Shadowboxes: Fragile Clothing

Last week we showed you how we preserved a 100 year old drawing. Paper isn't the only thing that you can showcase in a great frame. We often frame clothing such as hockey jerseys and boxing robes. These pieces are quite durable, but some materials can be just as fragile as paper and are just as susceptible to damage from light and other materials within the frame. A shadow box is a great way to preserve your precious items that would otherwise hide away in closets and cardboard boxes. For this project, we were asked to frame a piece of clothing; a baby's coat, also dated at over 100 years old. The item is a treasured family possession and of high sentimental value. From the outside, this is a simple shadow box. There is only one mat opening and only one item. There were, however, many factors to consider when assembling this project. 

1. Fragility
For most items of clothing, like a hockey jersey, we simply sew the fabric down to the mat board and it hangs in place. For fragile items, the framing should make as little impact as possible on the item. To make as few stitches as possible and to reduce the pull of gravity on those stitches, a sloped support for the mat board was made and attached to the inside of the frame. This slope causes the coat to lie back just slightly in the frame and reduces the vertical pull on the stitches holding it in place. 

2. Acidity:
Mat board is available in two materials – cotton and wood pulp. Cotton mats are naturally acid free and are of the highest conservation value. Cellulose (wood pulp) products carry a natural acidic value and contact with such materials can cause fading or damage to paper and fragile items. Because of this, these mats are coated or chemically treated to remove the acidity. For this project, the coat is mounted to a cotton core mat with alkaline buffered surface paper.

Frame: Wood inherently carries an acidity that can “gas off” into the frame over time. For the majority of framing setups, this is not a concern. However, to protect fragile items, the inside edge of the frame is sealed with a specialized Frame Sealing Tape.

3. UV Protection
UV Rays can cause fading in nearly all materials over time. Regular glass will block 48% of UV light rays. Conservation grade glass will block 97-99% of UV Rays. Both of these glazing options are available in clear and non-glare options. Non-glare glass is never recommended for a shadow box as any distance between the subject and the glass of more than 2-3 mat board layers will cause the contents to look foggy. The ideal glass for optimum protection and clarity is Museum glass. Museum glass blocks 99% of UV rays and has the highest colour neutrality. Its specialized optical coating allows light to transmit through the glass rather than bouncing off. This reduces glare much more effectively than traditional non glare glass, without the "foggy" effect. The photograph below was taken with the glass on the frame and it appears nearly invisible. 

This combination of conservation mats, mounting and glass will protect this piece and keep it looking great for years to come! 

This post by: Megan 

Edit: Originally posted on August 20, 2013

Conservation Framing: Double Glass and Photo Restoration

100 Year Old Original

This drawing is over 100 years old and is stained and torn. Old paper is very fragile and vulnerable to light, which can cause fading over time. The recommended method of preserving such artwork is to frame it using conservation grade glass, which blocks 99% of UV light, and to store it in the dark. This method is not exactly ideal if you want to show off your precious keepsakes!

To protect this piece, a digital copy was made and restored using Photoshop.  

The duplicate is framed in the usual manner in the front of the frame. Complementary coloured, acid free mat boards were selected for the restored image. A  white 100% cotton mat is placed on the original, which is placed in the same frame, in reverse order, facing the wall. No adhesives were used on the artwork. A piece of Mylar film, held in place by the mat board, suspends the image against the acid free foam core backing. UV glass was offered, but as the original will be facing the wall, away from UV rays, the customer opted for regular clear, which blocks 48% of UV light. 

Framing Layers, top to bottom:

Glass, buffered acid free mat board, duplicate image, acid free foam core,original image, Mylar film, 100% cotton mat board, glass, and a final piece of cotton mat board to protect the glass from the framer's points.

 The final piece hangs from Wall Buddies instead of wire, which protect the back glass from scratching and provide added stability on the wall. This method was the perfect solution for our customer to showcase a treasured piece of family history and preserve it for future generations. 

This post by: Megan 

Edit: Originally posted on August 8, 2013