This all started with the Tin Man Prints magnetic mount. We were looking for a method to easily put prints on the wall without damaging the wall.  But one of the requirements was to retain the float look that people were familiar with when hanging metal prints. So, we used both ½ inch and ¾ inch expanded PVC to cut a block that could accommodate a magnetic attachment. The round magnet would be placed on the back of a square print that was 16x16 at the largest. This size accommodated a single mounting point. The expanded PVC would have a piece of steel placed in it and a hole was cut for the magnet to be put into. The block then was attached to the wall with a 3m Command Strip. Which works incredibly well in most cases but does have issues with removal in others and maintaining attachment to the wall was not always successful over long periods of time. This idea worked and we were able to obtain a utility patent on that method of attachment.

Over time, I wanted to be able to hang larger prints and I did not want to be restricted to square prints. So, I experimented with multiple Tin Man blocks on the back of prints. This actually worked very well and the multiple Tin Man Blocks allowed for more weight to be placed on the wall, even with the 3m Command Strips.

Other priorities that required my attention rose to the surface and this desire had to be put on hold for a bit. Plus, sometimes putting something on the back burner works in your favor.

The Tin Man block seemed to be a popular item for our customers, but up till that point we were making them all by hand, with two separate drill presses and my table saw. So, with a CNC router just in the other room (taking up almost half my 3 car garage) it was time to redesign the block so that it could be made on the CNC. One major requirement I had was you are not allowed to turn over the material. It all had to be cut from one side. Which at that time was a challenge due to the current method of production. With some CAD software and experimentation, we were able to start cutting blocks in bulk. The only cuts that needed to be done separate from the CNC was cutting the slot in the block that makes it a foot and cutting the blocks apart. Cutting the blocks apart seemed to always be challenging but when using one block for a print, it did not appear to be a problem. Actually, when using a single block they could be in any shape we wanted.

Now that we were faced with the challenge of repeatability, we started to look at using the CNC machine to its full advantage. We redesigned the mounting system creating a mounting plate. Instead of having a Tin Man Block in each corner of a frame, we made one piece that would have the Tin Man Blocks embedded into it. This mounting plate was now the basis of éZi Mount v2.

With a customer desiring a group of 20x30 éZi mount prints and an additional one being 30x45 plus the desire to have a gold frame instead of our standard silver. We added to our list of challenges before introducing this new version to the public. One new challenge was we had not made this version in a 30x45 yet and the other was introducing a new frame to the mix. The new frame would be wood instead of metal.

This new group of challenges just showed how much better this system was going to be. We completed the project for this customer and found out that we could now:

• Install the mounting plate into different frame types, including a float frame, where the print floats in the middle of the frame.
• Hang the mounting plate directly onto the wall and put the prints directly onto the mounting plate. This can be done with or without the 1/2 inch gatorboard on the back of the print. This actually can be game changer for us. We could ship several pints in one box along with multiple mounting plates in a separate box.
• We could take a canvas or paper print mounted on a piece of tempered hardboard(masonite) and mount it onto the mounting plate.
• With a slight modification to the mounting plate, we can hang it with a wire. This will work well for artists who need to work with galleries.
• A buyer of a print with the éZ Mount mounting plate could take it into a frame shop and have a custom frame made(cetain criteria would have to be met).

As can be seen, the new éZi Mount v2 is flexible and expands the usability of the system. Unlike the original éZi Mount, there will be multiple sizes available in square, landscape and standard. Black frames, Silver Frames, frameless and over time there will be select custom frames available!