CMC cut mounts - is this acceptable?

[WannabeFramer]

Without going into any other details, these have been supplied to me today (not by anyone on here) and I'm disappointed. Each corner is overcut and (to me) they look raggedy. I would be rejecting if I had done them on my Ultimat.

They have been done on a CMC so I was expecting perfection - should they be better or am I being picky? Just looking for opinions really. I don't like conflict and hate complaining and being awkward, but equally I have paid for them. It may just be me.

[Rainbow]

You're right, they are totally unacceptable. It's not only the over-cuts and the raggedy corners, but on some of the images, you can see a clear line running down the centre of the bevel - that definitely shouldn't be there. And on the top image, the right hand one looks as if the facing paper is slightly roughed up. There also seem to be a few marks/scuffs on the boards.

I think you're obliged to give them the opportunity to re-do them, but I'd ask them first if they are confident that they can cut them perfectly and make it clear that you will reject them again if the second batch isn't perfect. I'd ask if they'd rather give you your money back if they can't be confident.

You shouldn't have to ask for a sample of work before giving a professional outfit a job, but it might be prudent to do so in future.

Incidentally what is the mount - it's not white core, is it a rag board? If it's an expensive rag board and you supplied it, you should be compensated for the wastage.

[JKX]

Hooked corners too, not much else could be wrong.

Whatever they’re using it’s not calibrated.

I’d be worried that anyone allowing stuff like that out of the door, especially to the trade, may not be very good at reparation either!

[Justintime]

First question I'd be asking to the Boss is "have these been checked for quality prior to shipping?" If yes, then I'd be suggesting they supervise their QC or raise their standards! Clearly overcut and hooked. It's also cream core by the looks of it. I'd suggest sticking to a white core/conservation board for all your work. Two choices, ask for a redo or change supplier. Good luck.

[prospero]

As they say in Lincolnshire: "Av sin woss".

Looks to me as if someone is trying to squeeze to last drop out of the blade.

[StevenG]

No, like everyone else is saying - that's just nowhere near good enough & I'd be telling them to change the blade for a start

[Rainbow]

Can you even be sure that they've been done on a CMC and not manually? Although even manually, that level of incompetence on every cut is quite a feat!

[JFeig]

I agree that the machine needs to be calibrated as well as using a fresh blade.

[vintage frames]

Very wise decision to contract out the mounts in the first place.
Saves you a lot of faffing around.
But ..
how did you find this crew?

[prospero]

I have a manual cutter. I always tell people that blades are a heck of a lot cheaper than mountboard.
On a manual cutter you can tell by the feel that the blade needs changing.

* The 'kick-up' along the cut face seems to indicate to me that they were cut on a manual cutter. This is normal and
hardly noticeable, but smoothing them down with an agate or similar burnishing tool is a nice little refinement.
The tear-outs at the back of the corners is another clue.

[WannabeFramer]

Sorry for not replying guys and thank you for confirming I am not being unreasonable in my expectations as I wasn't sure. The more I look at them the more faults I find, including the measurements wildly different to my instructions and in one case the apertures staggered rather than aligning.

I don't like bad-mouthing people or companies so I won't go any further, other than to say I do trust the company in general, but have not used the mount cut service before. I do not want to sour relations so I'll think how to broach it, but I will not be asking them to re-do them. The fact they were sent like that, I am not confident and will just get them re-made elsewhere.

To answer a couple of questions: I am assuming CMC as that is what they have and advertise so I can't see why they would use a manual. I had specified a white core board and that is what the invoice shows.....

Nothing more to add really, other than the usual thanks for your input.

[Rainbow]

If the boss doesn't know that they've been sent out like that, you'd be doing him/her a favour by telling them. Other work might be going out like that and if nobody says anything, the boss will lose customers without knowing why.

It doesn't have to be confrontational. Just tell the boss you're disappointed and ask him/her if they've seen what's gone out. If you don't want to take it any further, you don't need to, but at least you've given the boss the benefit of the doubt that they haven't seen it and that the work you've got doesn't reflect the the company's normal standards.