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In any framing project, whether for ready-made or custom picture frames, one of the many decisions to make is which type of glazing to use. Glazing is the protective cover used for picture frames. It is either made of glass or acrylic and is available in several special finishes. Few topics in the framing industry illicit such strong opinions as the choice of using acrylic or glass. Many framers as well as the general public still instinctively favor "real" glass, mostly because it is "natural" and feels more genuine. The fact is that both glazing types and special coatings have their place in the framing industry and this article examines the advantages and disadvantages of both materials.
The Benefits of Acrylic
Acrylic is commonly known under its original trademark name Plexiglas. The material was first brought to market in 1933 by Rohm and Haas Company, a fortune 500 company currently headquartered in Philadelphia. Today, the dominant player in picture frame glazing is Tru-Vue, a company that is part of the Apogee Enterprises umbrella, located in Minneapolis.
There has always been great skepticism and reservation in the framing industry with regards to using a 'plastic' glazing. Indeed, even today many traditional-minded framers look down on the product. However, as with many components of a frame over the last 10 or 20 years, the picture frame has gone through a revolution in technology. Today acrylic's position as a framing component is quite solid. Acrylic has several benefits to the picture framer. First, it is virtually unbreakable. This can be a real benefit for valuable art, which could be damaged if a glass glazing were used and it broke. Due to his shatterproof characteristic, acrylic is also useful in high traffic areas such as airports, hospitals and office buildings.
Another key benefit to acrylic is that it is easy to ship. Although thicker than museum glass, acrylic is in fact lighter than real glass and therefore favored for large pieces (frames over 20 x 20). It is probably no surprise that most all online picture frame companies sell acrylic and not glass glazing. After all, it is easier to ship via UPS or FedEx.
The real Achilles heel of acrylic is that it is very easy to scratch. Using anything but soap and water and a lint free cloth to clean the glazing will most certainly damage it. Using Windex or any other ammonia based product will scratch acrylic and damage any special coating such as UV protection. Damage will manifest itself in small scratches and the yellowing of the material.
The Benefits of Museum Quality Glass
Museum glass differs from home window glass in several ways. It is much thinner, contains less lead, and has several types of special coatings that help with its transparency qualities. It is important to be aware of these coatings because using harsh chemicals, such as ammonia-based Windex, while perfectly safe for the actual glass, will damage the layers of protective coatings. Museum glass is generally available in two thicknesses, 2mm (2/25") and 3mm (1/8").
Of course glass' major drawback is that it breaks. Therefore, for irreplaceable artwork or artwork of high value, glass is not recommended. Also, noteworthy is that large pieces of glass, for example that above 32"x 32" tends to distort the artwork as it becomes wavy. This can be avoided by using the thicker 3mm glass which will be less susceptible to this problem. Of course, the larger the piece of glazing, the heavier the glazing becomes. As a result, for artwork larger than 36"x36", acrylic usually becomes advantageous.
Perhaps counter intuitively, 2mm glass is less prone to damage than its thicker 3mm counterpart. This is because the thinner glass is more flexible and can flex a little more than 2mm glass.
As with many areas of ready-made and custom picture frames, the type of material to use depends a little on personal choice, but also on the characteristics of the artwork being framed. Understanding each of these characteristics will lead a framer to select the best materials whether shipping online or in a retail store.
Peter Fendler is a professional framer and artist. He contributes regularly to picture framing magazines, blogs, as well as framing resources at pictureframeguys.com. He can be reached with comments or questions at peter@pictureframeguys.com.
If should are looking for custom picture frames at affordable prices, visit http://www.pictureframeguys.com/ to view a wide selection of wood and metal picture frames, including hundreds of mat colors, mounting board and glazing options.
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