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Overview.
Box framing, AKA shadow boxing & recess framing, essentially means framing something to create a space between the glass & any backings so that whatever is being framed has enough room to sit properly. There are many different ways of boxing things depending on how deep or fragile the piece is, how much room you have to put the frame in, how elaborate or simple you want it to end up & of course your budget.
Boxing problems & solutions.
Whenever a box frame is made (especially with glass included) there needs to be some way of holding all the pieces in place that it reliable & efficient. In some cases this is a very straight forward matter, in others it can be very time & material intensive & therefore very expensive. There are 4 main things to consider.
- You must get a frame deep enough.
In our examples below we have used a mask as an indication of framing something that has some depth to it. If you were to box something that was much shallower, such as a tapestry or chop stick collection, you would not need anything anywhere near as bulky as the frames/s in our diagrams. The problem with getting frames that have the necessary volume to them is that you limit the choices you have in terms of style.
If you want a simple timber frame, you wont have many problems finding a frame that comes with the right characteristics. If however, you want a wide frilly gold frame the problem lies in that frames of this type are usually quite shallow & therefore need to be deepened to allow space for whatever you are having framed. Sometimes your framer will be able to do this satisfactorily. Sometimes you will need to go somewhere else & have a frame custom built & gilt costing you a small fortune.
- The glass must be kept from the backing.
To create the cavity in the frame for the work to sit, the glass must be held at the front of the frame. To do this you can do a number of things.
You can use a frame with a specialised double rebate made to hold the glazing & backings separately. These are usually aluminium & very limited in style & application.
You can staple or silicon the glass in to the front lip. this is useful for frames that will be reused, though will ultimately result in a second rate finished product.
You can hold the glass in with a spacer made of perspex, board or timber. This is a flexible method which has variations within itself in terms of positioning & materials used, to generally give the best results
- The Backing must be kept from the glass.
When using spacers, the backing is generally held at a predetermined distance & no further thought is needed to keep it where you want it. When using the second method described above of silicon or stapling the glass, other steps are required. You can use a frame that will has a deep rebate or second rebate, you can affix the backing directly onto the back of the frame. And in some cases we have seen frames where another second rebate was made by stapling on another piece of timber within the frame. While affective, it looks pretty bad.
- Having the right spot for a box frame.
Because deep frames will have heir centre of gravity further out from the wall than conventional frames, they have a tendency to lean forward with the glass pointing to the ground more than is desirable. If you have picture rails, this can be a serious problem. To get around this you really need to put a hook in the wall. If you cant. The next option is to put screw eyes directly into the top of the frame so it lye flat. This doesn't work with thin frames & when doing this you should put the hangers ac close to the outer edges as is practice to avoid ripping the top part of the frame off.
Make sure you have enough space to get around the frame. If you hang a 100mm deep frame in a narrow hallway, you will be picking up its shattered pieces shortly after.
Types of boxing.
As mentioned above, there are many ways to create a box frame. Here we will go into a little more detail & show you several of the ways you, or your framer can go about this. In the pictures given, a silver mask has ben used so that the orientation of the diagram is more easily recognisable. Each picture consists of 2 views of the same thing from different perspectives. The colours of the materials shown are by no means typical & have been chosen to highlight the individual components used.
The different methods don't really have industry wide names, so where you see a name that looks as though it has been made up on the spot, it probably has been.
Simple boxing.
Here the mask is floated on the backing without any mats around it in the conventional manner. The glass is held up by a spacer that is butted up to the frame & keeps the glass away from the backing by a predetermined amount.
This is good for modern objects or other things that you want to frame in a simple style. For instance ceramics, photos or found objects.
This style can also look good when using chocks under the picture or object to lift it.
When using a spacer that is so vi sable in the frame, it is a good idea to match it to the frame or the backing to give a consistent look.
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This Scabbard has been sewn onto the backing, with the glass held 20mm away by the same colour mat that the object is floated on. In the smaller picture you can make out the join between these 2 burgundy mats.
The mat was the best option for this gold moulding as there is not a practice alternative that would have matched the frame. 
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As in the above example, this collar has been simply framed in a burnished gold frame, with the mat keeping the glass & backings apart. |
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Similar to the scabbard above, these tassels have been sewn onto a mat board backing. The difference is that instead of the mat being employed to hold the glass in the front of the frame, you can just make out the timber spacer we used instead.
The timber spacing was a good alternative, as this particular moulding comes with a prefabricated matching range of spacers that perform their task perfectly.
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This picture was spaced with a hollow perspex extrusion. It was used because as you can see it is quite subtle.
Also the piece being framed didn't have that much depth to it, so a deep boxing solution was not necessary. While the perspex spacers do come in larger sizes, they become quite visible & aren't that attractive. |
Simple boxing with mat.
The same as the above only a mat is placed to the front of the frame. This means the spacer (the purple bit) is not always viable & therefore cheaper materials can be used.
This is good for slightly more formal things such as tribal pieces, drum sticks or Footy jerseys.
Fancy boxing with mat.
Like simple boxing with mat, except a more ornate frame has been used. If you look closely you will see that the frame has had to be raised up by way of another frame (the yellow bit) to give clearance to the mask. In this case the glass & top mat could be affixed separately into the silver frame, while the backing could be held in conventionally by the purple spacer.
In this example the outside of the 2 frames are flush.
If you were to do this you would need to find a closer match to the silver frame than the yellow used here, so that it looks like one solid piece.
The 2 frames can be glued, nailed, screwed or my favorite, hinged together.
This works well with swords, tapestries & feathers.
Fancy boxing with a mat & spacer in close.
The same as above, except the spacer is closer to the inside bevel of the mat. To do this you have to build the spacer separately or pack out the inside of the frame so that the spacer can be supported before manufacture.
This gives a tighter look to the frame & can also be used as a support to place fragile objects on.
This method requires good quality spacing to be used, usually the same material as either the front mat or the backing.
This works well with slightly deeper or more formal objects such as masks, boots & teapots.
Fancy boxing with no spacer.
Notice in the picture how the yellow backing frame is in much closer to the middle of the frame. This is a economical way of framing as it negates the need for a spacer. If however your mat is narrow or your frame is deep, you will see the inside of this setup, which is essentially the bottom of a frame & it will look shabby.
Because it is set in from the outside of the frame, you can get away with a looser colour match as well.
This method works well with CDs swim suits & stone tablets.
Fancy boxing with 2 or more mats.
Essentially the same as above, the difference with this method is the mat toward the back. This is good for matting smaller objects you want to put in a frame together.
A spacer can be put between the glass if you desire 7 another can be put between the mat & the backing, creating a floating effect.
This is good for framing insects, spoons, medals, tickets or guitar picks.
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This frame has the front mat set approximately 30mm in front of the back mat. Behind the mack mat, medals & photos, there is anther mat in the same colour. |
Fancy boxing economy style.
If you want to box something so it looks expensive, though don't actually want to spend a lot, you can frame you object in this way. Because there are no extra mats & no spacing, the cost is kept to a minimum, while your choice of frame is extensive.
This is good for fund raisers, movie productions & pubs.
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Quick Check.
Terminology.
Problems.
Types
Simple boxing.
Simple with mat.
Fancy with mat.
Spacer in close.
No spacer.
2 mats.
Cheap & fancy.
AKA
Shadow boxing
Recess framing
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