Featured project: the hunting knife

One of the things I love about being a framer is the challenges I am presented with every now and then, so when one of my regular customers came to me with a very beautiful hunting knife he’d received as a gift and asked if I would be able to frame it, of course I said yes.

He asked if I'd done anything like it before, I said no, but I have access to lots of framers who will have done something similar, so I will find out the best way to do it and get back to you with a quote. He’s always been delighted with work I've done for him previously, so he just smiled and said, "Just do whatever you think. I'll look forward to seeing it."

The knife is heavy and very sharp with the most beautiful patina on the blade, which was to be displayed outside of the sheath. The sheath would be easy to mount because it has a belt loop on the back.

Careful research of framing methods

My two points for reference and research are: The Guild framers forum and the Women of Picture Framing group on Facebook. Most of the ladies are very experienced, from the US, where they frame lots of hunting, shooting, fishing and sporting memorabilia. The ladies suggested Melinex or Mylar (same thing). Ian Kenny suggested N52 magnets and Jo Palmer also suggested Melinex. I ordered 2 small magnets and discovered I already had some Melinex.

Secure mounting with Melinex and magnets

I did a dry run with a scrap piece of mountboard with a hole cut to hold the magnet, slots for the Melinex and holes for some strong nylon thread for extra support. It all held very well so I removed the nylon thread because it really didn’t make any difference. The Melinex is very strong at 75 micron and the magnets are super-strong. I worked out that the magnets would be more secure if I scooped out the mountboard without going right through, place one magnet in the scoop and the other one on the back of the mountboard to hold it in place. I also put a layer of cling film between the magnet and the blade, as a precaution, to stop it from marking the blade. It all worked perfectly and my customer is delighted with the result.

You can see a larger image of the beautifully framed knife here.

See my earlier Bill Shankley Letter project here.