Display Trends,

[Dan Berg]

Print glued with Muck or LaminAll to 1/2" Gator.  Although 3/16" Gator will do with wood bracing frame on the back, but that's too hard for one so work-adverse as me.  For moulding with shallow rabbets the 1/2" Gator forces to use offset clips instead of Fletcher points, bummer.

Bill,
I had been using 1/2" gator for my larger work but was running into the small rabbet problem (1/2" depth) just like you.
Moved to the 3/8" product and that works really well. Price is similar,a couple of bucks less. $57.00 here in eastern Pa.
Don't you just love those small 1/4" x1/2" rabbets when working with a large pano.

[Mike Guilbault]

thanks for the explanation Bill.  I'm going to try some in the new year once things settle down from the holidays.

cheers

[bill t.]

Yes those little rabbet holes are frustrating sometimes.  I have one fabulous looking 4.25" moulding with a 3/8 rabbet and which is also a little too thin overall for its own good.  But it looks even better than Peter Liks ugly 4" Tabacchino moulding.  Naturally it's the one everybody wants, and of course I'll do anything for money.  When using wimpy moulding I basically pick a Gator thickness sufficient to become the main structural element in the frame, then just sort of hang the frame on the art.  The good news is that makes for huge pieces that can hang on the wall with nothing but a pair of triple pin hangers or molly bolts in the drywall, no stud location required.

[hugowolf]

Tonight's helpful hint...print a 3 or 4 pixel outline all around the print about 0.19" outside the image.  Use the "File->Stroke..." feature.  Very handy to have those lines as cutting guides when you trim the mounted canvas.  You want the line to be a little more out there than the trim point, so you can see the line when you make the cut by callously laying your weighted straight edge on top of the coated print area.  Canvas is delightfully forgiving!

So you cut off the 1/8 inch overhang, and again cut, but this time print side up?

Brian A

[bill t.]

The 0.19" outline is intended for trimming the already mounted print for placement in a frame.  It's just a convenience thing that saves some time.

When actually gluing down the print, just allow a generous amount of extra canvas that will go past the edge of the Gator and leave the 0.19" outline marks mounted on the gator, The purpose of that is to shield glue from being picked up onto the face of print, about 1/8" overhang is the minimum that does that properly.  If you get glue on the face of the print, wipe if off IMMEDIATELY with moist paper towel. 

Just after the print is glued down, trim off the excess canvas by running a utility knife along the edge of the gator, with the print face up.  Be careful not to lift the knife too far and gouge the surface of the print.  The purpose of this just-after-mounting trim is to get rid of dry canvas which would cause ripple at the edge of the glued, wet canvas during drying.  Never lay the print face down on the work table because it will probably get contaminated with glue.

PS There are dozens of lengthy posts about gluing canvas on this forum!