Jay, you were right the first time, I was talking to my son about a skin on frame when I posted the message I meant to say a stich and glue. I agree with everything you said based on logic but I have no experience with graphite so I thought I better ask and make sure that I wasn't missing something. As for myself no color can beat the look of wood. Everytime I wet out the glass I think why would you cover this up with paint or graphite. I may experiment with some wood laminate this time however.