14. ASSEMBLING

Assembling (or fitting) is the final operation of fastening the picture in the finished frame, applying the backing paper and attaching the hanging material. This part of picture framing also requires the utmost cleanliness and careful workman­ship. A badly assembled picture, no matter how care­fully the component parts may have been executed will present a sloppy appearance in a short time. It will admit dust, become loose in the frame and event­ually "go to pieces". On the other hand, a well-assembled picture will actually reinforce the frame and maintain its fine appearance for many years.

Cleanliness of the working space and freedom from dust will be found to be of considerable aid when assembling. A sturdy work bench with an area twice the size of the largest pictures ordinarily framed will be found necessary. It should have a smooth surface so that if it is also used for glass-cutting, an even con­tact can be made and thus help eliminate breakage. Sheets of heavy cardboard, cut to fit the top, should be kept for use when assembling if the bench has a rough surface. If the bench is smooth, heavy wrapping paper will be sufficient covering.

A small amount of additional equipment will be required for assembling. Battens, a small scraper, a hammer with at least one flat side and perhaps a "fitting tool" which is made especially for assembling are all that will usually be found necessary in addition to the essential tools already listed.

BATTENS are felt-covered strips of wood used to avoid damage when laying the picture face down while assembling, backing or attaching hanging mate­rial. Almost any kind of wood can be used, but it should be thick enough so that frames with projecting ornaments will not come in contact with the bench top.2" x 2" fir, left as it is but with two edges rounded with a plane, will be excellent. Two 36" pieces are usually long enough for assembling average size pic­tures. Should both dimensions of a picture be larger than 36", the battens can be placed at an angle across the corners.

After the edges have been rounded, cut two strips of felt 5" to 6" wide and 36" long. Tack one side of a strip along the edge of each batten as shown. Now lay cotton padding or several carefully folded thick­nesses of soft cloth along the entire length and stretching the felt over it, tack it down on the other side and trim off any excess. Left uncovered, the bot­toms will not slide around and yet the battens will not be so heavy that they cannot be shifted readily. Because even gritty dust can injure a delicate finish such as metal leaf, it is important that the battens be used every time a finished frame is to be placed face down.

The HAMMER for driving brads when fastening should be a small, light tack hammer with the left side (looking at the face)   ground flat as shown. Flatsided hammers called tinner's SETTING OR PANE-ING HAMMERS are ideal for the purpose. An eight or twelve ounce hammer should be heavy enough for all assembling work.

The FITTING TOOL will be found efficient and indespensable if a considerable amount of assembling is to be done. Its cost is not great and will be quickly repaid through time saved. It is particularly valuable when fitting pictures into narrow Moldings because it can be adjusted to force the brads to exactly the depth required for holding and so avoid driving them completely through the frame. With the tool, the shortest brads can be forced in to a specified depth for the narrowest molding as well as fitting pictures into Moldings up to 3 or 4 inches wide.

A small scraper, obtainable in the 5 and 10c stores, will be needed for cleaning out the rabbet before in­serting the picture.

Besides the above tools, the DRAFTSMAN'S BRUSH (used for cleaning mats) and the PLIERS (already purchased) will be needed ready at hand. The pliers may be used for forcing in the brads and will be found necessary for removing temporary nails or those bent when hammering.

Before any assembling is done, it is absolutely im­perative that the rabbet of the frame be perfectly flat and clean. There should be no heavy drops of paint or glue remaining because they will interfere with a good contact between the picture and the frame. When glass is used, even a tiny drop of paint or glue may be sufficient to break it and even if that luckily does not happen, a space will be left which will admit dust Be sure to clean the rabbet with a small cabinet scraper or a knife blade and then brush the frame clean.

The number-size and length of brad needed for good assembling varies, of course, for each picture but certain safe rules to follow might be that more brads are required if the frame is large and finer brads are needed if the molding is narrow. For the average size picture and molding, brads driven in 2" apart will be enough for secure holding.

Assuming that the glass has been cut to the correct size and carefully cleaned and the matted picture with the backing board ready, lay the frame face down on the two felt-covered battens. The battens should be close enough together to allow the narrow part of the frame to extend over them an inch or so. Now, mak­ing absolutely sure that there is no dust or foreign matter between the glass and the mat or picture, lift the assembly and lower it carefully into the frame. Another method of placing the picture in the frame is to lay the assembly of glass, picture and backing board face up on the battens and then to place the frame over it. Holding the thumbs on the front of the frame and the fingers on the backboard, turn it over by swinging the edge furthest away toward one.

It is good procedure to drive one or more nails temporarily in each side and to turn the picture over for final inspection before fastening permanently. Check whether the area shown is correct (if the rab­bet measure is considerably larger than the sight measure) and whether the window of the mat is par­allel with the frame on all sides. The sides of the mat should also be equal; they can be checked easily by using a ruler. First measure the top and bottom of a side and then compare it with its opposite. If any shifting is necessary, it can be done by inserting a knife blade in the back to force the assembly one way or another without removing the nails. Turn the pic­ture face up again and re-check before proceeding. Inspection takes little effort at this stage compared to forging ahead and then having to remove many nails to correct the job.

