The Framers Forum

Tuesday nights telly in England is crap. Makeovers are mind-numbingly banal and then the second part of the DUKE is on ...... Won't be watching anymore Apprentice, so no more comment on 'the rant section'. Get better soon RTW; had my wisdom teeth out ten years ago. Best dental appointment I ever mad...

Nielsen every time; smart profiles and finishes. Like Bill, aluminiums tend to be a fifth of sales. Metals come into their own on photographic landscapes, especially those that customers bring back from Os. I find soft grays and gunmetals are the best sellers; rarely use the colours nowadays, few go...

Surely any watercolour artist worth its salt should follow the basic rule of wetting the paper and gum-stripping onto a block board before the artwork. Dead lazy or lack of knowledge. Leaving the problem to the framer to sort out is arse backwards. I find any slightly cockled watercolours left under...

Try half a dozen on 10mm BB; see how you get on. Various sizes, say: 10" x 12" to 36" x 24" . B&Q will only cut the first four cuts for free; then make a modest charge. OK if you don't want the dust and hassle of doing it yourself. Let us know how you get on. Most framers pro...

Hi Mogs

I think most chop suppliers allow 1mm or so over your exact measurements.

Best advice - measure twice !

Foxy

Welcome BB Harking back to the 70's with blocks. Retro ! 10mm MDF for a large poster is a bit thin, it'll bow. 18mm is better, but may still bow and have a weight issue. I used to make loads of blocks back in the 70's and 80's, when all we had was chipboard. Now we are in the 'mimimalist era', maybe...

Watch out for that little plug of waste in the V of your Morso blades. If they are getting to the end of their useful life the blades will push the moulding away without you realizing it.

Watch fingers !!

Foxy

Hi Ron Red and black always go together, as long as the red is not in your face. Sometimes this can add an extra dimension to the piece. We do a lot of solid black matts with black frames, wood and aluminium. Glossy black aluminium,especially, looks simple but smart on charcoal drawings and also B/W...

' And the 12" pianist joke is ........

for the benefit of our esteemed viewers !

Foxy

' And I thought you were a nice girl Mary - what would your mother say !

Someone nicked my copy when I was a teenager; never got it back.

Foxy

Always used good quality gumstrip tape 1" 2" & 3". I have never used a dispenser, although the same or better result can be achieved running it over a wet sponge in a small bath of warm water; no delay in applying or it will curl up. A thick cotton cloth helps to apply. I find any...

It's only half way through the show.

Another bloody shambles - who the hell would employ any of these twonks !

All are feeding off their own self-inflated egos. Can't bear to watch any more.

Yikes ! Crofty

This is atypical of some of the standards we see all to often. Many framers work within the realms of this type of workmanship, with no basic woodworking knowledge whatsoever.

Some folk are just not cut out for our trade.

Foxy

Quite right Ossy. It's a shame to be so cynical, but that's what a lot of people do. I have never had anyone steal samples, but that's almost as bad as picking your brains and stealing your framing and designs suggestions - someone did this last Saturday - and going elsewhere, armed with the knowled...

NYA

Do you have any joinery shops nearby who could spindle you the profile you want ?

Making a new profile steel though can be pricey over a length or two; I know I've had one made !

Foxy

I make a couple of parallel nicks with a scalpel blade on any moulding which might be a problem; no more than 1-1.5mm and as extra insurance follow Mark's suggestion with a piece of, say P90 tape.

Should cure it - if your blades are sharp enough.

Foxy

We have had G&M supply us for at least twenty years now. Always reliable, obliging and in the Ashworth & Thompson class of supplier. To make a delivery viable, especially with diesel the price it is, there must be a decent level of order. It's a wonder we all don't get charged carriage, no m...

Started off with a Euro 8001 back thirty odd years ago. Just replaced it with another one for £150, little used and in almost new condition. Except for two springs and two rods the first one gave stirling service and as Prospero said, easy to repair with minimum engineering skill. A bugger when a sp...

Robo Sounds like a major local power surge, or the corrosion has fused some of the circuits inner components. Only five years old; all consumer units now are fitted out with MCB's (miniature circuit breakers) each with their own circuit to protect, along with a large general trip switch. If we get o...

I don't mind either, although some people are class A cheapskates and that's the way they run their lives. Those who are genuine are easily spotted and I don't mind at all. After all it's money in the bank and as you say a lot turn out to be normal customers in the end with sympathetic and careful h...