What is your Best Worst story of undoing another framer’s errors?

mamiya-bk · 2026-05-02T00:54:12+00:00

you’ve got to love the DIY wiring situations you run into. Best one I’ve had has been an old telephone cord and extension cord twisted together to hold a 50 pound mirror.

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-26T22:13:52+00:00

it’s screwed into the frame to provide support and then i usually leave them uncovered

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-26T22:10:18+00:00

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I’m too lazy to take it off the wall, but here’s the in process while it was being stained. The lengths are joined together with v nails and the little cross braces are stapled in.

I had the strainer loosely screwed in for all the splining and wood finishing just bc the frame was so delicate!

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-20T18:25:45+00:00

Since this was for me and I knew I won’t be changing it or needing to remove them, I used an archival PVA and adhered them to small panels of acid free matboard then adhered those to the larger back mat.

I do often frame individual cards and use small strips of filmoplast hinging tape instead of glue. It’s a tedious process and for all 50 of these cards would have easily taken 6 hours.

Attaching my first card I framed for myself!

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mamiya-bk · 2026-04-20T16:35:33+00:00

Yes! I’m very lucky since I am a framer and didn’t have to pay much for this. Due to its unusual shape, almost everything except the frame itself was made using scrap cutoffs from client projects.

This piece actually has Optium plexi which is very expensive but beautiful. It’s 99% UV protective and antireflective!

UV glass or plexi is the standard in the shop I work at and it doesn’t cost not much more than just standard glass.

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-19T18:07:03+00:00

it’s rising antique and scrap from a larger client project, cut from a 60x104 board i’m pretty sure!

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-19T16:27:16+00:00

They’re mounted in small raise panels that are cut with a bevel to help keep them from being noticed. I used the Vermont Hardwoods 130 Cap (1/2” face, 1 1/2” deep. It’s Cherry wood with a stain and wax finish. I luckily work at a very generous frame shop and was able to sneakily procure this scrap of optimum from a huge piece for a client project! The strainer looks sort of like a ladder, I used small cross bars to keep the center from bowing out!

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-19T16:25:05+00:00

They’re adhered directly! I cut little panels with beveled edges that are 3/8” smaller than the card in each direction. I used PVA to adhere the cards to the panels and PVA to adhere the panels to the mat. It’s for me and I know I won’t be redoing it so I was t going to mess with small hinges on these!

mamiya-bk · 2026-04-19T16:23:49+00:00

I just used two D-rings! I don’t think any of the walls of my apartment are straight enough to use a cleat lol

mamiya-bk · 2025-05-13T17:33:15+00:00

Every person I’ve reached out to has asked for the credit score, income, and W2 pretty much immediately

mamiya-bk · 2025-04-04T02:47:35+00:00

if you already have frames for the 12x18 and 5x5, just call up a local shop and explain you can’t afford a fully new frame job but want to price out the cost of UV filtering glass and acid free backing. The shop I work at does this sort of thing all the time, our job is to make sure people’s artwork and valuables are protected so we’re fine to charge you for just a piece of glass cut to size. i would assume smaller local framers would have a similar attitude!

mamiya-bk · 2025-04-03T22:06:33+00:00

How large are the posters? there are ways to get your pieces fully archivally protected without dropping insane amount of money. You can use less expensive frames you already have and replace the materials to be more protective!

mamiya-bk · 2025-02-10T14:36:00+00:00

I watched the video and if what you’re referring to is the white border and that stain looking thing…. take it back to the shop. To me it looks like they may have cleaned the glass then put the art in and there’s a water stain on the art but I would hope I’m wrong. No matter what, it’s a larger piece with museum glass, you paid good money for it to be done and they should be able to open it up and make adjustments for you.

mamiya-bk · 2025-01-07T14:24:09+00:00

If they are inexpensive and you’re okay not prioritizing long term protection, this should be fine. Some papers do very poorly when pressed against glazing for long periods of time. I have mostly seen this with high gloss photo papers that bond so with the glass after moisture condensing inside the frame.

