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Overview.
The next step in the progress of your frame is to assemble the different components. This essentially entails, cleaning, fitting & sealing the different bits. Depending on what level of completion you are aiming for , you will find whether any of his information will apply to you. For instance if you are only having mats cut, you will not need to read any of this section.

5.1 Things you'll need.
To hinge in your picture you will need

Things that will be helpful.

Things you may need.

5.2 Cleaning the mat.
Most times you receive a mat from KIT frame it will be clean all ready. However if it isn't, or you get it grubby afterwards, you can clean most marks off. A notable exception to this is anything oily.

The easiest thing to do is rub the dirty mark with an good eraser. It should be noted however, that if the mark is something like a chip of crayon, you will end up with a long obvious smear.
If this doesn't work, some times a light scrape of a razor or rub of some sand paper will do the trick.
If you still aren't having any luck, you can always get another mat.

5.3 Cleaning the glass.
Once you have the mat back in tip top shape, you can start on the glass. Depending on the size of the frame, this can be a very difficult task to undertake, & you will want to be sure you are capable of completing the job before starting it.

The way we work when assembling most pictures is to stack all the flat components, including the glass, mat, foamcore, picture etc on top of each other, in the way they will finally be put into the frame. This gives some extra level of support to the glass & enables you to see what is going on as the frame comes together. Generally speaking it is a good idea to clean the glass with the picture facing you & the right way up, so you have that little extra safe guard in case you have put the picture in upside down or something similar.

Once you have all that covered it is just a manner of cleaning the glass with a standard glass cleaner & some kind of cloth or tissues. There are several professional glass cleaning cloths on the market, though we have found common cheap tissues to be the most economical & efficient.

Be careful, as the edges of the glass are razor sharp & will do you much damage if you are complacent.

If you do use tissues, don't use them in single sheets. You will find them un useful & dangerous, as they provide no resistance to cutting yourself on the sharp glass edges. Make a wad of tissues to clean with & you will find the going a lot easier.
There are several ways of making wads of tissues, each with it's own characteristics.

1. The scrunch.
Simply get some tissues & scrunch them into a ball.
This is fast & usable, though makes for un consistent thicknesses, that may be too thin in parts to stop you being cut on the glass edge.

2. The fold.
Lay sheets neatly on top of each other & fold them into a precise cleaning swab.
Though time consuming, the fold can have good results. Be careful that the wad doesn't come apart though, making your hand slip off over the glass edge.

3. The money bag.
Make a small scrunch, then keep layering new tissues on top of the old ones to keep it firm & usable.
Used well in various household tasks, the money bag is good for cleaning, waxing & polishing. It is quick to make & use & will provide good protection against glass penetration.

4. The cigar.
Start out with a thin, small scrunch & roll new sheets diagonally onto it. add new sheets as necessary until it becomes to large to use anymore.
Tricky to get the hang of, this method is the most efficient once mastered. Because it is about 3 times wider than the other wads, it can clean faster & better. It can also be used as a makeshift brush, to sweep away eraser waste & dust. It offers good protection against the glass edge, so long as you keep a hold of it.

5.4 Cleaning acrylic.
Acrylic or perspex should be provided wrapped in paper or plastic so that the under-lying surface is perfectly clean. However once this protective sheeting is removed, the perspex will build up a static charge & attract every spec of dust within 40 square miles.
If his is an issue for you there are several anti static liquids that you can "clean" your perspex with to dispel this charge. They tend to be expensive, & once you use them you will then have to do a thorough job of cleaning off the smear marks they leave behind.

To remove the protective sheeting you can simply tug at it until it peels off. Another more controlled method is to use an empty picture tube or broom handle & wrap the paper around it. Start on one corner & twist the tube much like opening a sardine can until your perspex is totally uncovered.

5.5 Flipping the glass.

Once one side of the glass is clean, the next job is obviously to do the other side. This can easily result in broken glass & blood, so be very careful & pay close attention to what you are doing.

With anything of large size it is a good idea to clean the glass standing up in the frame for support. This is not the however best way to do it & may give you inferior results, though it will decrease your chances of breaking the glass.

5.5.1
When dealing with manageable sizes of glass there are a few simple steps that should get the sheet flipped with little fuss. The first is to slide the glass about 20mm off the boards underneath it toward you.

5.5.2
Next lift the glass from the edge closest to you, so it rotates on the furthest axis, until the sheet is pointing straight up in the air.

5.5.3
Then perhaps with the use of gloves, lift the sheet straight up in the air. Once the sheet is in the air bring it toward you & place it down on your bench parallel with the underlying boards.

5.5.4
Slowly lower the glass, rotating it about the axis closest to you until it is sitting flat on the boards again. Straighten everything up & your ready to clean the other side which will now be facing up.

5.6 Fitting the package.
The package is what we refer to as the slab of sheets that will be put into the frame. It includes the backing, the picture, any mats & the glass.

5.6.1
The first thing to do when fitting your package is to put the frame, right side up on top of all your other components to check it all fits. Everything should be a little loose, though not so loose as they may fall out of the frame. Give the frame a little wobble around & look out for anything that seems too loose or too tight.

5.6.2
If everything fits OK ( it should ) slide your fingers under the frame to push the package firmly up into the frame. If this is difficult slide the whole caboodle towards you until some of it is protruding beyond the bench top so you can get under it properly.

