Luminous Landscape Forum
Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Printing: Printers, Papers and Inks => Topic started by: PeterAit on May 15, 2013, 08:26:19 am
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I need a good source for floater frames to mount my stretched canvases in. I saw some very attractive ones at a show and want to try this display method for my own work. THanks.
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Larson, Omega both make some very good floater frames. Omega makes a line in black with a nice rounded edge on top which vary in height. Studio Moulding also makes a line up, but last time I looked theirs had squared off edges and I preferred the look of the Omega. All were a black satin finish.
Roma also has some very nice floaters but they are very high priced.
You will be purchasing only moulding from these companies, so a chop and join will still be necessary.
All three have a nice on-line catalog.
Paul Caldwell
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Dick Blick and Jerry's Artarama both have assembled floater frames up to medium sizes. And I'm sure there are others. If you use a lot of these track down wholesale sources as well.
http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/framing-and-matting/ready-made-wood-frames/illusions-floater-frames.htm
http://www.dickblick.com/search/?q=floater+frames&x=-620&y=-127&sp_cs=UTF-8
If you want to chop and join them yourself, Omega will usually be your cheapest option.
Am thinking some of those prefabs may be polystyrene, not sure. No big deal, the best of the new poly's look pretty good, while the worst don't.
The one issue with prefabs is that the thin air space between the face of the frame and the canvas needs to be pretty consistent all around for a decent look. The final dimensions of stretched canvases has a little wiggle-waggle factor, so it can be tricky to make that inky black outline look even. The most reliable solution is to cut either the frames or the stretcher bars yourself, or both. Unfortunately, cutting your own stretcher bars means they will not be easily adjustable to take up canvas slack, although you can theoretically rely on tricks like spritzing the back of the canvas to take up late-developing sags. Cutting the bars rather than the frame requires less cosmetic finesse.
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Almost every frame manufacturer makes floater frames. Unless you are a business with a tax number and/or a store front, most frame manufacturers won't sell to you.
How about going to a frame shop and let them show you some nice ones. If you are handy enough, you can just buy the finished frame and install the art yourself. When you figure the size, allow a minimum of 1/4" space between the art and the inside of the frame. This gives a nice reveal and allows for "unsquareness" of the piece.
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search for your local wholesaler - they will likely have a chop and join service. costs more but then you don't have to learn how or buy the stuff. Omega's floaters are a nice price/quality combo.
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So are we saying that omega won't sell to anyone without a tax id number?
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My first order to Omega was for around $2,000. The only numbers discussed were my credit card number, shipping address, and telephone number.
Pretty much the only surviving store-front-only holdouts are Larson-Juhl and Roma. For most of the others, money talks and an account is only a short phone call away.
Herein I will disclose the REAL reason for wanting to use a framer. You heard it here first. An increasingly large percentage of the moulding you will receive will be twisted, warped, damaged, unmatching, and generally unusable poop. Let your poor framer fight with the distributor and save your venom for other battles. And be understanding if it takes a few extra days. That's why framah is the way he is. End of story.