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220 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago, IL 60604
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The Velvet Hammer's Retirement Gift Shadowbox



One of the senior staff at a Chicago Loop law firm was retiring and one of the principals came in with an idea for a humorous, but respectful, presentation frame. He had a claw hammer with him and asked me to frame it with a silver engraved plate with the retiree's name and her sobriquet "The Velvet Hammer." The frame is Larson-Juhl 146790 Gramercy matte black with silver edges. I used anti-reflective glass and Crescent 5506 Night Sky black suede matting for the shadowbox. Here are some details:



Note that we used clear mylar straps at various points to secure the hammer without obscuring the object itself. One was used on the hammer head, several on the handle.



We used "Wall Buddies" on the back of the frame to hang this heavy shadowbox. Works great!

Design, execution and photos by Brian D. Flax, CPF

Images shown by kind permission of Mr. Martin Dickman.