Tips on Shadow Box Construction
#6
Hello fellow Woodnetters!

I have been asked to make a shadow box for a friend who is retiring from over 30-years in law enforcement. I have a plan for the aesthetic design of the face of the frame, but I am a bit lost on the rest. I will be using a piece of 1/8" thick tempered glass. The dimension of the box will be 15" x 15". My questions center on everything that happens behind the glass.

1. How much depth will be needed behind the badges for matting? I Can figure out the depth needed between the glass an the badges, but not sure about about all of the stuff on which the badges are secured.

2. How do I secure the matting so that it stays in the frame?

I am sure I will have more questions as the day goes on, but that is a good start!

Thank you!

Andy
I am quickly realizing that I have NO natural talent... But I am trying to fake it.
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#7
Conservation glass that blocks UV to help prevent fading - get it from a frame shop

Everything in the frame should be conservation grade - non acidic - wood is acidic, nothing should touch wood

All items should be mounted using reversible methods - sewing - no gluing unless conservation techniques like rice starch paste

You can cut a slot under the rabbet to hold the glass and build the frame around the glass or you can put the glass in the rabbet and build a spacer frame to hold the glass against the rabbet. Then have another rabbet to hold the mats and backing board

Or you can put the mats up against the glass and then add spacers putting the mounting board further back - referred to as a sink mat.

The frame is the last thing to make after the design is complete and everything is mounted

Yes, a good shadow box which will preserve what's in it is complicated
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#8
When I build military / law enforcement shadow boxes, I wrap the backing of choice around a piece of high density foam and secure the back.  If there are patches or shoulder flashes involved, they can be sewn into place once location has been determined, or your "recipient" can pin them in place when he determines his layout.

By using the foam, you have your insulation from the wood, nothing is permanent, and you leave the depth between the glass and display up to the recipient.  Some like a deeper box than others.  You can also simply make the sides aesthetically pleasing in width, then adjust the thickness of your foam for depth or proper spacing of the display.  HTH.

The other advantage is the foam insert is easily removed to change the display or even replace the background.  I often use uniform blouse material as the matting.  Has worked well.so far.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#9
(03-31-2019, 07:23 AM)BrokenOlMarine Wrote: When I build military / law enforcement shadow boxes, I wrap the backing of choice around a piece of high density foam and secure the back.  If there are patches or shoulder flashes involved, they can be sewn into place once location has been determined, or your "recipient" can pin them in place when he determines his layout.

By using the foam, you have your insulation from the wood, nothing is permanent, and you leave the depth between the glass and display up to the recipient.  Some like a deeper box than others.  You can also simply make the sides aesthetically pleasing in width, then adjust the thickness of your foam for depth or proper spacing of the display.  HTH.

The other advantage is the foam insert is easily removed to change the display or even replace the background.  I often use uniform blouse material as the matting.  Has worked well.so far.

When I built this for my Mom to house my Step Dad's Military Ribbons and Flag, I used plexiglass so my Mom would never have to worry about breaking any glass.

[Image: cr=w:1600,h:1000,a:cc]

[Image: cr=w:1600,h:1000,a:cc]

I used 1/4 inch hardboard for the back of the case.

John
Formerly known as John's Woodshop
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#10
(03-30-2019, 05:00 PM)bandsaw Wrote: Conservation glass that blocks UV to help prevent fading - get it from a frame shop

Everything in the frame should be conservation grade - non acidic - wood is acidic, nothing should touch wood

All items should be mounted using reversible methods - sewing - no gluing unless conservation techniques like rice starch paste

You can cut a slot under the rabbet to hold the glass and build the frame around the glass or you can put the glass in the rabbet and build a spacer frame to hold the glass against the rabbet. Then have another rabbet to hold the mats and backing board

Or you can put the mats up against the glass and then add spacers putting the mounting board further back - referred to as a sink mat.

The frame is the last thing to make after the design is complete and everything is mounted

Yes, a good shadow box which will preserve what's in it is complicated

I used to own a frame shop and I agree with the above.  

Keeping in mind that frame shops typically only own two pieces of woodworking equipment (a miter saw, and and underpinner), and that limited the approach to shadow boxes.  I had my home shop so that added to the mix, but I rarely made things that required my home shop.

A few further things to consider.  

1.  A always included a cut mat with shadow boxes.  The cut mat was backed by a cut foam core with a window about 1/2" larger than the mat's window so that the foam core would not show when viewed on an angle.    The mat made a more impressive presentations in my opinion, and it hid the spacers needed to secure the glass to the rabbet.  

2.  My spacers were made from foamcore and covered with the same mat board used to make the front mat.

3.  I liked deep window boxes with the "art" suspended away from the back mat board.  The maximum miter depth for my sliding table miter saw was 3¼ and that was my go-to for shadow boxes.  I've never seen the rear of a police badge so  I  will reserve mounting suggestions until the O.P. posts an image.

4.  Tempered glass in unneccessary.  Just make sure that you mount the shadow box securely to the wall.  I doubt that badges will fade, so I don't think conservation glass (UV resistant glass) is required.  If there are ribbons included, then conservation glass would be a good idea.

One of the problems with shadow boxes is that they leave the art in a shadow.  I resolved that on my last few shadow boxes by cutting a narrow window in the molding above the art and putting in a window made from fresnel plastic (flat magnifiers).  The flat magnifier will focus the light at a specific distance.  With some experimentation I was able to get fresnel screens that focused the light at the correct distance for the art.  The stuff is fairly cheap and easily cut to size.  The harder part is making the "window".  I drilled two large holes in the molding and connected the holes by cutting the material between them away.  I stained the removed areas to match the color of the prefinished molding.  I glued the fresnel screen with a strong adhesive from the inside and cut away the foam core and mat board to allow the light to come in.  

If the OP will post an image of the rear of the badges I can suggest ways to mount the badges.  

Shadow boxes always carried a premium price.  It always involved more labor, but each process was fairly simple.

As an addendum, do not source any framing materials from Michael's art supply.  They use some Chinese sourced mat board that may not be to American standards for acid neutrality.  Stick  with Crescent or Bainbridge (now Nielson-Bainbridge).  There are other satisfactory manufacturers but these are the only two I have experience with.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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