adapt it, as you would the spring hanger, but at those prices I wouldn't want to be doing any adapting, thank you!

Still, according to above, spring hangers are OK if the plate is in good condition, and if it is or not, you can still make your own shrink tube-covered formed rods and by 'formed' I don't just mean in to a hook, you can form them to the contours of the plate, the rods don't have to be wire either, they could be something flat.