Making a printing frame

nmp · Feb 21, 2025

I made a printing frame for less than $10 using these two components:

A.

Mainstays 8.5x11 Front Loading Document Picture Frame, Black - Walmart.com

Buy Mainstays 8.5x11 Front Loading Document Picture Frame, Black at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

( 2 pieces)
and

B.

Simpson Strong-Tie LSTA 1-1/4 in. x 9 in. 20-Gauge Galvanized Strap Tie LSTA9 - The Home Depot

Simpson Strong-Tie - LSTA9 9 in. 20-Gauge Strap Tie - Used where plates or soles are cut, these straps are engineered for use on 1 1/2 in. wood members at wall intersections, and as ridge ties. - THD SKU# 333431

www.homedepot.com

(3 pieces)

There is a groove in A that allows B to be used as springs (after bending them at center.)

:Niranjan.

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

F4U said:
Here is te completed frame, less back. It's late. Ill do the back tomorrow. I set this up for woodworkers or 3D printers. You make your own choice. On a Neptune 4 Max it will take 15hrs, 19m requiring 515g of PETG filament at 50% infil. For woodworkers, here is the plan. Do it however you want. The finger holes are 1 1/4 inch diameter. the glass is 3/32 x 10 x 12. The zipped file is the stl

Thanks again, much appreciated

F4U · Feb 21, 2025

What you will be making is a reverse engineered copy of my old Century 10x12 hinged back contact frame. This is a work in progress. Although I do good work I would recommend that readers not make heir own till I have made a proof. Stand by. I'm working. I'll post the checked results directly.

BrianShaw · Feb 21, 2025

dpurdy said:
I've been printing platium/palladium for over 40 years and I have always used two pieces of quarter inch plate glass clamped together with industrial spring clamps. I don't know why anyone wants to use a wooden frame which is hard to get a tight register and often gives slivers of wood. If you are doing print out and need to examine the print you could clamp the top glass to a piece of wood that is in two parts.

Generally speaking, complete agreement. Yet, in the past I’ve used both 4x5 and 8x10 vintage printing frames to get clean borders. Works both ways, actually.

dpurdy · Feb 21, 2025

BrianShaw said:
Generally speaking, complete agreement. Yet, in the past I’ve used both 4x5 and 8x10 vintage printing frames to get clean borders. Works both ways, actually.

Currently I am masking my 8x10 negs off so that just the black border from the edge of the film prints. In order to do that I have to precisely lay the mat over the paper and neg. In a frame I would have to lay the mask down first then the neg and then put the bottom up coated paper down on it. It would be extremely difficult if not impossible to do that in a frame. But you do what you gotta do and it is great to love your tools.

Dan Pavel · Feb 21, 2025

I made my print frames out of Aluminum square tube section profiles linked in corners by their special corner pieces. Not that difficult to make them. They are quite solid. I've used some thicker glass for them and some hard plywood sheets on which I glued a sheet of cork. The great advantage of Al frames is that they can be used as paper presses, too.

F4U · Feb 21, 2025

I've finished the work. For the benefit of all, and for highest visibility in the search engines I will create a separate thread will all the pertinent files I generated, if the moderators allow.

koraks · Feb 21, 2025

F4U said:
I've finished the work. For the benefit of all, and for highest visibility in the search engines I will create a separate thread will all the pertinent files I generated, if the moderators allow.

Certainly! Please go ahead.

Don_ih · Feb 21, 2025

dpurdy said:
I've been printing platium/palladium for over 40 years and I have always used two pieces of quarter inch plate glass clamped together with industrial spring clamps. I don't know why anyone wants to use a wooden frame which is hard to get a tight register and often gives slivers of wood. If you are doing print out and need to examine the print you could clamp the top glass to a piece of wood that is in two parts.

That sounds like a great way to do it.

Anyone who knows how to make things out of wood won't make a frame that will give people splinters.

awty · Feb 21, 2025

dpurdy said:
I've been printing platium/palladium for over 40 years and I have always used two pieces of quarter inch plate glass clamped together with industrial spring clamps. I don't know why anyone wants to use a wooden frame which is hard to get a tight register and often gives slivers of wood. If you are doing print out and need to examine the print you could clamp the top glass to a piece of wood that is in two parts.

I need a hinged back to see how things are cooking in the sun....but essentially the same thing with a thick wooden hinged back.

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

Don_ih said:
That sounds like a great way to do it.

Anyone who knows how to make things out of wood won't make a frame that will give people splinters.

Make it out of hardwood.sand and finish with wax

Making a printing frame

nmp

Mainstays 8.5x11 Front Loading Document Picture Frame, Black - Walmart.com

Simpson Strong-Tie LSTA 1-1/4 in. x 9 in. 20-Gauge Galvanized Strap Tie LSTA9 - The Home Depot

Gary Hamilton

F4U

Attachments

BrianShaw

dpurdy

Dan Pavel

F4U

koraks

Moderator

Don_ih

awty

Gary Hamilton

Making a printing frame

Attachments

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency