Fifteen Minutes of Frame
January 30, 2020 7:47 AM   Subscribe

"Unlike Fifty Shades of Grey, the topic of tilting picture frames is not discussed a lot on the web."
Over three blog posts, Craig Collins nerds out using geometry, calculus, and physics to figure out why hanging picture frames lean forward from the wall, and how to prevent them from doing so. Helpful diagrams and calculators included …

Part 1: Why Frames Tilt Forward
• Includes the Appendix: Calculating the Forward Tilt in a Frame Hanging on a Wall

Part 2: The “Hang It with Two Hooks” Calculator
• A more detailed look at the recommended 2-hook hanging method
• Includes the One-Hook/Two-Hook Frame Hanging Calculator

Part 3: The Physics of Hanging Pictures
• The role of physics in picture hanging, with examples
• A discussion of hardware and wire strength
• Includes the Picture Frame Safety Factor Calculator
posted by Kabanos (6 comments total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
Because pictures used to be hung high on walls and folks wanted to be able to see them?
posted by sixswitch at 8:42 AM on January 30, 2020


I love geeking out about details and the physics is a lot of fun. Thanks for posting it.

But. . . rubber bumpers have been around for about as long as rubber has been around. And there were wooden or felt posts before that. It's not too hard to provide multiple points of contact for a painting that keeps it flush with the wall. I'd agree this may be a more elegant solution. Whether or not it's easier depends on how many holes you want to drill and whether or not the artwork came with attached hardware already in place. (I'm also a bit skeptical that wall anchoring isn't more of an issue in the later parts, at least for people who live with drywall. Breaking wire isn't really high on the list of things i worry about when hanging heavy things.) Still, fun to read.
posted by eotvos at 8:47 AM on January 30, 2020 [1 favorite]


Just yesterday I spent 10 minutes tearing those diagonal leaning stands off the backs of a bunch of framed photos I was hanging. It leaves the hinge behind, but hammer that baby flat (gently--glass!) and you're good to go.
posted by gottabefunky at 11:01 AM on January 30, 2020


I like a little bit of tilt on artworks to reduce reflections and glare in galleries that have poorly controlled lighting. I wish you'd see this more often in collections that are in converted residences, for example, but it can be a problem in modern museums too.
posted by theory at 11:05 AM on January 30, 2020 [1 favorite]


Also: the issue of how even tiny increases in the width of the anchor points increases the load to an astonishing degree is well known to rock climbers.

When the angle formed by the slings is 60 degrees, the load on each equalized anchor is 58 percent. Increase that angle to 90 degrees, and the load on each anchor increases to 70 percent. Go up to 150 degrees, a realistic scenario if anchors are connected with short slings, and the load on each anchor can reach 200 percent!
posted by gottabefunky at 11:06 AM on January 30, 2020


I love angle. I love this post. I Frame and this fascinates. I received and restored some family pieces and a few had that long wire hanging. I even have an old picture of the picture, like three of them 3/3q in. of metal. Grandmother said it helped with tilt and pressure on the 19th plaster. And sorry but it took me a month to sit on the Davenport after hanging a 34 pound mirror above it.


Oddly, my Doc Savage tear-out always leans.
posted by clavdivs at 5:54 PM on January 30, 2020


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