Horace Staph, one of the elder statesmen of our Guild, came up with this idea and did all the necessary coordination with the museum as well as creating the conceptual design.

Prior to us getting the lumber, there were several planning meetings between Horace, David Essary, Keith Hansen, Frank Ezell, Gene Fairchild and Michael Faurot.

Michael Faurot took photos of existing benches at the museum.

Keith Hansen did the initial drafting/drawings based on what Horace designed.

David Essary obtained the Red Oak at a nice discount from Allen & Allen Lumber Co. They milled the lumber to the required thickness and width.

Eugene Fairchild built the bases out of Mesquite that he provided.

Horace supplied the Mesquite for the spacers in the form of two small logs.

Michael milled those two Mesquite logs and made all the Mesquite spacers.

Michael, David, Horace, and Gene cut the oak spacers and rails to size.

Michael and Keith did the first dry-fit/test of all the pieces to see what it would look like and what issues that might present.

Later, Michael, Horace, David, Gene, Phil Starcovic and I got together at Michael’s to discuss the technical details of assembly.

More to come… including lots of pictures and more about the assembly.

Generally, the total width of the mats (between the image edge and the frame sight edge) should be wider than the width of the frame. The purpose is to provide a visual break between the frame and the image so the image becomes the center of attention instead of having to compete visually with the frame.

Of course, this is not an air-tight rule as each image and frame combination presents a different design challenge. It depends, in large part, on the amount of “busyness” in the image and frame. If both the frame and the image are very busy looking, then the amount of visual space between them should be greater. If the image contains lots of negative space around the perimiter, then less of a visual break may be needed, even none. And, sometimes a very elaborate frame on a very ornate artwork works well without any visual break at all.

It reallly depends on one’s personal preferences while also considering the potential audience.

When mats are used, two mats are nearly always better than one. Three or more can be good or bad, depending on the colors and busyness of the arwork. If there are more than two mats, then the reveal (amount showing) of the lower mats should become narrower towards the artwork. For example if the reveal of a second mat is 1/4”, then the 3rd mat’s reveal should be less than 1/4” and so on.

I said this was not about decorative aspects, except for this one observation – stark white mats seldom do justice to the artwork. Mat colors should be chosen to complement the artwork – stark white nearly always distracts from the art.

Any picture frame larger than 8” X 10” should be hung using two hooks. This reduces the torque on the frame and also prevents movement of the picture on the wall. If the wire on the frame is too tight to use two hooks then the frame should be re-wired.

When wiring a frame, the wire should be long enough so that the angle between the wire attaching point and the nearest hooking position is approximately 60° above horizontal. The wire should be short enough so that the hooks do not show above the top of the frame when hung. The attachment point should be about 1/3 of the distance down from the top. The wire should be attached to a good quality D-ring, not to an eye screw. The slight amount of torsion on the eye screw will, over time, cause the screw to become loose and pull out.

Any framed art or item that you value should never be hung on an exterior wall or above an active fireplace. Exterior walls go thorough drastic temperature changes during the days and seasons. These changes can set up conditions that cause cycles of dryness and condensation inside a frame package which, in turn, can cause damage to the contents. Active fireplaces, whether buring wood or natural gas pose the problem of excessive heat rising through the chimney which can cause problems within the frame package. Wood burning fireplaces cause the added problem of soot rising inside the house (even though you may not notice it) and entering into the frame package. Soot, being a by product of combusting wood, is caustic and will cause deterioration of the art.

Also, wherever the art is hung, there should be at least 1/8” air gap behind the frame package. This is accomplished by using small bumpers on the lower corners of the back of the frame. This allows air circulation behind the frame to buffer changes in temperature within the frame package.

In general, the contents of the framing package (backer board, mounting board, mats, etc.) should be acid free. Even if the art or item being framed is acidic this is generally the rule to prevent the package contents from degrading over time. If the art, document or photo is on an acid free substrate (paper) this is especially true as the acid from non-acid-free items will migrate to the acid free item and cause deterioration.

There are products that are acid free and that also contain zeolytes. Zeolytes provide additional protection in that this chemical actually traps acids and many other pollutants within the cell structure, preventing the acid or pollutant from migrating further.

When cleaning the outside of the glazing, NEVER SPRAY THE GLAZING AND NEVER USE A PRODUCT CONTAINING AMMONIA. Instead, spray a micro-fiber or soft cotton cloth with a 50-50 mixture of distilled water and rubbing alcohol, then use the cloth to wipe the glazing. Spraying the glazing can cause tiny amounts of moisture to enter the frame, potentially setting up conditions for mold to occur. Ammonia is alkaline and can cause damage to the framing contents.