TABLE OF CONTENTS - Picture Framing Magazine

lifted out without being dragged across
the surface of the art.
Certainly the most tedious part of
fitting is checking for dust. If dust is discovered
on the surface of the window
mat, the glazing can be gently lifted and
a strip of blotter card can be inserted to
draw the dust mote out to the edge. If
dust is spotted on the surface of the art
away from the spine of the mat, the glazing
and mat can be lifted together and a
small (00 to 0000 size) sable brush used
to gently lift the dust from the surface of
the art. If the dust is on the side of the art
near the spine of the mat, the glazing will
have to be lifted alone with care being
taken to prevent any finger marks being
deposited on its inside surface.
Some works, such as dark photographs,
are very hard to fit. These can
be fitted without the interleaving tissue
to eliminate one more possible source of
dust. They can be stood up in their mats
and closely examined for dust in a near
vertical position. The tiny sable brush
can be used to lift dust off the surface
while the photo is standing so that dust
which is removed will not settle onto
another part of the surface. Pastel and
loose chalk and graphite drawings must
be treated like photographs and fitted
without interleaving tissue. The surface
of these media is obviously even more
fragile than that of a photograph, so here
too, any brushing of their surfaces is prohibited.
Dust must only be lifted of with
the small brush.
The use of compressed air to
remove dust from a frame package is
fraught with so many potential dangers
that it must be avoided. Even if the air
stream is watched by the person using it,
the turbulence it creates in the environment
can have unpredictable results.
If pastel is being fitted, it can be
given a primary fitting and left standing
for a day or more in a rack so that anything
loose can fall onto the bottom spac-
er or the bottom of the mat bevel for later
removal with a brush. This may slow
down delivery time, but the owners of
such delicate works will probably prefer
to wait if they can be assured of such
careful treatment of their work.
Once a dust-free condition has been
achieved, the frame can be set around
the glazing/mat/backing board package
and lifted and turned so that it can be
secured. If the medium being framed is
a friable one such as pastel, it is unwise
to turn it face down and the mat and art
package should be secured into its frame
in an upright position on an easel. If the
frame being used is backloading with
side screws, such as a welded metal
frame, the fitted mat package can be set
on top of the strainer and the frame fitted
over the top so the screws can be inserted
while the frame lies face up. If a sectional
frame is being fitted, the safest
method of assembly begins with placing
the mat package on top of a stack of
board or shallow box so that it rests an
inch or so above the surface of the work
table. The sections of the frame can then
be fitted together around the mat and
glazing package and the screws tightened
from underneath as each corner of
the frame is rotated off the edge of the
table in turn.
It is safer to move to near vertical fitting
when the matted art work exceeds