Custom Art and Object Mounts

Metal cradles, wall mounts and stands made for one specific artwork or object, to the contact points and materials set by your conservator or collections specialist.

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See mount types

TrussMetal is a metal fabrication shop in North Vancouver that works across Metro Vancouver. This page is for galleries, museums and collections, private collectors, and the designers and art handlers who install their work.

A good mount is made for one object. The project’s conservator, collections manager or other responsible specialist sets or approves where the mount may touch the object, what touches it, the finish, and how the object goes on and comes off. We design the metalwork to those requirements and fabricate it. We are a metal fabrication shop, not conservators: we don’t assess objects, and we don’t describe a material as archival or safe for a particular object.

Mount Types

Cradles

For objects that rest on a plinth, shelf or case floor: vessels, bowls, stones, fragments, carved and cast pieces, held at the points the specialist chooses.

Wall mounts

For plates, tiles, panels, masks and other flat or shallow objects that need more than a picture hanger: a wall plate with lips and retainers shaped to the object.

Stands and posts

Rods and bases that hold an object upright, tilted or raised, for a plinth, a case or an open display.

Bases for larger pieces

Steel bases and subframes under heavier sculpture, with any structural design by an engineer where the weight or location calls for it.

Concept drawingObject cradle on a plinth (section)Section through a cradle: two arms on a base bar hold the client’s object at padded contact points, standing on a plinth made by others. Concept only; contact points and materials follow the specialist’s requirements.Object, heldas it restsPaddedcontactsArmsPlinth by othersSection
Concept drawingWall mount for a flat object (section)Section through a wall mount: a plate fixed to the wall carries a padded lip that the object rests on and an optional retainer at the top. Concept only.Retainer, if specifiedLip with paddingObjectWall plateSection
Concept drawingContact point detail (section)Section through a mount arm where it meets the object: the metal is covered by a coating or sleeve and padding chosen by the project’s specialist. Concept only.Object surfacePaddingCoating or sleeveas specifiedMetal armContact detail
Concept drawings, illustrative only: not a tested design, a shop drawing or an installation detail, and not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work. Dashed parts are by others, bought in, or the client’s own object. Parts marked “if specified” are included only where the agreed design calls for them.

Working With Your Specialist

New for each object
Each mount is made new for its object and has not been tested or validated in advance. The specialist approves the drawing and, where they choose, a trial fit before the mount is used.
Requirements first
Before we draw, the specialist sets or approves the contact points, what touches the object (padding, sleeves or coatings), and how the object is placed and removed. If the project has no specialist, we ask you to appoint one before we take the order.
Fitting
We work from measurements, drawings, templates or a scan the specialist provides, and fit the mount to the object only where the specialist arranges and supervises it.
Contact materials
Padding, sleeves and coatings are the ones the specialist specifies or supplies. We don’t substitute them, and we don’t claim they are tested or conservation-grade unless the specified product comes with that evidence.
Display location
Wall, plinth or case fixing is agreed with whoever installs the display. Where earthquake or security restraint is required, the requirement comes from the project and we fabricate to it.

Metals and Finish

Metals
Brass, steel or stainless steel rod, flat bar and plate, shaped and joined in our North Vancouver shop.
Finish
Painted to blend with the object or the display, powder-coated by a specialist applicator, or left bare, as the specialist specifies.
One object at a time
Each mount is drawn for its object. A set of similar mounts for a series is quoted once the first is approved.

Who Does What

Responsibilities that affect the quote

TrussMetal: the metal mount, made to the agreed drawing and requirements, finished and supplied. Supply only.

Conservator or collections specialist: contact points, contact materials, handling, and approval of the drawing and any fitting.

Art handler or installer: handling the object, fixing the mount to the wall, plinth or case, and placing the object.

Related Work

Plinths and pedestals are on display pedestals, and gallery and showroom fixtures on retail display fixtures. For the metal itself, see brass.

Questions

Are your mounts conservation-grade?

We don’t make that claim. Contact materials and finishes follow your specialist’s specification.

Do you design the mount?

We design the metalwork to the requirements your specialist sets and send the drawing for their approval.

Can you make a single mount?

Yes. Most mounts are one-offs.

Can you work from photos?

For a first price, yes. Fabrication needs measurements, a drawing or a scan agreed with your specialist.

Do you install mounts?

We fabricate and supply them. Your art handler or installer fixes the mount and places the object.

Request a Quote

Send the object and what your specialist needs.

What to include in your message

  • What the object is, its size and approximate weight, with photos
  • Your specialist’s requirements: contact points, contact materials and finish
  • Where it will be shown: wall, plinth, shelf or case, and what the mount fixes to
  • Any earthquake or security restraint the display needs
  • How many objects, timing, and who installs

The form starts blank: in “What do you need?”, select Other Custom Metalwork.

Request a Quote

Sending photos of your pet? After submitting, email 3–6 clear photos — front, side, three-quarter, full body and a close-up of the face — to sales@trussmetal.com with your name in the subject line. Photo tips

Have photos or drawings? Email them to sales@trussmetal.com after submitting this form. A photo of the site is the single most useful thing you can send.

Prefer to talk it through? Call (778) 805-5333, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00.