Puzzle job

iceref

CGF, Certified Grumble Framer
Joined
May 27, 2001
Posts
195
Location
Omaha, NE
I know from searching the archives that puzzles are not the most sought after framing jobs. However, I have a very good customer that would like a puzzle framed. I've done 9 pieces for him this year and I would certainly like to accomodate him on this.

The problem is I've never done one. Having been in business for only 1 year I guess I've been lucky so far.

In past threads some put the puzzle in a press and others simply glue them down. The latter sounds most attractive. What type of glue do you use to do this? Are there any other challenges I should be aware of before starting this? I think I can handle it but will need help from this forum. Thanks.

Mike
 
Hi iceref,

Most of the puzzles that I have framed have come in already prepped with that puzzle "hold together" stuff that Walley World sells. In fact, I tell my puzzle customers to apply this stuff before bringing them to me. I really don't want to have that puzzle accidently slide off of the cardboard and go into 50,000 pieces!! (I am not that good nor patient at jigsaw puzzles!)

I drymount them using a double layer of Fusion 4000 or similar adhesive simply because of the unevenness of the back of most puzzle surfaces. I am quite sure that any firm bodied adhesive would suffice for cold mounting.

If you mat the puzzle, use some scrap mat to build up the surface behind the matboard.

I don't know of any real "secrets" to mounting/matting jigsaw puzzles other than the flexible clear stuff that is applied to hold all those pieces together.

Framerguy
 
I agree with FramerGuy. The flexible clear stuff that Walmart sells is the stuff to use. It looks like Elmers white glue but is not. I would suggest a sink mount and then a mat over the top. If you ever get one with a piece missing, scan the puzzle and pick a color that works from the puzzle, fill in the missing piece with some filler dough and cover with the right color. They will never know it was missing.

Jack Cee
 
I've got a large oval puzzle (approx 18x27),I'm getting ready to frame. My plan is to use three mats. One mat has an oval cut the same size as the puzzle. This will act as a spacer as well as help position the puzzle on a piece of PerfectMount. Then the other two mats will be the top & bottom decorative mats. The finished frame shape will just be rectangular.

I'd like to thank Ron Eggers and his Mat Maestro for doing a great job on cutting the ovals for me.
 
Originally posted by iceref:
............and others simply glue them down. The latter sounds most attractive.....
Why? Dry mounting puzzles is a slam dunk! If you think about it, Puzzles are nothing more than a poster already mounted to a cheap, gray mounting board, chopped into little pieces!

I'll have to dissagree with my respected fellow grumblers in that we prescribe to our customers to throw away the bottles of "Puzzle Guard" or whatever it is called. It is indeed very much like Elmers white glue - it is a watered down PVA. The trouble is that the instructions on many of these bottles tell the consummer to cover the face of the puzzle with this stuff! This makes it "cloudy" in appearance and impossible to then drymount.*

Consider doing this......</font>
  • Select a good colored matboard to show around the perimeter of the puzzle and dry mount this to a piece of foam board. (This of course would all be the size of the finished frame.) </font>
  • Dry mount the puzzle in the middle of this board (Colormount, Fusion....they all work!) Place strips of scrap foam board around the puzzle to keep the pressure uniform. </font>
  • Add a double mat presentation to this design, but float the mats above the mounting board by 2 layers of foam board strips. The mats should obviously be cut slightly outside of the puzzle to reveal the edge of the puzzle and a small amount of the mat board behind the puzzle.</font>
This makes a dramatic presentation and is mechanically stable. Framing puzzles can be extremely profitable.


* It's when puzzles come in already in this state that we would resort to wet glue to mount them to the substrate.

John
 
We've had really good luck laminating jigsaw puzzles. We use colormount as the mounting adhesive and then use either a luster or canvas finish to laminate. A lot of customers want us to use this method thus eliminating the need for glass unless of course they want them matted.
 
I've used stuff called Modge-Podge many times for puzzles and you do in fact cover the face of the puzzle... it'll start out white but become clear as it dries -- it gives a texture something like the fake painting texture that's so popular with prints now-a-days.

I use a cheap disposable sponge brush to apply in two alternating layers.