5.6.3
Now slide your fingers until they are half way up the sides of each vertical frame piece.

5.6.4
Tilt the frame so it is vertical, while keeping pressure on the package so it stays firmly in place.

5.6.5
Now take a moment to check that no specks of dust have made it between the glass & make sure that everything is sitting the way it is supposed to be & looks just right.

5.6.6
As the front of the frame should now be facing you the right way up. Lift & push the bottom backwards while tilting the top forwards & down. Your frames should now be sitting flat & upside down with all the bits you want in place.
This method is safer & more thorough than just putting the package in the frame up side down.

5.7 Fixing the package.
Now the package is in place, you have to keep it there. KIT frame offers several different methods to do this & each has different characteristics.

5.7.1
Staple guns can hold everything in place nicely & are a very quick way of doing things. Standard manual guns however are not much use as they generally have a wider staple than is ideal & lack the dexterity of custom machines. There are electric & pneumatic versions of these guns, though each are expensive & you must have the high turnover to warrant them.

5.7.2
Point drivers are similar to staple guns except that they fire a point of rigid or flexible metal that is flat & not much like a staple in appearance. Because they have a flexible variant, they can be more conducive to multiple assemblies. Although if you want to take them apart on a regular basis, you should consider turn buttons.
We can hire out flexi point guns for those who wish to use them.

5.7.3
Turn buttons are small fittings that are screwed into the back of a frame to keep the package in. They are time consuming to install, though are the only way to go if you are going to be taking your frame apart al the time.

5.7.4
Hammer & nails were the mainstay of the picture framing industry years ago, & are still an economical, if not a little tricky way to fix your package into a frame.

5.7.5
Glaziers points are another method that pushed a small fitting into the frame.

Whenever fixing the package into the frame there are a few key points to consider in order for your work flow to move smoothly.

5.7.6
If you put any pressure directly onto the backing board of your frame you may make yourself some trouble.
In the first instance, you might exert enough weight to bend the glass past its breaking point.
In the second, you may squeeze all the air out of the small spaces within the package. This in itself is not a problem. Though when that pressure is released it sucks the air back in. This is also not a problem, except that this new air can carry with it dust & other undesirable things that can get in under the glass, & make you have to take the picture apart again.

5.7.7
Make sure the frame is thick enough to take what you are going to be putting into it. It is no good hammering a 20mm nail into a 10mm frame.

5.7.8
Nearly all frames need some kind of lateral support when you are hammering or firing into them. Place a secured wood block or a sturdy hand on the outer side of the frame to ensure it doesn't come apart.
If you are simply going to hold the frame with your hands, don't put them directly on the other side of where you are putting the fastener. If you do this & absent mindedly put in some staples that are too big, you will find yourself bonding with your frame on an unhealthy level.

5.7.9
When using staples, try to fire them through the backing a little so that they perform a gripping action above their primary role. This is especially useful on large frames that have thin mouldings.

5.7.10
Depending on the size & weight of the picture , you should try to put in a fitting every 70mm or so. This is a general rule of thumb & can be stretched to either extreme to make a very strong or weak framing job.

5.8 Sealing the package.
Now you have everything firmly affixed where you want it, the time comes to seal up the back of your frame. There are 2 main methods of doing this.
The first is to glue or tape a paper sheet across the back to make 1 neat surface. This is a tricky procedure that does give good results.
The second way is simply to tape up the gap between the foamcore backing & the frame. This gives good results & is a much quicker & sturdier method than the one mentioned above. There is not too much to this procedure, & indeed many frames that are going to be taken apart do not need it at all.
This description is perhaps a little too in depth for what is essentially sticky taping up a gap in your frame. Though its worth a read & a practice before you find out what is most comfortable for you.

5.8.1
The first thing to do is to choose the correct width of tape. Essentially this means using a tape thick enough to reach from the outer back edge of the frame, to about 20mm in over the foamcore. Deep frames may therefore need thicker tape & small frames will only need thin tape. It may even be that you might need to double up several strips of tape in order to achieve the required effect.

5.8.2
Next you put a run of tape down the back of one of the lengths of moulding, about 3mm in from the outer edge.

5.8.3
Then slice the tape off with a blade, again, about 3mm from the frame outer edge.

5.8.4
If the back of your frame is flush with the foamcore, you can skip this step.
Cut a slice across the tape. near its end, where it is stuck a little onto one of the other pieces of the frame. The cut needs to run along the inner edge on the back of this other bit of moulding, until you hit the main piece you have stuck the tape onto in step 5.8.2. Once this is done, do the same to the other end of the tape.

5.8.5
Repeat these steps on 2 opposite facing lengths of frame

5.8.6
Then run the 3rd length of tape across one of the 2 un taped pieces of timber the same way as in 5.8.2.

5.8.7
If the back of your frame is flush with the foamcore, you can skip this step.
Repeat the actions described in 5.8.4, Paying close attention so that you do not cut through the tape you have already put down. You may have to angle your blade or come at the frame from a slightly different angle to avoid this. If you do cut a hole accidentally, you can patch it up with a small sliver of some more tape. You shouldn't leave gaps open, as dust can get in & dirty your picture.

5.8.8
Repeat these steps until you have your frame fully sealed. You have now assembled your picture & are ready to put on the hangers.

Quick check.
Things you'll need.
Cleaning the mat.
Cleaning the glass.
Cleaning Acrylic.
Flipping the glass.
Fitting the package.
Fixing the package.
Sealing the package.