Diploma Plaque - Anyone done this?

[chris64]

Have any of you mounted (not matted/framed) a diploma or a certificate onto a wooden plaque. The wood portion is straightforward, what I was interested in was how to get the diploma permanently mounted on the wood plaque. One option this company has on their website is to mount it behind Plexiglass with decorative screws. I think that would be pretty simple. I didn't know how well gluing the diploma directly to the plaque works.

Heres the link to what I was thinking about.

http://jimhenryinc.com/our-products/...-plaquing.aspx

I also found this on the web - but I wanted to see what you all thought.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5924306_atta...od-plaque.html

All suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.
Chris

[mnmphd]

Personally, I would refrain from any type of gluing or putting poly over the diploma. On some of my diplomas, part of the university is colored and gold leafed and I would be concerned how glue and/or poly would effect this.

You could use LUCITE, which I believe has some built in UV protection as a cover. Some double stick tape should hold the paper to the plaque so you don't have to rely solely on the friction of the wood/LUCITE sandwich.

I had my framed along with the ribbon my degree was tied with.

[cabinetman]

Using Plexiglas as a cover would be the easiest and fastest method. Cut it larger than the document, drill small holes in the corners, and use decorative fasteners.

The encased look is basically done with a pour on two part epoxy. A wet coat is brushed on the wood, and the edges of the wood, and the document is placed, and the air pressed out. Then the mix is poured on, and allowed to run off. A propane torch can be used to pass over the wet surface to raise any bubbles. When cured, the back is sanded smooth.

Using the Plexiglas will leave the document retrievable.
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[LCHIEN]

don't use any tape on the front or back of an important document unless its the archival, acid-free tape you find in art shops. The glue and chemicals may bleed thru the paper and damage your diploma.

Lucite and Plexiglas are both trade names for clear acrylic plastic. Ther are some UV-protective acrylics as someone mentioned, if you are worried abotu sunlight fading your diploma.


If you cut plexiglas, then the edges will be rough and unsightly unless you have a glass shop pfire-polish the edges to make them clear and smooth. The other option is to cut the plexiglass yourself and capture the edges in a dado or rabbet. Or buy the plexiglass prefinished in an frame shop/art store.

If you go to an hobby frame/art supplies store they may be able to give you some good advice and sell you all you need even if you make the frame/base yourself..

[cabinetman]

If you cut plexiglas, then the edges will be rough and unsightly unless you have a glass shop pfire-polish the edges to make them clear and smooth. The other option is to cut the plexiglass yourself and capture the edges in a dado or rabbet. Or buy the plexiglass prefinished in an frame shop/art store.

Fresh cut acrylic edges are rough. Flame polishing will create some distortion that is seen on the face. It creates a slightly raised edge. An easy DIY edge would be to scrape the edge with a card scraper, or a sharp chisel bevel up only on a pull stroke. The edge can be sanded up to 600x-800x with wet-or-dry. Then the edge can be buffed out with a buffing wheel and automotive rubbing compound to a high clear polish. No need to pay a glass shop.
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[phrog]

I had mine done professionally by the university from which I graduated. After about two or three years they turned very yellow. (They were not in direct sunlight.) Not sure if there was a rxn between chems and the paper or what happened. In any case, I'm not using them now anyway.

[drillman88]

I would probably use Lexan on this project. It comes in thin sheets that the borg will cut to your deminsions withh a razor knife. You can build a frame or do as cabman suggests with the fastners. I have never seen the Lexan degrade from uv light but I dont know if it will protect your document.
I used it on this picture frame I made for a friend http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=44602 It turned out well.
This may not be what your after but I hope it helps.

[LCHIEN]

Lexan (polycarbonate) is a superior material (and more expensive) to plexiglas (acrylic) in many ways but I don't think it has any benefit for this application.
Both come in thin sheets.

[drillman88]

Loring,
I was mentioning Lexan as an option because I have never seen it yellow or become brittle with age as I have seen with Plexiglass. I am also more familiar with it because I use it a great deal at work. It may not be make any difference on this application, but there are some projects where I find it very useful.
I am not sure of the difference in cost, but for a small project such as this I would think it would be minimal. On a larger project, I am sure that that would need to be looked into.

[cabinetman]

Loring,
I was mentioning Lexan as an option because I have never seen it yellow or become brittle with age as I have seen with Plexiglass.

I use quite a bit of sheet acrylic, and haven't noticed any discoloration in any of the major brands. If the material used is a cast material, it is top quality, and more than serviceable as a document cover. Some of the clear acrylic you see at the box store, or advertised may not be cast material. It may be clear and appear the same, but could be extruded sheet material or a styrene type sheet stock.
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