Jason.

PS- there's no reason that a gel medium for acrylic paints couldn't be substituted... Though I would reccomend using gloss because matte finish tends to have additives which while indeed not having any glossy shine does tend to be slightly cloudy and dulling to the colors..
 
Modge-Podge also comes in gloss or matte. It is pretty much the same thing as Acrylic Polymer Medium. We have done 2 sided puzzles with it as well.

Betty
 
They gave me their's lightly glued. It was one of those crazy puzzles with no finished edges and two extra pieces. I 3M PMAed it to a slightly smaller rag, then glued the rag to a suede mat with the two extra pieces mount on the bottom. Then double matted it the same way as John.

Want me to post it in the project forum? :D

Ron must think I use PMA for everything :eek:

Maybe I didn't mat it. I'll go check the photo!
 
If you want to wet mount puzzles, don't use Mod Podge. Use Delta's Royal Coat Decopague Medium in the burgandy label bottle. Don't use the one in the green label bottle. It has an antiquing glaze in it. The Royal Coat holds better than Mod Podge, and drys clearer for the top coat. It also dry very fast, and lasts a really long time. I've used this stuff for years for various projects, and it is a very good product. :D
 
Neat!

I just finished a Yellow Submarine puzzle and painted it with Acrylic gloss meduim. I'm hoping it will hold it together. I was going to put acrylic over it, but now that it's varnished I think I'm going to frame it without any glazing so that I can grope it as I please.


We frame quite a few puzzles in my shop, and we usually just mat them and do the buildup around the sides. We dry mounted one once and it melted the glue that was over the front (it wasn't me), and that kind of put me off sticking them in the press for good.

If it's matted right there isn't really a need to adhere it to the backing anyway, in my experience. All of the ones we get are already glued together.
 
Yup, the Liquitex Gloss medium worked real good. ;)
 
I must admidt that I have three puzzles (That belong to me.) framed. One was framed before I got it to the framing industry. That one was glued with the "Puzzle Saver" Glue... I'll never do that again. Looks horrible, in comparrison to my other two.

Both of the other two were dry-mounted with Fusion. One has no frame, just backed with foamcore, and hung with the foam fast hangers. The other one is framed in a metal frame... looks like a fish tank. (Cool!)

I have to agree with John Raines, Dry mount them, and rake in the profits!

Susan May
Framing puzzels for more than 16 years.
 
Originally posted by Jin Wicked:
.....We dry mounted one once and it melted the glue that was over the front (it wasn't me), and that kind of put me off sticking them in the press for good.....
This is why I would not recommending anyone using this "liquid glue crap"......come on guys, this is a framing discussion board, not a craft circle! :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Jason Maronto:
....I've used stuff called Modge-Podge many times for puzzles and you do in fact cover the face of the puzzle... it'll start out white but become clear as it dries....
You normally would not do this to a poster! So why do you feel the need to apply this stuff to a puzzle?*

John

*Exception would be to achieve an antiqued or textured appearance as Jason mentioned.
 
Sorry to be dense but is it acceptable to use a vacume seal set at 160 degrees on Kool Tack board for a jigsaw puzzle? Never done one like this. Client already glued it all together.
 
Sorry to be dense but is it acceptable to use a vacume seal set at 160 degrees on Kool Tack board for a jigsaw puzzle? Never done one like this. Client already glued it all together.
If the client used a "Puzzle Preserver" type of glue on the top, it could be affected by the heat of dry mounting. Even at low temperatures, such as 160 degrees for Kool Tack, the surface texture may be affected. If the glue was applied only on the bottom, then I doubt that you would have any difficulty.

Note that the thick board of the puzzle will require longer dwell time than a typical item on paper. But do not increase the temperature.

Edit: Did you realize this thread was from 2002?!
 
Sorry to be dense but is it acceptable to use a vacume seal set at 160 degrees on Kool Tack board for a jigsaw puzzle? Never done one like this. Client already glued it all together.

Canvas MountCor only requires 130, so not saying it's best for puzzles, but it'd be less risky than 160. If you really plan to use this method, you might get one from a thrift store and try that first.
 
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