Picture frames

[Pete Verdon]

Hi,

I've just spent a fruitless couple of hours trying to buy cheap picture frames on various websites. Some of them looked reasonable value for what they were offering, but were still more than I want to pay. I'm basically trying to mount some smallish posters on the walls, but without making the house look like a student ghetto. The frame's not the feature; anything better than blu-tak is fine.

I have an idea of what I'm looking for. One of my photos (blown up) is mounted in a frame that originally held some tacky fairground "prize". It's basically a sheet of thin hardboard, a sheet of lightweight perspex, and some very thin black aluminium edging strip that holds the layers together. It must have been really cheap, but it's exactly what I need. Trouble is, I can't find anywhere that sells it. Any ideas?

I'm hoping that this stuff (particularly the edging) is available in bulk, as some of my posters and comic strips are unusual dimensions and this would let me make up the frames myself.

Any pointers (or advice on alternate approaches) welcome, also any tips on finding frames for a 24"x25" poster, which seems to be a completely non-standard size.

Thanks,

Pete

[geoff]

In message , Pete Verdon writes

Cheap poster from your local pound shop

chuck poster - use frame

tenon saw and 45 degree jig from a hardware store - bits for the frame from a timber merchant

do try and think ...

[Maria]

I used to stick nice posters up for decor using IIRC what were callled 'frameless frames' which sound as if they are similar to what you describe, but these are held together with metal clips that clip on the glass and then into a slot on the back board (which is made of hardboard). They weren't too expensive but I don't know who sells them these days, and I think they are perspex now as the glass was a bit dangerous. They looked good though and went with any decor. I looked up frameless frames but just got a site that charges =A344 for a small one, so I guess they are called something else now! Clip-frame perhaps?

There are some on this page for reasonable money.

[Maria]

PS. For my non-standard size posters, I used to place a sheet of black paper behind the poster in the nearest size clip frame so it had a border. It was quite effective if you had more than one with the same size border.

[Steve Firth]

also any tips on finding frames for a 24"x25" poster, which seems to be a

Buy a larger frame, use a mount.

[Owain]

I think an adhesive version of this used to be called passe-partout tape.

Another idea is to use "slide binders", one top and bottom, with a length of cord through the top one taken up to the picture rail. Very easy to change posters or roll them up for moving.

Owain

[Huge]

[Andy Dingley]

Ikea. Not as good as they were a few years ago, but glass is glass and they're cheap.

If you want something better, try Hobbyworld (big shed on the local town's retail park). They do some very nice frames, they sell mounting board, Logan cutters and also raw or painted mouldings of much better range than timberyards.