our studio panels
How they are manufactured
Pictureframes.co.uk who manufacture many of the Square & Golden Products, first developed the technique above for making box frames. It was possible using the technique to make a very strong but light box structure to fit in the back of a frame for object framing. The process is still in regular use for this purpose.
A great customer and friend of Pictureframes, Maaike Pope Zurcher saw one of these boxes in the workshop one day and commented that it would make a great surface to paint on. The rest is history -Thank you Maaike!!
HOW OUR STUDIO PANELS ARE MADE
S&G Studio Panels are made from 6mm MEDITE PREMIER. MEDITE SMARTPLY, based in Clonmel in Ireland, was the only FSC® certified manufacturer of MDF in the world when we started making the panels.
Step 1
The panel blanks are cut to size using a computerized beam saw for total accuracy. We then V-groove them to within 0.6mm of going through – this depth has to be exact in order for the process to work. Note that this V-groove will end up on the back of the panel so, unlike any competing product there will be no join on the surface or sides of the finished product.
Step 2
After the panels have been V-grooved, we cut the corners out which allows us to fold the MDF into a five sided box.
Step 3
We now make the sub-frames out of FSC® certified finger-jointed pine to fit perfectly inside the back of the panel. The panel would still be very strong without this but this sub-frame facilitates hanging or fitting into a floating frame.
Step 4
Now we apply glue into the V-grooves and fold the panel up around the subframe where it is clamped until the glue sets.
Step 5
Finally, we spray a white primer onto the back of the panel to prevent moisture ingress from the rear. After a light sand and labelling, this is the raw panel complete or ready to start the gesso process for a gessoed panel.
And here is one of Maaike’s works on a Traditional Gesso Studio Panel
