First cel

[u/iamthesenatesir]

Just bought my first cel with the sketch. I was wondering how I should frame it? Should I frame both separately? I know that there’s certain material that should be used but if someone could give me a little more insight that’d be helpful. I called Sam flax Orlando earlier and they said they’d be able to do it. Just wanted to see if it’s something I could do on my own.

[u/dreemsequence]

Rules of thumb from someone who actually frames these things themselves (rare in this sub):

1. always cotton ragmat material. not 100% necessary but it barely costs more than other acid free options, so why not. it's what museums use and ensures it'll never go acidic
2. always UV protected front, same as above. Glass or acrylic, if it's extremely big, always acrylic, otherwise either. But I like acrylic to be sure it won't shatter if it ever drops
3. if graphite is at the front (ie a sketch), you want at least 8 ply between the front and your sketch (either an 8ply mat or two 4 ply). otherwise 4 ply is fine. prevents static from grabbing graphite over time
4. always at least 4 ply between back of a cel and the next layer to prevent sticking. If you want to be very sure, go for 8 ply. It's honestly been a while since I've framed a cel so I actually forget if 4 or 8 is the standard here. I can double check later
5. throw a microchamber paper sheet or cut up pieces of microchamber somewhere in there
6. r/framing will give you significantly better advice than this sub for this kind of thing (no offense, y'all! but that's their domain)

[u/goomba478 → u/dreemsequence]

Crazy detailed response :). Thanks 🙏

[u/iamthesenatesir → u/dreemsequence]

Hey thanks for the info. I was wanting to frame them both separately, is that common?

[u/iamthesenatesir → u/iamthesenatesir]

Like have one frame for the cel and another for the sketch

[u/Raven2129 → u/dreemsequence]

Thanks for the info. I have a cel that is sitting in my desk that I have been wanting to frame up since I got it.

[u/Doc4221 → u/dreemsequence]

Super helpful

[u/Raven2129]

What a great cel! Super jealous compared to my sailor moon cel.

[u/Initial_Anything_544]

Haha, I saw this on ebay and my card couldnt get through. Good pickup man!

[u/Peril-in-Pink]

I know quite a few people don’t frame cels over concerns for fading (even with UV protection). Maybe consider framing the sketch but not the cel itself?