The Framers Forum

Here's a little tip! (If you don't mind doing some hand-finishing).

This time of year, there are usually clearance bargains on mouldings. In general they either look dated, or naff colours, or generally boring.

However some can be used in ways that most never think of! I've recently started using flat mouldings upside down so that another (cheap or clearance) moulding can be glued into the forward facing rebate (rabbet). This way the naff colour or finish on the flat moulding is towards the back (easy to cover) and the unfinished front can be hand-finished together with the moulding inserted into the rebate.

Many such clearance mouldings can often be in the range of 5p to 10p per foot, (if the supplier wants to see them gone). Also you can often get another cheap or clearance moulding to fit around the outside of the cheap or clearance moulding. This can result in large and interesting looking profiles, which can be somewhat appealing when hand-finished.

For best results the joins between mouldings need to be filled flush and smooth. I use acrylic adhesives which double as fillers to glue the moulding together and fill the gaps. My favorite was called "Hard as nails", which I don't seem to be able to buy anymore, but there are other products which work as well.

Lorry load arriving on the morrow.

Good tip on the upsidedown flat moulding. I do it all the time. Great way to make 4-5" wide frames.

These are NOT discounted clearance mouldings, but just some of my hand-finished samples to illustrate my point about upsidedown mouldings with other mouldings glued into the rebates. On the one at the back the pasta has been shaped to blend both mouldings and the two at the front are before and after samples of the same moulding combination.

These look fabulous in the photo, and absolutely stunning in real life. They have a real 'quality' feel to them and very tasteful style.

Truly 'Not Your Average'.

John wrote:These look fabulous in the photo, and absolutely stunning in real life. They have a real 'quality' feel to them and very tasteful style.

Truly 'Not Your Average'.

Perhaps I should explain that both John and Aine have seen these in real life. These are part of my future plans, which will include quite a few more hand-finished samples and ultimately a web site too!

Together with my plans for all black frame backs, expensive looking quality brass plate rings and fancy twisted and crimped brass picture wire, this should give an idea what I'm aiming for!

BTW John, thanks for the kind words, it's been a long hard road developing the techniques for the finishing technique for these and when I think back over the difficulties along the way, encouraging words really make such a difference.

Hey Mark,

Great to see your fabulous work on the forum!

As Mark says, I have had the privilege of seeing samples of these beautiful "designer" mouldings. The pictures are great, but the real things are stunning! The texture and subtlety of the finishes are really beautiful, and have inspired me to actively learn more about handfinishing in order to offer more options to my customers.

Another thing I'd really like to say is that both the build and finish qualities of Mark's work are absolutely first class!

Definitely something to aspire to.

How do you get the combed finish? Rake through gesso & overpaint?

Spit wrote:Definitely something to aspire to.

How do you get the combed finish? Rake through gesso & overpaint?

Hi Steve,

Yes, that's about it! Some of those samples are three different pieces of wood combined into one profile. So you have to spend a lot of time, working out which profiles will work together and if the costs (including the left over waste) are acceptable.

There's a high labour component and most off the shelf paints look flat, lifeless and only work for the lower layers. You need to know about transparent and opaque pigments to build stunning finishes with real depth, it takes time to learn it all and unfortunately I've never been able to find any books which can help.

Not your average framer wrote:You need to know about transparent and opaque pigments to build stunning finishes with real depth, it takes time to learn it all and unfortunately I've never been able to find any books which can help.

These are a couple of my watercolours, just to show I understand exactly what you mean....

Stunning. Absolutely stunning...

Hi Steve,

At first I thought wondered if they were photos, until I used some magnification and could see otherwise. They are amazing! Really fabulous work!

I bet you'll be showing us some fantastic hand-finishing sometime!

It's a pity they take so long to do (typically a month), I'd have loved to make a living at it.... I'm hoping I can apply the same skills to framing.

Spit wrote:It's a pity they take so long to do (typically a month)...

It shows!

Spit wrote:I'd have loved to make a living at it....

And the sad thing is that there are people out there who I am sure would dearly love to own one of your paintings (you already know of one! ).

Spit wrote:I'm hoping I can apply the same skills to framing.

There isn't a doubt in my mind but you will! Briseann an dúchas...

Tell you what, how about I swap you an unframed print for a couple of boxes of teabags?

(Sorry for the hijack Mark!)

Spit wrote:I'm hoping I can apply the same skills to framing.

Steve,

You got some very transferable skills, and a desire to achieve. I think the rest of us are looking forward to seeing some great results.

Have you noticed how productive this forum is, in terms of inspiring and encouraging each other. If you see that someone else can do something, it becomes possible to think "perhaps I can too!" All the rest is down to wanting to do it.

Steve. I am officially speechless. Mark, ditto.

Well, maybe not totally speechless. Mark's handfinishing work puts what I used to do to shame. Unfortunately, I don't think I would have the time to do such intricate work and I know my philistinic (is that a real word?:? ) customers would not appreciate the time and effort that goes into something like that.
Steve - I have dabbled in painting, in oils, in the past, and I see a lot of original work, but I have never seen a watercolour as photographic in quality as yours. I remember in Coventry you telling me about your work and I'm glad I've now had the chance to see it. Please keep painting. Yours is a rare talent.

Moglet wrote:Hey Mark,

Great to see your fabulous work on the forum!

Thanks Aine,

I looking forward to the day when we see some of your hand-finishing too!

We all think and work differently, so our ideas will be different too! I think is great, that over time we will all learn a lot from each other and so far we're only at the beginning!

Spit wrote:Tell you what, how about I swap you an unframed print for a couple of boxes of teabags?

Now if I've introduced you to tea like that, it should tell you that I'm a connoisseur, and only an original will suffice! And I'll be delighted to part with far, far more than a few boxes o' teabags - even if they are Barry's!)

(Sorry for the hijack Mark!)

Goes for me, too, Mark!

Hi Mary,

The hand-finishing bit took time to develop it, not only because of the learning process, but also making my own tools so I can reproduce the technique accurately every time.

The samples I have shown are intended to be an economic proposition for me to do on a regular basis. Once I have tried a finish and recorded which paint I used in what sequence, any future ordered for the same should in theory be much faster.

It's geared to getting properly paid for my time. The same could apply to you!