WANTED: Morso bits & underpinner

[vividP]

Hi,

Just joined, first post etc so sorry in advance if messing something up.

Anyhow, I'm just gearing up on a fairly tight budget to do my own framing for my hobby painting that's getting more serious now. I've bought a Morso F which has been through the wars and deserves some bits so I'd be interested if anyone's got the following available...

rebate supports (left and right)
lower spring mount
a spring (I'm sure the orthodoxy is to replace them as a pair, but I've got one with the end missing so a single would be an improvement I reckon)
depth stop
any other bits other than the castings would probably be of interest at the right price (front handle, draw bar, left arm, waste chute, guard etc) as would any pointers to alternative sources

...and an underpinner. Thinking Cassese, perhaps a CS79 but open to suggestions/offers - no projects this time though!

Based Cambridge, would travel 'within reason' to view/collect etc.

Thanks for reading,

vP

[johnwphotography]

I have fitted my "bargain" Morso with rebate guides from Framers Corner. They fit perfectly and are substantially cheaper than Morso originals. I will file posts on my progress with a search for a right hand table for the Morso. My advice to anyone buying Morsos on ebay is read the buying advice first from these pages and pay extra to get one complete, avoiding the hard work of tracking and expense of spares. For the small amount of framing I will be doing I am unsure whether the expense of the measuring system is justified.

[fusionframer]

Hi there,

Welcome to the Forum, I am pretty much a newbie too. There are a few underpinners on ebay at the moment depending what your budget is? Having started out just framing paintings we purchased at auction for our Antiques business, it has developed quickly into a good business.

Not sure if you are looking for a manual or air operated underpinner, but my advice would be not to end up with a budget underpinner (this advice comes from bitter experience!). I bought an old underpinner (pnuematic) for £150, but found it very difficult to make perfect corners. Only 2 months later, I have just forked out for a better machine. It is still a bit of a relic in terms of age, (Euro 9000) but I love it. I would recommend trying to find one with adjustable fences, it makes it so much easier.

As I mentioned, I am a newcomer to framing myself, but I found that trying to set up on with very little outlay leads to the need to replace quickly with the right kit (with the exception of the Morso that will outlive all of us!)

Cheers

Nick

[johnwphotography]

A further thought, the waste chute. Having taken a good look at one of these at Lion the other day, they should be vey easy to fabricate out of scrap mdf with an inverted keyhole slit cutout to accomodate the arm, and a wood strip prop to support it agaist the back wall of the Morso.Attach a plastic bag to collect the cuttings, more money saved.

[MITREMAN]

Hi FusionFramer,

E-Bay Machines

Genuine Spare Parts For Morsos & Underpinners supplied

Morso and Saw blades sharpened

Have Your Machines Repaired, Rebuilt or Serviced using only genuine parts

Contact Peter Stanlick MD @ Framers Equipment Ltd Northampton

http://www.framersequipment.co.uk

Kind Regards
Mitreman

[AllFramed]

Hello johnwphotography

"I am unsure whether the expense of the measuring system is justified."

I am relatively new to using the Morso myself having graduated from saws and a guillotine. All I can advise is that if you are producing more than one frame of the same size the measuring system is a massive time saver. I still get a buzz seeing all the sides lined up knowing they are all the same size.

The more I spend on each piece of kit, all second hand off ebay so far, the easier it becomes to turn out a quality piece of work, the more pleasure I then seem get from the job. Like all jobs really, plumber, mechanic etc, as well as know how, it helps to have the right tools for the job.

Good luck.

[vividP]

What a difference a week or three makes. Having done a bit of simple remedial work to my own basket case I now know a fair bit about Morsos compared to then and would echo the advice about buying in haste from a well known auction site. Patience is a virtue and after my Morso purchase there seems to have been a flurry of fully spec'd Morso + underpinner sets (+ mount cutter + moulding + free yacht & dancing girls etc....). Anyhow, I'm older and wiser now and thankfully the engineering of a Morso is such that I can cut moulding despite the tragic state of some of the guillotine's components. All I need is those rebate supports....ANYONE? (Will look at the aftermarkets too, thanks for the idea)

Anyhow, just to reinforce the impression of being a gullible fool I bought a CS79 on spec - fortunately this is fine and the only issue there is the competence of the operator and the whole scoop moulding/presser foot thing (see my 'advice please' thread).

Thanks for the pointer Mitreman - I've been sitting on a spares quote from Peter for a while, the only problem being as any other amateur with a bent Morso might have found out, new genuine parts + vat = compromised budget. It's obviously a dilemma - can't justify a lot of expenditure, but there again want decent kit.

My conclusion is that if you're prepared to take the risk buying unseen, make sure it's a supported manufacturer, then if it doesn't work out then you can probably get it fixed albeit at a cost - it's only money(!)

And I like the waste chute/bag idea - I've been hatching my own plot for a waste chute, as using the Morso against a wall is posing a bit of a mess 'issue'.

