The Framers Forum

Whatever else the powers that be decide to ban, you can still have a bloody good moan.

I have had probs with non-collections in the past. Nowadays most of the framing I do is for regular trade customers. A lot of uncollected stuff ended up as raffle prizes for local charities, although I still have one from 1987. :shock: My usual strategy for new customers is to give them an approxima...

It's a funny thing but I seem to remember similiar indignation when the wearing of seat belts in cars became compulsory. Prior to that I never wore a seatbelt. Nowadays I wouldn't dream of not belting up. :wink: If times didn't change we would still be shoving small boys up chimneys with a dustpan a...

Is there an echo in here.

I used to use rubber bands, but if you don't use the mouldling for a while they perish and stick to the moulding leaving nasty marks. Best thing I found is handywrap (clingfilm with a handle). Lots of other uses in the workshop too.....

Well the nun didn't actually have anything to do with the horse. A customer of mine used to get really nice old watercolours from somewhere. One day he brought one of a nun which was relly superb work but unfortunately the old frame had woodworm in the back which had made holes in the painting. I co...

What about one of those screw fixings used on drilled mirrors that have a plastic washer and a chromed cap. If they are too thin you could fatten them up a bit with a plastic sleeve which would also cushion the LP against the metal screw. A few wide plastic washers behind to lift it away from the ba...

Hahahaha, You gotta have a laff sometimes.

Want to hear the tale of the woodwormy nun and the cracked horse?

I would be very vary about 'touching up' artwork. Unless you are an experienced restorer your job is to frame the picture to preserve it in the state it is in. Once you start doodling about you are taking on a huge responsibilty and things can rapidly go extremely pearshaped. A small blemish can bec...

Oh yes oh yes oh yes..... I can't wait to try that one. Thanks. :D Leaving out in the garden for a few years is another method. :lol: I have a big warehouse out back. (Actually it's more of a big chicken hut). Inside is a large collection of old timber including some skirting boards rescued from the...

What I wonder sometimes about all this 'Big Brother' stuff is who are the people who actually employed to do the monitoring. Nowadays there must be millions of security cameras in the country. Who's watching them? Eventually the population will be polarised into two groups. Half the people will have...

Interesting......... :) My usual method for gap filling is good old polyfilla. The 'fine finish' type. If I'm doing a smooth glided finish I would use it to fill any dents and blend the mitres and fill any gaps in a stacked frame. It's also great for filling grain on obeche mouldings if you dilute i...

:) Been asking the same question for last 25 years. As far as I can tell it's all down to the cost of wood. I would like to see a minimum 12mm rebate in all mouldings. Many is the time I have fixed extra strips of wood to the back of frames, although it is only really practical on mouldings with a m...

Pricing your work can be very tricky. It's important to get it right or you end up working for peanuts. Never try and attract customers by undercutting your competitors. It's simple maths: If you halve your prices and double your trade you are working twice the hours for the same money. If you quote...

Thanks for those kind words osgood. :D The link doesn't work for me either. :? But I think that book is mainly concerned with wood finishing in general, not specifically with pic frames. Don't think there is a book on frame finishing as such. I have picked up tips from various books over time though...

Cheers Guys.:D I haven't got a heck of a lot of good pics of my frames. They are quite difficult to photograph. The one in the post is a repro 'Watts' pattern. It's actually 4 mouldings. The outer is a 2" ornate running pattern. Inside this is just a flat piece of timber about 2 1/2". Insi...

Thanks for that info. Found some copies on Amazon so I think I'll grab one.

One of the reasons I got into hf was the decline in quality and range of mouldings that seemed to start in the 90's. A lot of the work I take on is for pro artists who want 'just the right look' for their work. It's nice not to be limited to what I can get hold of. When you start using high-end fact...

There once was a man who heard a strange tale of of a wise old man living somewhere in the Himalayas who was reputed to know the secret of happiness. Being somewhat unhappy himself and generally dissatisfied with life in general, he decides to seek this man out. Many miles he walked, up and down var...