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Metal Frame Assembling


In this video I'm going to show you how to fit a metal picture frame. A fit is term we use in the framing industry. It is the process of assemble an entire framing package together. It means putting your artwork, backing board, glazing (glass or acrylic) inside the picture frame.

If you ordered an entire package you got a piece of acrylic, backing board, and a hardware kit. The metal picture frame kit includes wire all the pieces to assemble the frame together. I have it all broken apart over here in this little pile.
First thing I'm going to do peel the acrylic and get it ready to go with my art. With something this small, I'm just going to peel it by hand. If you want you can always roll off the material with a tube if need be. Peel both sides of the acrylic and then put the backing behind it.

Your art is sandwiched inside of the acrylic and the If you have debris under the acrylic I like to use a paintbrush. Just a tiny little paintbrush and scrape things out and lift them and get them out. Get it all clean and ready to go and then I set it aside.

Take one of the long rails of the metal picture frame and place it directly in front of you. Then take a short rail and I'm going to put it to your right. Use the tapped corners and the flat V hardware pieces. Sandwich those two things together then insert them into the groove in the back of the long piece of metal picture frame in front of you. Then I take the other piece of the picture frame to your right and I put the hardware into the groove.

Now what I like to do is I actually like to place my hand and elbow on the table, gives me something to rest on. And I use my hand as a vise grip over this joint and squeeze the frame together. I like to tap the joint with my screwdriver, assuming it's plastic and not metal. Then just bring the screws up snug not tight. Look at the joint see if you like it. If you don't just loosen one of the screws just slightly and shimmy it around a little bit until you get that joint nice and closed then squeeze now pretty dang tight. Work around and be sure all of the screw are tight in the picture frame corners.
Now especially on large pieces, this is easier to do with two people. Lean the art out over the table and slide the picture frame onto the art. Take the last long picture frame rail and put the hardware into the corners at the same time.

Typically this isn't too difficult to do, but get them both in the grooves at the same time. Sometimes you have to back off a screw a little bit. Slide it in, make sure you're up over the lip of the glass and your. Once again I do this same thing tap the corners and just snug the screws up not tight.

I'm squeezing pretty dang hard here to hold the picture frame joint locked in where I like it. Tighten each one up until they are all good and tight.

Notice that the art, backing board and glass are loose in the picture frame. That's what these metal spring clips are for. They have tension so they're made to go really flat or you can have them wide open to take up a lot of space. So on something of this size I would put in four of these. I like to tuck it in underneath the edge and then just slide it up underneath there. Sometimes you get to where you have almost no room inside of this area here, inside of this rabbit to even allow these to go in. If that happens, you don't insert anything at all, other times you might just take a little tiny piece of cardboard or mat board or something to take up that space and you would just put it there and not even have these.

To put the hangers on the picture frame you want to attach the hangers a third of the way down. I am pretty good at eyeballing it. Slip the hanger in the channel and tighten it up. Repeat on the other side

Let's wire up the picture frame. In the video I suggest pausing on the area that I show you the knot we use on the wire. We will set up the picture frame to hang on two wall hangers. There are a couple of reasons we do this. One it makes things not get off kilter so the picture stays even on your wall. It also makes it to where it's less likely to get knocked off the wall.

Attach the wire on one of the hooks like it shows in the video. Pull up at about a 45 degree angle push down and pinch it against the backing board. Pull over with my other hand and pinch it with my thumb as to where I'll be making this about my 45 degree. Pull the wire downward to where it is right at the hanger loop and put a bend in it. Cut off the excess wire and do the knot again where you made the bend in it. That's Wrap the small tag end of wire around the hanging wire about four or five times and snip it off any extra.

The last piece is to stick the bumpers down. They might be felt bumper that are brown or white. Put them on the left and right bottom of the picture frame. These are there to protect your wall from scuffing.
You are all set. There is your assembled metal picture, ready to hang on the wall.