Wooden or leather portfolio case

[Nasser]

Dear all,

I have my platinum and palladium prints, mounted for presenting, the size of the print with the mound is 16"x23". I am trying to find a wooden flat case or leather one to store these prints as a portfolio, am looking for really special ones.

Any comments would help

Nasser

[jonreid]

These are cloth covered but still quite nice.
http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_5/section5_17.htm

[jonreid]

Or get a furniture maker to make some for you...

[Jim Noel]

Neither wood nor leather for long time storage. Get an archival portfolio box.

[John Kasaian]

How about a saddle maker? A tooled leather case would be pretty unique!
But for what purpose? For showing your work to clients I'd think the less distraction the better
For your own pleasure, why not see if a leather crafts store has a kit and assemble/tool it yourself?
Some airline pilots get chart cases custom made (I think Captain Scotty made, or used to make them) You might ask any professional pilots you know where they get their chart cases.
For wood, you might gift your local high school wood shop teacher a box of doughnuts or perhaps favorite beverage along with a "pretty please."

[Tri Tran]

Here are my custom made portfolio cases for my work. All prints are matted 20x24. It can hold 15 mounted prints and ready to go anytime. I love wood so this works for me perfectly.

http://imageshack.us/a/img209/8535/img2271j.jpg


Dear all,

I have my platinum and palladium prints, mounted for presenting, the size of the print with the mound is 16"x23". I am trying to find a wooden flat case or leather one to store these prints as a portfolio, am looking for really special ones.

Any comments would help

Nasser

[John Kasaian]

Beautiful, Tri!
What keeps the chain from abrading your fine prints when the portfolio is closed?

[Tri Tran]

Beautiful, Tri!
What keeps the chain from abrading your fine prints when the portfolio is closed?

The inside case is actually a little bigger than 20x24 so the chain will fall in the gap when you close it. The chain is light so I'm not worry too much.

[Tin Can]

Very nice cases Tri Tran, the chain wood worry me. (pun intended)

I just opened some 15 year old archival cardboard photo boxes today and everything is just as I left it. Perfect.

I need to get ready for my next project, I forgot to budget for storage.

I like those boxes. What sort of finish is inside the box?



The inside case is actually a little bigger than 20x24 so the chain will fall in the gap when you close it. The chain is light so I'm not worry too much.

[Tri Tran]

Thanks Randy, they are all wood finished inside out.


Very nice cases Tri Tran, the chain wood worry me. (pun intended)

I just opened some 15 year old archival cardboard photo boxes today and everything is just as I left it. Perfect.

I need to get ready for my next project, I forgot to budget for storage.

I like those boxes. What sort of finish is inside the box?

[Tin Can]

What I meant was what kind of wood finish, a lacquer, or wax, or oil or? Thinking about outgassing.


Thanks Randy, they are all wood finished inside out.

[Jim Andrada]

If it were me I wouldn't use ANY finish - they all outgas to some degree. But then again, so does the wood (or there wouldn't be any odor to it.) We once upon a time had two Great Danes (total 415 pounds) and they used to get under the dining table and "outgas" like mad. Didn't seem to peel my photos off their mounts though.

The cases look really nice though.

[Tri Tran]

These are birch wood stained cherry and finished with clear coat . I'm not a wood worker so I don't know exactly the process but the finish looks just like my Brazilian Cherry Hardwood floor .

[Tin Can]

Thanks Tri Tran!


These are birch wood stained cherry and finished with clear coat . I'm not a wood worker so I don't know exactly the process but the finish looks just like my Brazilian Cherry Hardwood floor .

[Tri Tran]

Thanks Tri Tran!
You are so welcome!

[Nasser]

Thank you all for the big help! Nice case Tri!

[Drew Wiley]

Museum solander cases are typically something like basswood, but internally overlaid with a thick acid-free white liner. You can get these with carrying handles too.
Making your own might be a fun project, but you do have to be aware of not only acid migration from the wood itself, but outgassing of finishes, outgassing of formaldehyde in the case of plywoods, and outgassing of natural resins, esp with tropical hardwoods. The best barrier coating would be a true shellac sealer (don't confuse shellac with varnish or lacquer). I use a pre-thinned version of this called Seal Coat. After that you have your choice of a tougher final finish, but if you go oil-based, you'll need literally months for it to truly outgas. Better to use an acrylic hybrid finish like Utra Zar Max. For the inside of the case you can cut white archival board with you matcutting machine, and again, want to be conscious to use an appropriate glue without either any sulphur or formaldehyde. Art conservation houses can supply all the speciality materials, or sometimes a really big art store.

[Flauvius]

Tri, what is the name and address of the maker of your fine print storage cases?

Flauvius

[Drew Wiley]

Yes... those cases are fairly attractive. I'd select a thin finish ply, maybe with an African maghog top ply, appropriately finished. I have all the equip to crank those
kind of things out, but no time. But makes me think, since I need a lot more cases myself. Don't want to go into detail, since I sell high-end woodworking equip and
don't want a conflict of interest. Another project for the retirement checklist... if I ever get to retire (yeah...from this job, but getting past the honey-do list is another topic)...

[Tri Tran]

Tri, what is the name and address of the maker of your fine print storage cases?

Flauvius

I'm so sorry that he no longer lives in the state. He's now in Argentina. His specialty was fine furniture and Cabinetry and that's what I hired him for our house and office remodel. These cases are the bonus that that he gave me for all the good business.

[Drew Wiley]

You're not going to save a dime having a custom solander box made, even if you make it yourself; more likely, you're going to end up paying a lot more. But you could obtain something different looking that way. One time I did trade a print for a very nice big custom hardwood flat file cabinet. But naturally, most people who offer such services need the cash themselves. But it doesn't hurt to try.

[Bob Salomon]

Here are my custom made portfolio cases for my work. All prints are matted 20x24. It can hold 15 mounted prints and ready to go anytime. I love wood so this works for me perfectly.

http://imageshack.us/a/img209/8535/img2271j.jpg

What does one of these cases weigh when filled with 15 mounted prints?

[Tri Tran]

What does one of these cases weigh when filled with 15 mounted prints?

I haven't weighted yet but assuming is about 15 lbs .

[Drew Wiley]

The weight issue is why various kinds of cases in museums, whether for art or scientific collections (like bug n' butterflies) were traditional made of basswood.
But since basswood is now scarce and expensive, they're more likely to use an uglier lightwt substitute like ramin or poplar then overlay it with finish paper. Cherry
wood is fairly light and also mills well, but is more costly than the ugly stuff. Ltwt plys with a hardwood veneer would also be candidates, but you've got to be
careful, because some of the "green" ones without nasty glue have relatively weak cores, while traditional fin plys still tend to contain a lot of formaldehyde in the
glue. I'll ask a few questions about current hardwd ply options once our plywood/hardwood specialty salesman shows up (who also happens to be a print collector!).