If the picture is now satisfactory, the following method should be employed for permanent fastening. At least one brad should be driven in each side to hold the picture exactly where desired before remov­ing the temporary nails. The advantage of the follow­ing manner of driving brads is that the picture will be held as tightly as possible against the lip of the rabbet and shifting cannot occur later.

Hold the brad with the left hand at a slight angle and tap it lightly to drive it partially into the backing board. Caution should be observed so that the brad does not penetrate too deeply. It should be started about one-half to two-thirds of its length in distance from the molding. Now, pressing it down while tap­ping lightly, force it through the backing board and into the molding to the depth necessary for secure holding.

Proceed to drive brads along the entire length of one side, either the one nearest or towards the left.

The same method of inserting the nails at an angle through the backing board should be followed when using the fitting tool. It may be necessary, however, to start the nails with a hammer and then finish forc­ing the brad into the wood with the previously ad­justed tool.

A tiny circle of felt, cemented to the stationary leather buffer, will help protect fine finishes.

As mentioned, the pliers can also be used to force brads into the molding and there may be times when this will be the only possible way. The nail is grasped by the pliers near the head and forced through the backing board into the molding at an angle as be­fore.When using the pliers, it will be found most convenient to drive the brads into the edge of the frame farthest away.

The fitting of pastels into frames requires an insert of some kind to prevent the picture from coming in contact with the glass. Pastel is the most delicate and perishable of all mediums and must always be handled with the utmost care. In spite of the fact that a pastel may have been fixed with fixatif, it will continually shed powder.

After the glass has been cut to the right size and cleaned, it is inserted in the frame. Narrow strips of wood, at least ⅛" thick, but never wider than the depth of the rabbet, are then placed completely   around the inside, tacked in with fine brads and painted a dark, unobtrusive color. The inside of the glass is cleaned and brushed free of dust, the pastel and backing board carefully lowered into the frame and fastened in place. Never use a hammer, but force the brads in with pliers or a fitting tool. Hammering will loosen the pastel and cause it to shed even mor

Pictures without glass and stretched canvases re­quire different treatment in assembling. At times, it may be necessary to fasten a picture in its frame with­out backing board or even brads so that it can be removed easily and exchanged for another. At other times, it may be advisable to frame the picture be­tween two pieces of glass so that both sides may be examined or so that it may be reversed for hanging. Manuscript pages are often treated in this fashion. The following method may be used if the back of the picture is to be exposed but protected.

A neatly finished appearance can be obtained by cutting four thin and narrow strips of wood to the proper length and tacking them in with fine brads. The strips and the back of the molding are then finished properly. The strips of wood should be planned to the exact thickness for holding the picture and pieces of glass tightly against the lip of the rabbet. They should be as narrow as is practical for strength. It will readily be seen that the strips will look much neater than exposed brads. There are other ways of working out this problem such as using channel frames with molding presenting the same face on both sides but since this type of work is rather rare, it need not be discussed here. At any rate, as experience is gained with regular framing work, specific problems become easier to solve.

When a frame is to be used repeatedly for the same sized picture, it can be fastened into the frame firmly but temporarily by using small, brass "turn buttons". These are available in several sizes and are attached to the back of the frame with screws of the correct size and length. The entire assembly should be of a great enough thickness so that when the button is swung over, it will press the whole firmly against the rabbet Sheets of paper can be added between the picture and the backing board to build it up to the proper thick­ness.

Assembling of stretched canvases requires a differ­ent approach. While several methods may be used for fastening, the same rules must be observed through­out. The most important one is that the canvas must never be fitted too tightly into the frame. There must always be sufficient difference between the size of the stretched canvas and the rabbet measurement to allow room for expansion or contraction. For this reason, Moldings usually employed for canvases have a suf­ficiently deep rabbet so that while extending over the picture, they also allow space.

In order to prevent the canvas shifting in the frame, the space is taken up with a resilient material such as cork or corrugated board. An ordinary round cork, cut in two lengthwise, is sliced into half circles of the correct thickness, usually about ⅛". Corrugated board can be cut into strips of the proper width and used instead of cork. Any material that is at all resilient can be employed, but whatever it is, it should be fas­tened to the back of the rabbet with tacks or brads.

The canvas itself may be fastened into the frame by driving brads through the edges of the stretcher at an angle of 450 into the molding. Be careful to choose brads or small finishing nails of the proper length and weight so that the stretcher will be held but not split, and that the nails will be driven into but not through the molding.

Another method is to use brass mending plates bent at each end so that the screws can be driven in straight into both the stretcher and the molding. Screws can be used at both ends of the plate or at only the end fastened to the molding. If they are only fas­tened at one end, they can be used as turn buttons to facilitate removal or replacement of the canvas. Whichever way a canvas is fastened into a frame, re­member that it must be occasionally removed for cleaning or re-varnishing, etc.

With the exception of special jobs, and pictures only temporarily fastened in frames, it will be neces­sary to back all framed pictures with paper to seal them against moisture and dirt. Backing paper will not only perform this necessary work, but will add greatly to the finished appearance of the job. Stretched canvases are not usually backed, except from the edge of the molding to the edge of the stretcher as shown. This is merely to finish it off and performs no useful function. A neat way of completing the framing of a canvas is to stain the back of the frame with walnut or mahogany oil stain.

Successful backing is easy to accomplish and only rudimentary care is needed. The paper may be of any medium weight or color, but a dark brown or gray wrapping paper or regular black backing paper will be found to show handling less and. will therefore remain neater. Two simple practices must be observed when backing: Use only hot glue for the adhesive and always dampen the paper before applying.

The hot glue will make a permanent seal. Any sim­ple double-boiler such as two tin cans, one smaller than the other, can be used, but a regular iron glue pot will be found much more practical if any con­siderable amount of backing is to be done. Using a fairly stiff and narrow brush (an artist's bristle brush cut down in length is ideal) give the back of the frame an even coat. On frames wider than a half-inch or so, it is not necessary to coat the entire back, but only to paint the glue in a strip about ½" wide, starting ⅛" in from the outside edge.

The backing paper should be cut large enough to extend at least an inch all around the frame and then dampened with a cloth or sponge which is quite wet.Working quickly, but not hastily, lay the dampened side down on the back of the frame covering it com­pletely. Smooth the paper from the centre toward each side and then to the corners, pressing it down with a clean cloth. The paper will wrinkle even more before it dries, but if the glue has been applied prop­erly in the correct strength it will dry out absolutely smooth and taut.

The paper may be trimmed while it is still damp or after it has dried. Two methods are suggested. A small jig holding a razor blade 1/16" to 3/32" in from the outside edge of the frame may be pulled along the edge to trim off the excess. Another way is to lay a straightedge along the line to be cut (which must be determined by "feel") and then cutting with a razor blade or a sharp knife. Care must be taken in both instances so that the knife does not slip off the edge and cut the frame, thus damaging the finish. A little practice gluing paper on scrap pieces of wood and trimming along the edges is advised.

Attaching hanging material, either screw eyes or brass hangers, is the final step in picture framing. Al­ways select screw eyes of the right size for each job. Do not use screw eyes which are too large, heavy or long for narrow Moldings nor under-sized ones for heavy frames. After points have been marked on the back for their insertion (usually one-third or one-quarter of the distance from the top edge), drill holes of the right size very carefully to a depth of about one-half the length of the screw. Care must be exer­cised here so that the molding is not completely pen­etrated. Turn in the screw eyes slowly, using a long nail or other implement and do not attempt to drive them too far. On thick Moldings of soft wood, it is not always necessary to drill a hole for the screw eye; a nail or brad awl will make a hole large enough to start the screw.

Attaching the wire is a simple operation. It should never be drawn to the point where it is taut, because unless it is long enough to form a wide V when the picture is hanging, difficulty will be experienced in keeping the picture straight on the wall. On the other hand, never make it so long that it shows above the top of the picture. Pass one end of the wire through an eye for a distance of about 2". Now bring the end back and pass it through again. Wind it tightly around the long part and repeat with the other side after making sure that the wire has been cut long enough. If the frame is especially heavy, it may sometimes be necessary to wind it around the shank of the screw eye.Try to estimate the amount of pull when the frame will be hanging and always test each screw eye care­fully.

Pictures are sometimes hung on long wires from picture molding. Molding hooks will be needed and wire sufficiently long enough to reach them. The wire should be securely attached to the screw eyes and then snubbed around the molding hooks at the proper points.

Another method, particularly well-suited for framed mirrors, notices, etc., is with the use of hangers. These are attached to the top corners of the back of the frame with screws and they will cause the frame to hang flush against the wall. The hangers will be seen above the top of the frame as will the supporting hooks or nails in the wall.

The dust proofing of pictures is a neglected part of the picture framing work of today, but perhaps rightly so when considered in the light of time spent compared to results achieved. It requires a good deal of care and necessitates scraping in order to clean the inside of the glass properly before the picture can be inserted.

Narrow strips of paper, ½" wide or less, are cut to the length of each of the four sides. They are creased along their length exactly in half. With the crease uppermost, they are brushed with paste or other ad­hesive and attached; one-half to the glass and one-half to the back of the rabbet. When dry, excess paste is cleaned off the glass with a razor blade and it is care­fully brushed so that all dust is removed. The picture can now be inserted and fastened into place.

This method of dust proofing is not in common use today because commercial framing shops have found it uneconomical. It was originally used in Europe where labor costs have always been lower. If the frame is properly made so that the rabbet is even and smooth and a good contact between glass and rabbet is made, it seems doubtful whether much additional protection is to be gained by dust proofing. It may have some uses, however, for the permanent framing of pictures for museums or other public collections.

To avoid the dust streak on walls which is so ap­parent after pictures have been hanging for a while, attach bumpers of rubber or cork to the two bottom corners of die back of the frame. They will serve to hold the frame away from the wall, thus preventing dust from accumulating and soiling the wall. They will also allow circulation of air and reduce attack from moisture.

Note: Picture wire is sold by number; o, 1,2, etc., light to heavy. Make sure that wire of the proper strength is used for each picture.

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