Creative pressing

[WelshFramer]

Interesting article by Chris Paschke in this month's Picture Framing Magazine about using a heated vacuum press for decorating window mounts. She discusses framing without glass but, perhaps more interestingly, using textured laminates to decorate and enhance window mounts.

STEVE. An idea for Hot Press. How about running a competition on creative uses for a heated vacuum press using Hot Press or Drytac materials? Not only would entrants use a lot of materials experimenting to produce their entries but publishing the entries would give us all a lot of reasons for buying even more materials.

It's always struck me that buying a heated press is only the start of a lifetime of spending money on materials (and earning money, of course). My only disappointment is that most days my press doesn't even get switched on.

[Dermot]

Mike

Most of the framers in the US would only switch their press on once or twice a week…..

I have a book about production in a typical framing shop….they suggest that various jobs should be batched and done once or twice a week, example, cutting frames, joining frames, “hot press mounting” etc. etc. etc….the reasoning is that you will end up with more efficiencies for running the workshop..

When I was framing a few years ago I had set up that sort of system, and it worked very well………..I will be putting it in place for the new workshop…

It is an eight clip board method.

1: To Be Ordered, goods not in stock needed to complete the jobs….

2: Blocking, work that needs re-measuring ie: cross stitch, once blocked and measured the sheet is moved to, To Be Order clip board.

3 Mounting, ie: hinging, dry mounting etc.

4: On Order….move back to, To Be Order if the supplier is out of stock, move to, To Be Done when goods arrive.

5: To Be Done, all orders that are ready to ne mount-matted and fitted

6: To Be Called, for all completed orders filed alphabetically….call the customer and indicate on the form the response date called, no answer, left message etc….

7: To Be Picked Up, orders waiting to be picked up, indicating where they are located in the workshop, if oversized. valuable, etc…..

8: Permanent File, copy of order that will be filed for records….

The above can be tailored to suit each workshop…

With this sort of system it would be easy for someone to pick up the production in the workshop, if unfortunately illness came the way or something like that…

[WelshFramer]

Sounds dreadfully organised.

I'd still like to earn more money from my press.

[Dermot]

I need to be very organised……….it helps me make money…

[Bill Henry]

For what it is worth, I try to batch my dry mounting once a week on Tuesdays.

Since my press draws almost 15 amps, it seems more efficient if I can do them all at once rather than let it warm up and stabilize prn. Most of the items are from the previous Saturday so they are comparatively fresh in my mind.

Besides, the store is closed on Sunday and Monday and the heat is off. I like to warm up by the heat of the press.

I don’t do my own laminating, though, and have never considered plasticizing my mats.

[silvercleave]

Well organised Dermot,........ ..............
I don't think I have the space to put 8 clipboards up....

Ian

[Dermot]

Well organised Dermot,........ ..............
I don't think I have the space to put 8 clipboards up....

Ian

I will be the same, due to planning constraints the new workshop will be modest in size, I may not use all eight clip boards, but a version of it can be a great help…..it keeps everything in it’s right place which for me is vital…..

I suffer from that malady of ……”Now where did I put that”

The book I have is the Larson Juhl guide on setting up framing shops (probably one of the few copies in this part of the world) love them or hate them you have to respect LJ they play a huge roll in the framing business worldwide and have people at the coal face of framing every day which gives them a tremendous input how framing shops work….

One of the mistakes I made years ago about framing was trying to do it my way….that approach simply wore me out…………….this time I will take input from anyone who will share on how they can do things better than I can………and believe me there are better ways of running a framing shop than the way I have tried it….