The Framers Forum

As some of you are aware, I'm not a framer but more of a crafter. I buy the majority of my frames from either high street retailers or online framing shops.

I have some of my own 7" vinyl art that would like to frame. These vinyl sleeves actually include an imitation vinyl made of a very thick card rather than a plastic vinyl. It is presented in an outer 7" sleeve that includes my own artwork. You don't actually see the vinyl inside apart from the inner label which shows through the cut out in the sleeve. Some frames advertised as specifically for 7" vinyls don't accommodate the actual outer sleeve as it exceeds the vinyl by a few millimeters either side. Rather than have the sleeve in a confined area where it may crease in corners, I would like a gap of at least 1-2cm all the way around the sleeve. I was wondering if using an 8"x8" frame would be more suitable? I don't require a mount for the sleeve either as I'd rather just use strong double sided tape and mount the sleeve directly onto a backing card which I will then place directly onto the backing board of frame. Because these are not expensive rare sleeves applying tape to the sleeve is fine.

Can anyone give advice as to whether an 8"x8" frame would be suitable. Also would deep frames work best or just a standard frame whereby the sleeve is as close to the glass as possible? I'm not looking for anything overly extravagant or high end but something where the sleeve can be seen from different angles rather than in a confined space.

The fact that you say that you are not a framer but a crafter is not a problem in itself. Many of us on the forum are trained/experienced framers who occasionally/often work with valuable art. On the whole we work with reversible techniques that do no damage to the work. Using double-sided tape to adhere something to a backing board is not something that many of us would ever do. If you want to close frame a record sleeve (i.e. without a mount) then a spacer would be used to separate the work from the glass. The depth of frame will dictate the depth of the spacer possible. To allow for any expansion or contraction of the piece, a few mm is sufficient and the spacer would allow this.
It's difficult to advise whether something will fit into a ready made frame or not, because we only make bespoke frames. Other framers make ready -mades, so might be able to help you more with this. I'm not sure that I understand the question! If a 7" doesn't fit and you want 10-20mm around the work, I would have thought it obvious that 1" extra all around will give you 1/2" on each side, approx 12mm each side...So umm...Yes??
Putting anything "as close to the glass as possible" is just the worst idea if you value it at all. Anything touching the glass is much more likely to suffer damage from change in temperature and humidity in the room and hence within the frame package. You may find that it sticks to the glass over time, delaminating the cover of the sleeve.
I'm sorry if I come across as dismissive, but this may not be the right platform to query crafting techniques. If you ask how a framer would frame it correctly and what techniques and materials to use, you may have more input from all of the experienced minds here. There are a number of crafter framing groups on facebook where advise by professional framers trying to be helpful is openly scorned in preference for make-do methods.
Like I said, I'm not trying to be an arse, just point out that you might be asking the wrong questions.
P.S. All double sided and self adhesive tapes will eventually fail. I would suggest looking at gummed tapes and looking up the appropriate hinging technique for the particular method you wish to use.

I think Justin's replies reflect how a lot of others might feel about your question on this forum.
Well done for producing your own work and having the ambition to perhaps sell it on and I can understand the hesitancy to spending money on something that might never sell.
But then is it the concept or the quality of presentation that will sell your product?
I'd be leaning first on the concept.
Take it to a craft fair/market and see what interest there is.
If you do sell some then you can confidently invest more in the presentation and come back here and have a more meaningful discussion on framing techniques.