Looking forward to converting today's delivery of moulding into rejects and kindling...now where's that oilstone...
P

[johnwphotography]

This site is so good for sorting out those annoying little problems. Many thanks for sharing thoughts on the measuring system.
I have looked out the Charnwood/ Framers Corner invoice for the rebate supports I fitted last week, they were £35 + vat each, I am looking at whether their machines right hand table is compatible with Morso, I will try it in the near future as it is very close to spec as far as I can see. Fortunately I am located only 15 minutes from their showroom, indeed it was the salesman there who alerted me to whether the measuring systems are overkill for the hobby framer. I never used anything of that type with my Noblex saw, simply making any adjustments needed to the sides on a basic Charnwood mitre trimmer.I believe I am looking at well in excess of £300 to purchase Morso a rh table and measuring system. Time is not an issue and the saving in moulding cost is insignificant. If only I had spent a little more on a complete machine. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this.

[Trinity]

E buy beware is often the maxim. I know it's a hike in cost but Lion have an offer on brand new moroso's at £1350 + Vat at the moment. Steep yes but of course it's all there and the blades are spanking new and not just spanking sharp but near life's end. Obviously finances dictate, but unless you can get a dialogue going across the e site whereby you know your getting something complete and special I'd now (yes, been there) go for new. Think of the extra over as £x / year over 5 years.

[JamesC]

I've made some great buys on eBay but some even better ones by chance from people I meet in the process of running the business - right place right time is the best way of acquiring bargains but you need patience and maybe an opportunistic mentality. That's how a lot of printers have done well historically - get the (bargain) kit first, find the work after. I went to a university business school and that absolutely flies in the face of what we were taught but trust me it has worked in printing for many, just like many firms survive from only one or two customers and do no marketing whatsoever!

When I started out on my own in printing I'd even say I slightly overpaid for some stuff on eBay. Get locked in with another competitive bidder and you can easily go overboard if you don't know your stuff inside out.

I also bought an electric roller laminator which looked great cut-out from the background and photoshopped on eBay - got there and it was much older than it looked with only one speed setting etc. It did a job but I had to have an expensive handle made for it.

I'd only buy them generally if you are "good at fixing stuff" though, or it's forced by your circumstance. I'm OK and my framer owned a furniture factory for 20 years or so and made his own machines - it's brilliant really when your staff can fix stuff too.

If you can't you end up with stress, expense and maybe a bad buy. Also you could start out as an artist trying to save yourself money on framing but possibly end up in reality needing to frame maybe 60 or more items before you start to save (and that's versus a one-off price from a framer when they can often do better deals for several at once and use better methods). You also need to painfully learn how to do it, will almost certainly not make as good a job, and spend time making frames when you could be selling or painting (which if you are good should be the most lucrative way to spend your time). Insurance companies class framing as a "high risk" profession too so there is danger and potential cost in that.

It doesn't bother me either way I have plenty of work - just needs seriously thinking about - in the nicest possible way.

I prefer to buy new when I'm serious or rely on stuff and have the money e.g. one morso, printer and hotpress are new. Other stuff I pick up where I can and on the whole it's worked well.

[Dermot]

If you email http://www.morso-guillotines.dk/ Morso with your address and the serial number of your machine they will send you a user’s manual and a spare parts list.

Morso still support and supply parts for every machine they have ever made.

They need the serial number to match your machine to the parts list, Metric or Imperial they supply two versions of the Morso guillotine.

[stcstc]

i didnt want to go through all this kind of grief so i bought a brand new morse, from a local supplier, which means if theres a problem he just calls in and sorts it

[vividP]

I guess we all pay our money and take our chances accordingly - naturally the economics work differently for each situation, and if I were setting up a shop then the extra grand or two for new tools would probably be a no brainer. For that matter if I were a (more) successful selling artist then it might be nice just to get the work framed by my local expert.

Thing is, as an amateur painter the cost of getting a nice frame on a bunch of work for say open studios would really queer the break even target for the event given the amount of work unsold. I've been lucky having friends with Morsos etc who've helped me out, but I can see the value in being more flexible in what I can offer in the framing line and hope to recoup my albeit modest investment reasonably quickly.

johnw - the measuring bit is a joy. I used to hack frames together with a B&Q mitre saw with all the measuring/filling nonsense that entailed - now I can forget the calculations & side by side length checks which is bliss. My plan B was to resell the Morso on the devil's auction site and buy one with all the bits this time. Haven't got the heart though, want to make this one right. What you could do is knock up an extension arm yourself and attach a direct reading scale to it - see bloke on said website, he sells a stick on version of the Morso deluxe engraved scale. However I'm so taken with the measuring thing I'd love a 'second stop' to really rack out the frames.

P

[dgent474]

hi ,

I am selling a euro puematic underpinner, needs a new hammer spring, which i could sort out before any buys it. great machine can supply photos if anyone.s intrested

[SPF]

After reading all the posts it has left me wondering who has the most 'Antique' Morso still in use, mine is No 3208 which according to Morso was built in 1960 and is still going strong.