A client recently brought me a frame to refurbish. The piece was an antique print and, although the frame itself was a bit chipped in places and not of the same vintage, it had some sentimental value for her family so they wanted to keep it. The print inside had come loose and initially she brought it in simply to have it remounted, but it quickly became obvious the mat would need to be replaced as well. Like those in most frames from this era, the core of the mat was made fr

I have written before about conservation framing, the materials used and the standards to be upheld. Now I’d like to talk a little more about some of the products and techniques I use to create my own unique custom finishes. Although I can offer the same off-the-shelf mouldings that other framers stock, most of the frames I make are constructed from raw Tasmanian Oak, finished with non-toxic, food and child-safe dyes, oils and waxes. This is in part simply because it is how I

I was recently asked to reframe an original piece of art which had spent the last couple of years inside a cheap, store-bought frame. When I removed the mat, this is what I found underneath: At first I thought the difference in colour between the matted area and the rest of the paper was caused by the mat itself as non-archival mat boards contain acids and other pollutants which can react with the paper. However, when I turned the paper over, I realised it was in fact the un-