Collections of sports memorabilia consisting of prints, photographs and objects represent an important part of life in Australia.
They can be framed in a box frame, with perhaps a shirt or print as the backdrop.
At Final Finish we always stretch jerseys over an acid free fomecore insert, and then we STITCH the assembly to a backing matboard, colour selected to enhance the shirt. Should the shirt ever need to be removed, it can be done without damage. Photographs and posters are dry mounted on to matboard to provide the backdrop.
The other items are placed appropriately. Fixing methods include glue, stitching and Velcro. When designing your piece we need to take notice of gravity, layout prepared on a flat bench may not work in the vertical. Sometimes, e.g. for necklaces, we need to secure with many stitches. Medals are fixed with hot melt glue, then the ribbons stretched and fixed through a slot in the mounting board. Photographs and certificates can be individually framed without glass, and then fixed by screwing through the backboard into the photo frame.
All this takes time, and it must be reflected in the framing price.
A box frame, with a clearance of at least 50mm, is used. No content should touch the glass and a spacing device is necessary. This keeps the contents off the glass surface, and eliminates damage from humidity, which can cause mould. Glass is breakable, but the only alternative, acrylic, can lead to problems with the combination of static electricity and the nap of any fabric.
There are many spacer products available, we can:
- Line the frame rebate with matching matboard over fomecore strips.
- Use special spacer insert mouldings; the most popular one has a triangular cross section.
- Build an acrylic box.
These collections are an investment and with proper conservation framing they will give you many years of pleasure.
Straight to the trophy room!!
