Idea: acrylic glass instead of poster frames?

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Yo so I finally have a new flat with enough space to hang up my beloved arcade posters, but I'd like to have the more valuable ones protected. Since I'm a stingy bastard and those pesky japanese Posters have strange formats (fuck you B1) getting frames is not an option.

Here's an idea though: since acrylic glass is pretty cheap here in Germany and you can even get it cut to size for free in German DIY stores (flexibility! think of those wall scrolls format that some arcade Posters come in), I've been thinking I might simply be able to sandwich them between two big sheets of acrylic glass held together with screws. If I add spacers to the backs I could even put LED strips behind them and illuminate the posters?

What do you guys think of this idea, has anyone maybe tried anything similar (and failed)?

[MintyTheCat]

Yo so I finally have a new flat with enough space to hang up my beloved arcade posters, but I'd like to have the more valuable ones protected. Since I'm a stingy bastard and those pesky japanese Posters have strange formats (fuck you B1) getting frames is not an option.

Here's an idea though: since acrylic glass is pretty cheap here in Germany and you can even get it cut to size for free in German DIY stores (flexibility! think of those wall scrolls format that some arcade Posters come in), I've been thinking I might simply be able to sandwich them between two big sheets of acrylic glass held together with screws. If I add spacers to the backs I could even put LED strips behind them and illuminate the posters?

What do you guys think of this idea, has anyone maybe tried anything similar (and failed)?

To be honest if you have a look in Repo the frames are pretty cheap.

Plus, when we are talking a couple of Euro is it really worth the effort and hassle and potential to have a pile of tacky crap as picture frames for those cherished images?

I have framed a few of my Shmup related flyers and posters using all manner of frames found in Germany and never spent too much cash.

LED strips are easy to buy but I personally would simply use a battery as a power source.
Have a look on EBay for those strips.
Because it is Halloween every day at my house I have lots of Pumpkin lights that give a nice glow to the images on my walls.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Yeah, I've thought about battery-powered LED strips as well. That way, you don't have cables running to the poster frames.
Anyway thanks for the tip, I checked out Repo, but according to their search function
http://www.repo-markt.de/artikelsuche/search/
(I searched for "Rahmen") the biggest ones they have are 60 x 80 cm, which is much too small for B1 Posters... do you know any other German shops that sell the huge frames B1 requires? I mean I have nothing against getting sturdy proper poster frames, but I won't pay 60 dorars for one... also, I'm liking the idea of having my posters illuminated from the back more and more.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

[MintyTheCat]

Yeah, I've thought about battery-powered LED strips as well. That way, you don't have cables running to the poster frames.
Anyway thanks for the tip, I checked out Repo, but according to their search function
http://www.repo-markt.de/artikelsuche/search/
(I searched for "Rahmen") the biggest ones they have are 60 x 80 cm, which is much too small for B1 Posters... do you know any other German shops that sell the huge frames B1 requires? I mean I have nothing against getting sturdy proper poster frames, but I won't pay 60 dorars for one... also, I'm liking the idea of having my posters illuminated from the back more and more.... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Are they all B1? For certain sizes outside the norm you tend to be looking at a custom option and then it can get expensive quickly unless you can cut a deal with someone who happens to have the tools and expertise.

Yes, that would be more like a kind of art gallery/museum kind of thing - I like it.

Best idea might be to search around a bit and get some quotes and see how much it will cost to get custom made frames and then work out if you could do the same job and how much it would cost you.

To be honest though I never had good results using acrylic; it does something to the light and it just looks terrible to my eye. All my frames use glass and apart from one breakage I have not had any issues with them.

Definitely try out your ideas with a small scale image first and hang it on the wall to see if it looks good enough though as a mock up before putting down serious cash.

[Strikers1945guy]

By acrylic glass do you mean plexiglass? I saw once Dave K. cut plexiglass to fit over the front and back of some cave posters and then used clips to hold the front and back pieces together snug. Looked like a slick cheaper option. I found his old arcade blog but the pictures don't seem to be working unfortunately.

Edit - Yeah sorry seems they are the same thing. It sounds like a good idea. Not sure how you could cut the stuff nicely maybe with a bandsaw and then gently sand the edges down so they are smooth.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

There is UV protective glass, but it is unfortunately costly.
All good frame shops will have it.

[PAPER/ARTILLERY]

I used to make acrylic 'sandwich' blocks as part of my job, we laminated the prints and pressed them between two sheets of acrylic. Absolute nightmare to make without getting air bubbles or dust in there but they looked fantastic and you could mount them so the fixings were invisible. Simply jamming a print between two sheets and screwing it together looks okay but I think you're better off with a nice, minimal frame for what it's worth.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Thanks guys for all the input. Paid a visit to my local Bauhaus/ DIY store and was shocked to see that prices for plexiglass have risen a ton since I last bought some for my homemade cab. I think I'll try it out with a Din A4 poster/ flyer first and see how it goes.