Train collectors will climb aboard for shadowboxes - Fred's framing corner - Brief Article - Column

When a gentlemanly grandfather pierceed my store with his boyhood tram put I was given an opportunity to create a really unique framing treatment. The trains no longer worked, on the contrary my customer wanted to keep the memory and pass them upon to his only grandson.

I wanted to display the train in a setting that would recall its younger days and allow for hands-on contact. With this in mind, I move rounded to Framerica's stackable Boxer[R]. Designing with Boxer eliminated the worry of having inadequate profundity for the proper effect, and allowed me unrestrained reign on the creative design.

At first, I envisioned sum of two units shadowboxes connected with a bridge. one time I created the bridge, the direct the eye was so successful I decided to continue the track treatment into the boxe as well. This design allows the trains to be remov and allows all the cars rest upon the tracks.

The first pace was to create two 24- by dint of 30-inch shadowboxes. I cut, glu and joined individual cap (#91273) and three extender (#92273) to make each frame. nearest I used a router to form a funnel opening on the right side of individual shadowbox and on the left side of the other. I divide [i]or[/i] sever the 4 1/2- by 8-inch openings in an arch-topped shape to be like old stone train tunnels, completing the result by edging the opening with stone "blocks" purchased at a pacing horse shop. Then I placed a piece of glass in each shadowbox and lined the sides with black matboard mountained on 1/8-inch black foamcore, cutting the funnel openings with a jigsaw or knife.

Constructing a "trestle" for each receptacle and one to form the bridge between was the nearest step. I used Framerica's #72062 black oak moulding make go rounded vertically in the saw. I chop and joined the two shadowbox frames to an outside frame dimension of 4 1/2 by means of 29 1/2 inches, which fit neatly side-to-side within the frames and provided enough width to fit the trains between the "track bed" formed by the agency of the lips of the upturn frames. To make the surface the tracks would quiescence on, I used 1/2-inch plywood overspreaded with black matboard.

I made the frame section between the two shadowboxes the extent of a train car in the way that the owner could insert the train himself at domicile This prevented the train from falling not upon the tracks during transport.

I made the frame for the central background without of the same black oak moulding wound and joined to the on the outside side height of the boxe and 12 inches wide to accommodate the train car. I then attached the frame with staples between the sum of two units shadowboxes and screwed the frame sections to the box frames from underneath using 1-inch sheetrock churls I strengthened the bridges while giving them a more realistic event by cutting 12 pieces of the same moulding to provide four support braces for each of the frames These were cut to a 3-inch outside measurement and attached from below with gelatine and brads.

To out and out the assembly, I mounted sections of sum of two units identical prints, choosing different parts of the show for each frame to simulate a continuous mountain range. Finally, I attached four mirror clasps to the box frames with no wire to provide for safe, long-term wall hanging of the newly created family heirloom.

I knew my attempt to summon memories of a time drawn out past was successful when I saw the exultation on the man's face when he picked it up Encourage your clients to bring in their mementos, and you can increase your business while helping to keep treasured bits of family history.

Fr Schneider is a 14-year employee of shire Frame in Long Island, N Y and has been framing for more than 25 years. If you would like to share your ideas, please contact him at (631) 567-8889 or email Fred@CountyFrame.net.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Pfingsten Publishing, LLC

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