The Framers Forum

Hi, My framing order forms have a section for describing the condition of items supplied for framing. In such cases, I always make it clear that in my opinion the object in question has been permanently damaged by the person who carried out the work in an un-professional way. Also if anyone asks, ye...

Hi, I had one come in today with masking tape stuck together in a loop to make a crude double sided tape. Apparently it came like that from a well respected gallery and framers. It had fallen off the mantlepiece and the glass broke, so I showed them this horrible method of fixing the float mounted a...

Hi Keith,

I was just wondering what happened to these tapes. Are they available through distributors yet? If so which ones?
Thanks,
Mark

Hi Graham, There are some Enrique Lopez mouldings which are stocked by a number of U.K. distributors, but not all of them make it particularly obvious where the mouldings concerned come from. Also some copies of E.L. mouldings are available from certain distributors also. From my own experience I kn...

I've never encountered these skid marks, do you use the release paper between the roller and the print, or just roller over the print directly? Where I first worked as a framer and was trained, the practice was to peel back the release paper and carefully stick-down the print. Then the release paper...

If a customer is asking me to do something I consider as un-professional, I explain why it's not a good idea. Then if they still want it like that, I tell them that I will do it for them, but I don't want to put my label on the back. It's suprising how much that makes them stop and reconsider. Cheer...

Merlin Framers wrote: It was cancelled because only 4 (Yes folks FOUR) people had shown interest.

It would be interesting to know how many people is enough to get the FTAG interested in coming. Considering that this had something to do with PR, the PR result of this speaks volumes.

The prints only gloss-up due to the heat applied and since you are not dry mounting the temperature can be quite a bit lower, say 50 degrees instead of 85 degrees. I would suggest that glossing-up a limited edition is almost as bad as dry mounting it, since it's has not been preserved in "origi...

I've had enough bad experiences with spray mount while working elsewhere to never use it in my own workshop at all. I think the very smooth surface papers on foam core board are china clay coated and spray mount and similar products don't stick so well to this kind of surface. I used PVA all the tim...

Hi John, Same problems at this end. I do as much framing as I can and I have a part time framing assistant who works two days a week and we never have enough time to do it all. I offered my assistant another day a week, but he doesn't want anymore. We've been talking about re-organising the shop are...

Sounds interested, but has anyone checked up on the spectra of the emitted light to make sure it is safe with art. Apart from that, it sounds almost to good to be true!
Cheers,
Mark

Offcuts. Recently, I've tried to make moulding offcuts into frames as I produce them, while the morso and underpinner are still set for that moulding. I decide what to do with them later, which can be putting them in the window, offering them to local artists, etc., or selling them in job lots at an...

Hi Gerry, (Ofcourse others may answer too!) I already had a quick look inside the three frames on friday night before going home. Since then I have been thinking about the implications of what I've found and would appreciate your comments. 1. Often when undertaking repairs where the glass is particu...

Hi, I've just got back home after being to a wedding, where my wife and I were much admiring an amazing wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. My wife was thinking one thing, but I was thinking double mounts with antique white top mount and burgundy satin covered undermount. Sad ain't I! As it happe...

Thank Gerry, I've already told the company that I expect them to handle all contact with the insurance company concerned and the owner. As far as I am concerned, it's is impossible to be even handed if you have to be piggy in the middle. I also feel that I must maintain a degree of isolation and ind...

Hi again, Two of the ladies who manage the company asked if it would be o.k. to visit me today, apparently just to look around, but they arrived with three flood damaged pictures for me to quote for cleaning / repair. As it turned out things are far less complicated than I had expected and I'm about...

Thanks John, Yes, I am very well insured indeed. I have a shop & salon policy with Norwich Union which is a very well suited and extremely comprehensive package, my goods held in trust cover is massive, from memory it's about £2M. I also will very carefully cover myself with specific terms and c...

Hi, I've been contacted by a major company to see I am interested in undertaking regular cleaning, restoration and repair work for them. Their clients are major insurance companies, who engage them to clean, repair, re-decorate, etc., after accidents such as fires, floods, similar claim situations. ...

Anyone know a good source of thin leatherette, or even real (thin) leather? NYAF? - ex bookbinder! Hi John, Russell Bookcrafts already mentioned by another reply - I once bought from them some incredibly thin calf leather (looks like suede), which they said was used for restoring old pipe organs - ...

A very useful product called "Omnicrom". It's marketed by by Letraset and when placed against laser printing on paper in a dry-mounting press it enables you to turn your normal laser printed black printing into metalic gold or other metalic colours. Looks great for text in title boxes for ...