Gluing and framing a 9000-piece jigsaw

Posted by busymom0 3 days ago

Gluing and framing a 9000-piece jigsaw(river.me)

54 points | 14 comments

x______________ 5 hours ago|

While I've done this in the past and it was a fun activity and a nice decoration on our wall, the sheer size of this article's puzzle compared to the author is not what you'd expect!

adornKey 1 hour ago||

People in jigsaw forums usually recommend using transparent latex binder for glue. This is easy to use on top (use transparent binder!) and works great. I glued Educas Borras Life with it (24.000 pieces). Applying the glue on top is best. Anything on the backside is too much work.

As a warning I'd recommend to stay away from most commercial puzzle glues. Some of them are water based - and this doesn't go well with cardboard. Anything bigger than 1000 pieces will start to warp a lot.

merpkz 2 hours ago||

I am currently 2/6 done with [1] this 13,2k piece Disney puzzle and this guide will be much helpful once I need to hang it as that has been bothering me a bit since the sheer proportions of the puzzle are starting to appear. That might not be soon though, as I didn't account for lack of sunlight during winter, turns out doing puzzle with artificial lightning is not easy, puzzle reflects some of it and it's strain on the eyes.

1 - https://en.clementoni.com/collections/adult-puzzle/products/...

pandemic_region 1 hour ago|

Having correct light is crucial, be wary of the eye strain. I found that I could only productively puzzle during certain times of the day with good sunlight. Those long sessions during the night were really bad for my eye sight.

mkl 2 hours ago||

The author did a lot of experiments and research, so I'm probably missing something, but why not do it on then glue it to a big sheet of plywood? My dad does lots of jigsaws (mostly 500-1500 pieces), always on a big flat board so they can be moved around.

Apparently Mod Podge is a brand of craft products and adhesives: https://mod-podge.com/

xxs 1 hour ago|||

I was thinking the same, the only issue would be cutting the sheet to the exact size which requires a table saw that, I suppose, she had no access to (I guess, a circular saw with another large plywood for a guide would do as well). Perhaps, it could be ordered, too?

JonChesterfield 1 hour ago||

Or use a jigsaw. The cutting tool, not the cardboard pieces.

Or sheet of hardboard and a stanley knife, which is probably the most sensible option in context.

xxs 40 minutes ago||

Jigsaws make rather poor cuts (can use router afterwards but that's significantly more involved than a circular saw). Personally, I'd not use the jigsaw for pieces I'd hang on the wall, esp. not use jigsaw free hand. On hardboard - no direct experience with, yet I'd expect it doesn't like moisture, so it has to be properly sealed.

kijin 1 hour ago||

You can do a puzzle on any flat surface, but there's always the problem of how to glue the finished puzzle to that flat surface without turning the whole thing upside down. After all, it's the backside of the puzzle that you want the glue to be on.

I found that a coating of quick-drying, low-viscosity liquid glue on the front side works pretty well, because the glue easily flows into the gaps between the pieces, and then into the space between the puzzle and the board. Once the glue dries off, all the pieces and the backing board become a single chunk of cellulose-infused plastic. This is probably much better than either the thick mod podge or the adhesive sheet that OP tried to use at first.

pandemic_region 1 hour ago||

My strategy was to buy two plywood boards, and put the puzzle in between those to be able to turn it upside down so I could glue it.

ragebol 2 hours ago||

Only when I scrolled all the way down did I grasp how big this puzzle really is, huge!

pandemic_region 3 hours ago||

Did a 5000 piece once. The mini dopamine hit when you click a piece into place is what kept me going. Several strategies used to complete it, in the end it was just trial and error because everything looked the same. Make sure to have good lighting (no glare) or you'll ruin your eye sight.

What people may not realize also is that at this "scale", it can happen that a piece perfectly fits in more than one location. And I don't mean a couple of cm apart, complete opposite sides of the puzzle. Fun times figuring this out.

This is the one https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81C6LLOhsgL._AC_SL1500_....

xxs 2 hours ago||

The hanging picture with the atrocious wall plugs just ruins the entire article. As a side note - use a laser when hanging anything. They are super cheap nowadays (like 30-40 euro). The only downside is seeing how not straight your walls are (or door frames).

The solving part is fun but the later handling can use some work to be optimized.

dyauspitr 3 hours ago|

I love building things but puzzles and Lego feel like such a waste of time with no gravitas. I believe it’s because it’s such a guided activity.