Industrial Picture Frame

Step 7 Bring it all together

The only thing left is to do is clamp the aluminum, picture and form core board together.

Note: I've found on larger pictures I've had to glue the picture to the foam board using spray adhesive for best results.

Can also be seen here

Comments

[Natasha Dee]

Silly question: How do you hang it from the wall?

[DIY Dave]

See step 6 picture 4. He hangs the pictures on nails using the holes in the clip.

[Ben The Builder]

 I like the clips but I think you should try something with some sort of screw system, big bolts or something kind of gaudy like that to look even more industrial, also If you would happen to have a digital copy of the art that's on those sheets I would like it, very cool

[mada]

That's a good idea.

I bough the image from iStock and I though I have a copy of it I can't distribute it in the manner your asking me to. You can grab a copy for yourself from iStock for cheap.

[alienpriest]

That's awesome looking! Some cautionary notes from a professional picture framer, though: There's no mention of glazing (glass or plexi) to protect the surface of the art, I would include some. Aluminum strips could scratch the art where it touches it. The sides of the art look exposed, and could receive some damage even if covered by glazing on the front. Also, paper changes size slightly over time, and securing it on the top and bottom like this can result in eventual bowing and sagging of your art. Other than that, though, this is a neat looking clip frame. I would just not trust anything valuable to be held in it.

[crypticgeek]

If UV wasn't a concern, a durable lamination would do the trick. Would actually be perfect for my bedroom (I keep it dark most of the time ^_).

But like you say, framing both preserves the artwork and gives it a bit of a sense of presence and value.

[mada]

I agree (see reply to RetroTechno below), that this is not for priceless or one-of-a-kind artwork or pictures. This "framing" method leaves the picture completely exposed, RetroTechno mentioned putting a piece of plexi on the front which would offer some protection for the picture but this is still not a frame for priceless art. The prints shown (and the others I've framed like this) are digital images that can easily be reproduced. The size show cost about $1.00 to get from Costco so it's not even work spending $100.00 on a frame for them. Unless it's a priceless one-of-a-kind picture, ect. regular frames are WAY overpriced. I went into a frame shop looking for a frame for a 20x30 poster; the guy wanted over $100.00 to frame a picture that cost me $10.00 to print.

[alienpriest]

Yes, custom framing is expensive. Since I opened my own shop, I discovered that's because the materials are expensive to shop owners. $100 is really not a bad price for custom.

You may have only spent $10 to print the piece, but putting a frame on it can make it look like it is worth $100. The value of art goes far beyond the mere cost of materials. Preservation is important: you can easily print more copies, but who will print more when you're gone?

[mada]

In this case the value of the print does not go beyond the cost of the print. I'm not particularly worried about who will print more when I'm gone, being dead and all I'm not thinking that it's something I'll be concerned with.

You could maybe justify a $100.00 frame if you said it was the labor of making the frame but I can guarantee you that there is not $100.00 or even $50.00 worth of materials in that frame. Frames are one of those products that are grossly overpriced.

I would sooner cut my heart out with a spoon ('cause it's dull and would hurt more) than spend $100.00 to frame a $10.00 print. Unless that print is a one-off, priceless, irreplaceable, etc. then there is no justifying it.

[alienpriest]

Fair enough. You frame accordingly to the value of the pieces has to you, that is appropriate in any setting. Let me break down the cost for a full understanding of what would be paid for at a shop. Your local custom framer is probably getting $30 out of that $100 in labor (fit, mount, etc.) the other $70 is materials cost on an invoice. Of that $70, a fraction of that is markup: which is necessary to pay rent, utilities, and other fixed costs of running a shop. This is fair, because these materials would be unavailable to you without the existence of the shop (and especially unavailable to non-resourceful, non-handy people, who are unlike you and me). The materials are expensive to the custom framer precisely because of the labor (and other costs) involved that transforms them from the lumber they originated as. So, yes, essentially what you pay for at a shop is labor. The labor of the manufacturer, passed on to the wholeseller, passed on to the frame shop owner, and passed on to the end user, and everyone takes a cut to feed themselves along the way. The only way to cut out all those middle people is to.. well buy the wood, have the tools, be a creative person, and do it yourself ;)

[mada]

"Fair enough. You frame accordingly to the value of the pieces has to you, that is appropriate in any setting." Exactly what I was trying to say - you said it better.