Posted: 8/18/2009 6:11:52 PM EDT
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I've got an old picture of my great-grandfather's WWI camp. My great grandmother had it hanging on the wall for years, as did my grandmother. The frame is serverly warped now and doesn't really hang on the wall flat anymore.
I'd ideally like to straighten it out. Having it reframed or fixed was going to be quite costly (~$200) from my local framing specialists. I really don't have the money right now, so i'm looking at maybe a DIY solution. I looked at a few sites that recommended removing the picture and using damp clothes and clamps to striaghten it out. I'd rather avoid opening up the back from the original seal. Any better ideas? Frame Size: 54.5 x 11.25 inches The warping at its highest point is 1.5 inches, almost dead center in the frame. Front: 
Back: 
Warp: 
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I’m far from an expert on the restoration of wood but I did put myself through school by working in a picture frame shop. The best advice I can offer is to separate your priceless photo from the easily replaceable frame before doing anything. There is too much risk of breaking the glass and scratching up the delicate photo. The “seal” as you call it isn’t a seal at all. It’s just a paper dust cover and can be removed to expose the backer board which is usually held in place with diamond shaped metal points or staples. The ~$200 price quoted sounds awful high for just a frame (The glass and backer can be reused) but maybe I’m just stuck on early ‘90s frame prices. -Deke |
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Deke is right but allow me to take it a step further. I used to be a master framer and the first thing you want to do is get that out of the frame. It wont be hard as it will be held together just like Deke said. The price sounds to cheap to me. They don't know what there doing if that is the price they gave you!
Most frame shops don't know shit! If this photo has sentimental value to you I would make sure you have it archival framed. This means UV glass or preferably UV plexi glass as well as acid free backing and mounting boards. Your photo should also not be dry mounted it should be secured with acid free tape. You should also use an acid free matt to frame in the picture. The most important thing is to keep the glass off of the photo its self as glass or plexi will humidify on top of the picture and can sometimes stick or mold onto it destroying the picture .If you use these terms at the frame shop and they look at you like you have a piece of shit hanging out of your ass turn around and leave! This whole process will of course cost you more than $200 but it will last for generations as well as stop anymore yellowing in the photo! So Take it out of the frame go down to an art supply store and buy yourself two sheets of acid free paper and sandwich the photo in an acid free portfolio sleeve. This will preserve the photo until you save up to have it framed properly. Even if you leave it up to your next of kin to frame this should protect the picture for some time. I can't stress all of this enough as I have seen alot of family heirloom type photos destroyed by bad frame shops! Save up and have it done right. So shop around for a decent frame store and avoid your big chain craft store frame shops for sure! 
Also if you have any questions in taking it apart as sometimes those older frame jobs can be a bit tricky please stop what your doing and post pics of your delema and I will be happy to talk you through it! Sometimes you can damage things when taking them apart. I will check back frequently so let me know how it comes out! |
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Quoted:
Deke is right but allow me to take it a step further. I used to be a master framer and the first thing you want to do is get that out of the frame. It wont be hard as it will be held together just like Deke said. The price sounds to cheap to me. They don't know what there doing if that is the price they gave you! Most frame shops don't know shit! If this photo has sentimental value to you I would make sure you have it archival framed. This means UV glass or preferably UV plexi glass as well as acid free backing and mounting boards. Your photo should also not be dry mounted it should be secured with acid free tape. You should also use an acid free matt to frame in the picture. The most important thing is to keep the glass off of the photo its self as glass or plexi will humidify on top of the picture and can sometimes stick or mold onto it destroying the picture .If you use these terms at the frame shop and they look at you like you have a piece of shit hanging out of your ass turn around and leave! This whole process will of course cost you more than $200 but it will last for generations as well as stop anymore yellowing in the photo! So Take it out of the frame go down to an art supply store and buy yourself two sheets of acid free paper and sandwich the photo in an acid free portfolio sleeve. This will preserve the photo until you save up to have it framed properly. Even if you leave it up to your next of kin to frame this should protect the picture for some time. I can't stress all of this enough as I have seen alot of family heirloom type photos destroyed by bad frame shops! Save up and have it done right. So shop around for a decent frame store and avoid your big chain craft store frame shops for sure!
Also if you have any questions in taking it apart as sometimes those older frame jobs can be a bit tricky please stop what your doing and post pics of your delema and I will be happy to talk you through it! Sometimes you can damage things when taking them apart. I will check back frequently so let me know how it comes out! The photo has been like this for around 70 years. If it is stuck to the glass, what is you're recommendation on getting it unstuck? |
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In all likely hood it shouldn't be stuck as old photos tend to have a flat finish to them unlike newer photos that have a gloss finish. The gloss photos have a tendency to stick more than the flat. Take a look at the glass from an angle and if you see that the photo is shiny in spots and flat in others you will know that it is stuck to the glass in the shiny areas. It would look sort of like bad window tint on a car if that makes sense. If it is stuck to the glass you will have a problem. There isn't much you can do unfortunately. If that's the case you will have to frame the photo using the same glass and not separate the two.
However if it is only small spots that are stuck you might still want to take it apart. It will only get worse with time and you want to stop as much of the aging process as possible. There are some people that can touch up old photos as long as it is in somewhat good shape. To take the frame apart. 1. take off the brown paper backing by using a razor and trace around the frame. 2. then see how the photo or backing board is held together. Sometimes this can mean finishing nails or staples. I would bet nails if it hasn't been re framed in 70 years. Use a needle nose pliers and grab the nails where it meets the frame and slowly twist to pull out the nails. then if you want take some pics and let me see what the back looks like it's hard with me not being there! |