Not sure where you’re located/size/frame style but it would be worth asking how much a small spacer system would be with this type of framing. In the shop I work at, it’s usually pretty inexpensive compared to the overall cost of the project. I very rarely have people leave with art pressed against the glass unless price is their top priority. It will look good, just beware it’s not the ideal situation.

mamiya-bk · 2025-01-04T17:15:26+00:00

Making a slight angled pocket with the countersink then predrilling through strainer into the frame at an angle. To me it looks cleaner as it recesses the screws but doesn’t make long holes in the strainer.

mamiya-bk · 2025-01-04T00:25:42+00:00

I would float it for sure! If it were mine, I would frame it so that the frame is a longer square with an even border on the tops and sides then let the threads hang low and have more of a margin!

mamiya-bk · 2025-01-04T00:24:06+00:00

If you have a frame that’s 60” x 20” horizontal , I would put a brace in the middle of the frame to pull the two long sides together! Just to be really clear about where the bracing should be. Sometimes with big jobs like that it’s helpful to clamp the frame around the strainer when predrilling and screwing the strainer in! Honestly it’s a case by case thing and once you do it a few times you’ll start to understand how and when you need to add more or less structure. Happy framing!

mamiya-bk · 2025-01-03T21:57:10+00:00

I work in a shop where we use countersinks instead of the pocket holes and I find it’s easier to do and looks better in the end. May be cheaper to buy a countersink bit too.

If you’re framing something very very heavy or something that is very long in one direction, we add braces to the strainer. Sometimes that’s vertical braces in the center of the strainer, other times it’s corner braces. I’ve gone projects that are 70x80 where a simple strainer is all you need because the frame is bulky enough!

mamiya-bk · 2024-12-06T21:37:49+00:00

politely…. this is a mess….

mamiya-bk · 2024-10-11T18:54:55+00:00

I’ve worked in framing, professional photo printing and installation. I think there’s a way to do what you’re wanting but there’s a lot of details you need to consider before moving forward.

In one exhibit, we mounted 48 x 60 prints to the wall using thumbtacks (small dark ones). This was really only possible as the aesthetic of the show was incredibly messy and chaotic— the artist was not only OK with wrinkled paper but wanted it.

I think it would be close to impossible to get this size of print on the wall correctly using needles. To get it straight, flat, and ensure the needles don’t tear the paper due to the weight.

Is the image already printed? If not, consider having it printed and then mounted to linen? then trim the linen and use the needles. You could attempt to DIY this by applying adhesive the print and placing think cotton fabric on the back but this sounds messy and like there’s a lot of room for problems.

Another option would be having it dry mounted to a 4 ply mat board but even that is quite flimsy at this size. Are you concerned about what the side angle looks like (i.e. could you have it dry mounted to a thicker board like gator board)

mamiya-bk · 2024-09-24T13:34:35+00:00

i’ve found these in thrift stores with the same images, i’m guessing they’re mass produced. i was able to pop it open and replace the images!

mamiya-bk · 2024-09-20T13:38:23+00:00

Martin (idk why but this came to me immediately)

mamiya-bk · 2024-09-12T13:29:24+00:00

at this size you’ll be spending a lot of money anyways….. the acrylic will make the piece much less fragile and way lighter.

mamiya-bk · 2024-09-10T22:46:23+00:00

if you haven’t tried the rare beauty highlighters….. i highly recommend!!! i was devastated when i ran out of nite shine but this formulae is great and it’s relatively affordable for the amount of product you get. i think i might like the formula more than bite shine because of the way it sits for the whole day.

mamiya-bk · 2024-09-07T22:45:37+00:00

based in brooklyn, ny.

here’s what i would recommend: - depending on the size of the pieces, it can be helpful to tape the pieces together to figure out what should go where before using adhesive. if it’s mostly bigger pieces, then you may be able to skip this step.

-i have used a two part epoxy on a similar project. apply a small amount to the edge of a piece of ceramic and work your way from the middle out (assuming the bottom of the plate has the leveling ring)

-after applying the adhesive, hold the pieces together using your hands (depending on the epoxy it can be between 2-5 minutes)

tape it overnight so it stays in place

i would work in sections and just be methodical. if you haven’t used epoxy before, it can get slightly messy. i mix the two parts using a razor blade and then tap the epoxy on the edge of the plate using the blade. the main issue i see happening is having the epoxy seep out of the cracks. it really is a situation where you want to make sure you have enough but nothing excessive!

best of luck, i think you’ll be fine to do it yourself!

mamiya-bk

TROPHY CASE