The Framers Forum

Angle grinder?

I paint a LOT of this type of wood. If you apply paint to it with no prep it will look awful. :?


It depends on what sort of finish you expect. If you want an immaculately smooth, pristine surface then you would
have to use many coats of primer to build up a surface that can be sanded back. Or ...

I would take it off the deep bars and remount it on shallower ones. (20mm?).

These things are done so that they can be hung without a frame and the deep stretchers give them more 'presence'.

You can use offsets but on a narrow moulding you run the risk of the hardware being visible from the sides.

As far as I know there are no magic ways of getting it off the glass without damage. And photos
damaged in that way are practically impossible to 'repair'.

Two options:

Get a new photo.

Take a photo/scan of it and retouch digitally and print another.

Lame answer but that's just how it is. :cry ...

I'd go for the added slip which will increase the rebate width by ~5mm or so.

If this isn't desirable you'll have to widen the rebate with a router.
Easy enough on a router table but you can knock up a jig and do it by hand.

Here's one I did earlier...

I would hinge it on a mountboard that is a similar shade to the paper so the hole doesn't
'shout' so much. I did a similar thing with a watercolour of a Nun that had woodworm holes.
I spotted the mounting board with matching watercolour dabs behind the hole area.
It worked quite well.

Here's one I made earlier. Not exactly authentic Flemish but neither is the painting.

Waaaay back, a rep told me a story of a framer who would buy large quantities of bargain moulding (about 1p a foot back then) and chop it into simple rims. He then put them in a tatty box outside with " Seconds. £1 " on the box. Apparently the proceeds paid for a luxury holiday every year. The ...

I am fortunate in having a huge shed (ex-chicken hut) where I dump any frames that I think may "come in useful" later.
Sometimes they do. :P
But I rarely use them in their original state. I usually re-purpose them by chopping them down and refinishing them.

I get people now and then asking for ...

FWIW.....

I do a lot of bare wood frames and a few of these use wide, flat profiles. There is always a corner that is not quite
flush. Fortunately I can sand them flat before the finish is applied but even with a tiny 'step' it can be very tricky to get it perfect.
I hate those flat, glossy ...

Something I'll bear in mind. I may set up another frame of this style and keep it on the workshop wall to survey whether or not this happens over the long term. Perhaps it's less of an issue with thicker mount boards?


There was a technique, which was popular at one time, of using a double mount ...

Yeah but no but... It ideally needs pressure from both sides.

One point....

If you are going to combine a slip/spacer with a window mount. Without the glass pressing down on the mount surface
it is liable to curl.

Well.... I've used Klarlack clear varnish for years but that's not a lot of good to you as you can't get it anymore. :cry:
I have about ten 500ml tins and that will last me awhile.....

I did some experiments with Damar crystals dissolved in pure Turpentine and the results were encouraging.

The ...

I've just given my framing jumper a good dose of Febreeze.

It's not rocket science, but a few basic woodworking skills would be helpful.

A Japanese pull saw would be handy and a sharp chisel.

* On a side note... I'd put the panel on the left side. But that's just me.

One thing to remember....

Blades are cheaper than mountboard. It makes no sense to try to eek a few more cuts out of a blade and produce
an inferior mount which might have cost you £10+.

Mine was bought new in 1984 and has hardly seen a drop of oil since. Still works as well as the day it arrived from Ashworth & Thompson.

The key is: If it ain't broke don't mend it.

Rose&Hollis do a flat beveled section that is meant as a slip (A293). Thing is, if you mitre it with the bevel outwards
it makes a good extender as the bevel can be taken right up to the edge. It's about 27mm wide as I remember.