Sportsframe
5 Nene Court
The Embankment
Wellingborough
NN8 1LD
Football Shirt Framing
Sportsframe believes the key principal behind conservation framing is that the framer's role is to encase and preserve the item while leaving it's original condition unchanged. For this reason, all our framers are qualified Guild Commended Framers and experts in conservation techniques.
The main threats to shirts and textiles that cause them to deteriorate are UV light, humidity, insects, air pollutants and the quality of materials touchng and in close contact with the shirts. To this end, the minimum standards from a Sportsframe framed item are:
Shirts are hand-stitched onto PH neutral mountboards using 100% cotton threads.
Recessed box frame techniques allow the shirt to "breathe". This stops the build up of moisture within the shirt, and with it fungal growth.
Brass fixings are used which allow easy access to the shirt if required.
Each frame has a nylon coated steel hanging wire system and cork buffers to the rear of the frame which allow air to circulate and prevents dampness from the wall reaching the shirt.
When an item is particularly valuable or fragile, the following museum standard upgrades should be considered:
Cotton museum mountboard that is made from 100% virgin cotton fibre. Most museum board is buffered with calcium carbonate to render it alkaline. This is a precaution against hostile environments and helps retard natural ageing processes.
Museum glass ,which filters in excess of 97% of UV light, cuts down surface reflection to around 1% and presents a beautifully clarified image.
Old fabric is a haven for dust mites and other insects. These need to be eradicated as much as possible prior to framing. This is done using a freeze drying technique.
Typical dimensions for an unfolded shirt can be 3.5ft x 3ft (107cm x 92cm) with a depth of 4" (10cm). Where space is a premium, an alternative can be to fold the shirt which reduces the overall size of the frame.
