Material for picture framing : working with paperboard.

To start a picture frame activity, you do not need much material... that you have already at home! You can carry out your first framing without having anything to buy!

But later, you will upgrade gradually : the material is not particularly expensive apart from the inevitable MAPED ruler or equivalent practically indispensable for cutting bevels to 45 ° ... It is necessary to hold account of it as of the beginning not to buy of material which would be useless thereafter..

I give you the list here to what seems absolutely necessary, you will be able to supplement it thereafter according to your experiment.

We find this material in all supply stores or framing shops (the Couleurs du Temps for example).

Cutting cardboard

The cutter, a solid cutter with breakable blades will make the deal perfectly

If you want to equip you: buy in a specialized supply store an aluminum bented cutter (see lower) with interchangeable blades: it is perfect! Its special design helps you to cut in a precise way the thickest paperboards.

The ruler: In the beginning, a good flat aluminum ruler is sufficient ... It serves to maintain the cardboard in place and guide the blade during the cutting.

It must be heavy. It may also be a piece of angle iron under which you have glued a thin neoprene seal (sealing window) ... or a good big aluminum ruler for picture framers (see supply stores like "Eclat de Verre") which will cost a good thirty Euros.

Later, particularly for more comfortable cutting bevels to 45 degrees, you should buy a MAPED ruler, on which you put a sliding blade-holder cutter inclined (see the bevel to 45 °).

To my knowledge, mark MAPED is one of only to sell this kind of cut-ruler. In US you have LOGAN mat-cutters... the best ! And this rule is used by all those who, directly or indirectly work about framing. . It is quite expensive (fifty euros) but quickly becomes indispensable.

Scissors.

Clamps and clips: as on the photo above: they will be useful to maintain and tight elements of the package during the glue drying.

Trace on Cardboard

A square with 45° angle : assembling and dressing bevels require precision cuts. The metal model is ideal because you can cut the cardboard with it by taking it as a guide. A schoolboy plastic square may agree at first.

A schoolboy double decimeter ... make sure it is not calibrated to the half-millimeter (where graduations are too close together, it quickly becomes unreadable!)

A steel graduated ruler it does not replace the double decimetre ... He is used as a cutting jig when opening windows in the making of mats and bevels.

A pencil or 0.5 and an eraser (HB grade for pencil leads , do not take fat pencil leads, they could smear your work).

A bone folder: sort of plastic plate or bone used to mark the folds and fold the paper in the packing.

A compass in good quality is also very useful. It serves mainly to see distances, especially in the delineation of margins mat.

A simple model is still robust enough.

Assemble the elements

A pot of glue, take a white vinyl glue pot. Make sure the pH is neutral (Scrapbooking addicts say acid-free) to avoid damage to fragile documents.

Remember the small flat brush to spread it ... We also obtained good results with a small brush picked out (round brush tip)

A roll of brown paper gummed tape: who will be primarily used for making the final package .

Double sided tape.

Miscellaneous

A cutting mat : it's magic! When you cut cardboard placed over with a X-acto or a cutter ... the blade penetrates the mat ... that self-heals when work is done!

The "paper towel" ... a clean sponge ...

Technical books for fans

I especially recommend:

Mat, Mount and Frame It Yourself
David Logan

Now it’s easier than ever to save time and money doing your own framing at home.

(click for +)

This demonstrates how easy it is to mat, mount, and frame art on paper and cloth, as well as three-dimensional objects. Readers will discover, step by step...

The best !

Frame It! (Paperback)
Tonia Davenport

(click for +)

Customers review are the better test for this book !

... The book is an extremely comprehensive guide for standard framing techniques, but what I really love are the more creative, non-standard techniques Tonia shows as well... (by Corey)

...Framing can be intimidating, but she glides and guides us right past that with clear basic guidelines, classy projects, and her own very creative artwork... (by Gloria)

The Complete Photo Guide to Framing...
Vivian Carli KISTLER

(click for +)

Step-by-step color photos for all areas of matting and framing. This book includes top-notch instructions for archival framing—the correct methods and materials for preserving photos and artwork for posterity.

The author also provides inspiration and helpful examples to show people how to display their artwork using basic design principles in a manner that is easily grasped.

An Amazon good one !