The right frame and the right glass can turn any work of art on the wall into a real eye-catcher - regardless of whether it's an expensive original or your grandchild's self-painted picture. Pictures deserve the right protection from dirt, mechanical damage and above all from the effects of climate and light. HALBE offers different glass qualities of leading international glassworks, which meet the different requirements regarding colour reproduction, reflection, break resistance and UV protection. Private individuals, industrial companies, public institutions as well as museums, collections and galleries all over the world entrust HALBE-frames with their works of art.
With the right frame an eye catcher for generations
There are many reasons to frame a picture, a photograph or a graphic. It is only through individual framing and glazing that any work of art really comes into its own on the wall or sideboard and can be preserved in its original condition for generations. The choice of glass plays a role that should not be underestimated. It not only protects the picture from soiling, mechanical damage, climatic and light influences, but should also guarantee a faithful representation of the colours and have good anti-reflective properties.
The right picture glass for the perfect view
Everyone is familiar with the situation where the incoming light causes unpleasant reflections and flare on the picture. With the right choice of picture frame glass, this effect can be avoided. "Not all glass is the same," emphasizes David HALBE, managing director of HALBE-Rahmen GmbH. "We therefore carry a variety of different glass qualities from international glassworks, such as SCHOTT AG or Tru Vue Inc. To make it easier to choose the right glass, we have set up a knowledge area that ensures a quick overview of the various properties of the glasses and provides many tips and recommendations on the subject of framing." Click here to go to the knowledge area.
Acrylic or mineral glass
First and foremost, a distinction is made between acrylic and mineral glass when choosing glazing. Acrylic glass, often called PLEXIGLAS®, has the advantage over mineral glass primarily of being unbreakable and much lighter in weight. It is softer than mineral glass and therefore more sensitive to scratches. Consequently, acrylic glass should only be maintained with an antistatic cleaning agent for plastics. "We only use 3 mm thick PLEXIGLAS® from Evonik Röhm GmbH. It is preferred for touring exhibitions, where the weight-related transport savings and break resistance justify the somewhat higher acquisition costs," says David Halbe.
On the other hand, mineral glass has the advantage over plastic glass that it is cheaper, airtight, acid-resistant and easier to clean because it has a much harder insensitive surface. A fundamental disadvantage, however, is that it is heavier and easily breakable. For this reason, all glass from HALBE also has a thickness of at least 2.5 mm and is therefore more stable than commercially available 2.0 mm thick panes.
Different types of glass for optimal protection and presentation
HALBE-frames carries different glass qualities of the highest quality for different requirements, regardless of whether normal, white, museum or safety glass is desired. The glass qualities differ essentially in their colour rendering, image brilliance, reflection, UV resistance and conservation properties. Normal glass offers HALBE frames in a thickness of 2.5 mm in both matt and gloss. It is particularly suitable for framing works of art without high demands on UV protection, security and excellent image presentation.
The "all-rounder" is white glass, which shows off works of art to their best advantage thanks to its very good colour rendition and incomparable transparency.
For the demands of conservation framing, the anti-reflective museum glass is recommended, which guarantees a true-to-the-original presentation of photographs, paintings or lithographs with excellent contour sharpness and impressive contrasts with a UV protection of 82 percent. "For exhibits that are particularly worthy of protection, we recommend using Optium Museum Acrylic glass. It is an acrylic glass that is anti-reflective, shatterproof and scratch-resistant, and also protects against UV radiation. It is the ideal solution for aesthetically demanding works of art that need to be conserved," stresses David Halbe.
Masterful picture glazing
Nothing is left to chance in the manufacture of HALBE frames. Best quality combined with high-class workmanship are the be-all and end-all for the more than 50-strong team. Each frame and each glazing are manufactured at the production site in Kirchen in Rhineland-Palatinate according to the highest quality standards, regardless of whether it is a standard size or a custom-made product. The edges of the glass are always ground to avoid the risk of cuts and chipping. Before being placed in a frame or shipped individually, each pane of glass is washed and dried using a special process.
Back to nature with photographs
A few weeks ago, the Phillips in London(www.phillips.com) presented the exhibition "Down to Earth" by renowned photographer Denis Piel(www.denispiel.com). On display were over 40 photographs, all thematically dealing with sustainable living in nature. When it came to the framing, Denis Piel was particularly concerned that the frames should support the straightforward and simple presentation of the impressive photography and that the colour reproduction and image brilliance should not be disturbed by reflections on the glass. Denis Piel therefore decided in favour of white glass with a fine matt finish on one side. The incomparable transparency - without colour distortion - shows works of art to their best advantage and, compared to other matt glasses, it offers significantly better contour sharpness and contrast with good anti-reflective properties.
