Attaching your picture to the frame

Kent Curole · 06-14-2002, 11:42 AM

What do you use to attach your picture to the frame? I can't seem to take a liking to those canvas clips. And, if your stretcher bars are not 3/4", I don't think you can use them anyway.

Kent

Michael Georges · 06-14-2002, 03:02 PM

I buy 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 inch offsets. They are little L or ~ shaped piece of metal that you screw into the frame and it sticks out over the painting to hold it into the frame. You can buy them from any framing supply store.

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Mary Sparrow · 06-14-2002, 03:05 PM

I'm not sure what they are called, but I have found them at Lowe's, etc. I do not know how your hardware store is set up, but in my local Lowe's in the hardware section, across the aisle from where they keep picture hanging "kits" are large shallow drawers with all kinds of metal gadgets.

Look for the section especially for hanging mirrors. These metal peices come in different depths, so measure how much your canvas sticks out past your frame, they will screw right into the frame and fit snuggly up against your stretcher bar.

These are the same metal pieces I have seen used by our local frame shop.

Sorry I don't have the technical name for you. If this doesn't make sense to you let me know and I will take a picture of them and post.

Mary Sparrow · 06-14-2002, 03:07 PM

the same time I was posting. It sounds like he is using the same thing I use. Only I have never seen a picture framing supply shop, so Lowe's it is!

Ramon Deslauriers · 06-19-2002, 01:47 AM

I don't know much about portrait painting right now, but I do know about framing as I'm a professional picture framer myself. Mary and Micheal are both right in suggesting offsets. They're acid free, they don't introduce any adhesives or damage the stretcher bars or canvas, and the offsets you get from a frame supplier should be rust resisitant. A couple of things I'd like to add though is the frame should be lined with an aluminum tape that is applied to the rabbet of the frame to help seal the frame's acid from migrating to the stretched canvas. Finally an acid free paper dust cover should be applied with an opening cut into the paper to allow the canvas to breathe.

I know this sounds involved, but if your framing portraits, i.e. heirlooms, it's our responsibilty to do what we can to preserve it for them.

Hope this helps,
Ramon Deslauriers

Kent Curole · 06-19-2002, 09:58 AM

Thanks to all who replied. That is exactly the info I was looking for. Now I'll have to find some of that aluminum tape. It just so happens that a K-Mart was going out of business in my area and I bought all the mirror hangers - just thinking that that might work well when it's the right size.

Kent

Deborah Chapin · 07-20-2002, 05:00 PM

I would like to suggest that if you do a lot of painting you could get your supplies for framing, lighting for display and stretcher bars at a substantial discount at United Manufacturers Direct.

You can set up an account with a tax ID number and they are very prompt. It lowers your costs a lot. For example, screws, metal offset clips, mirror hangers (D rings), picture hangers etc. are all about 80% less. Same with Fredrix stretcher bars and it is where all the professional framers get their supplies.

If you don't have a tax ID number perhaps you can go in together with someone else or set up an account as a group.

Debbie

Timothy C. Tyler · 09-07-2002, 06:53 AM

Something one of my galleries does is this: they cut 3/8" wide strips of heavy posterboard and put that in the rabbet or fillet to keep the actual canvas away from the metal of the frame.