SDS-PAGE gel cracks - PAGE gel cracks after framing in cellophane (May/23/2002 )

I have been running small peptides on 10%-20% Tris-tricine gradient gel and after framing it in cellophane, the gel cracks into many fragments.  How can I prevent this?

I had this same problem. What worked well for me was to soak the gel in a solution of 3% glycerol/30% methanol overnight before drying. It almost never cracked after that.