The Framers Forum

I've just placed an order that included five different mouldings and three of them out of stock, supplier can't say when they'll get them to me. Anyone else having trouble like this?

I've heard reports on the grapevine that Larson-Juhl in particular are in a right kerfuffle.

It's happened with various suppliers over the year, the only trouble is that we never know when things like thing are going to happen and very often there is nothing we can do about it. I expect that all this trouble came as a bit of a surprise to them as well. It probably has something to do with the law of unexpected consequences and perhaps people in the USA spending lots of money, as they can't find much to do during the lock down. I don't know if moulding supplies are like to get a bit difficult, with the Covid-19 problems, but it might now be a bad time to get into a bit of the hand finishing action. I can't make copies of every finish that the is, but the are quite a few that I've learned to do quite well and it stand me in good stead, during times like this.

My business was producing hand finished frames from very early on, so it just seemed the natural thing to keep un doing it. I had bought quite a substantial amount of old moulding stock from two very well stock framers who were closing down. A lot of the mouldings were a bit old fashioned and looked at bit dated, but with a bit of hand finishing that really started to look the part. Strangely enough, I did not really know very much about what I was doing, but somehow it all worked quite nicely and all these years later, I'm still doing much the same sort of thing. In the early days, I had almost no money, so buying up job lots of old moulding sounded like a good idea and the rest has all been learning what to do with a pile of old mouldings.

Maybe old mouldings and job lots will be making a come back, if supplies start getting difficult, who knows!

prospero wrote: Tue 22 Sep, 2020 5:36 pm I've heard reports on the grapevine that Larson-Juhl in particular are in a right kerfuffle.

they certainly are !! they got that bad I have switched all my orders over to Centrado who seem to be on the ball with it and have the curtsy to ring and advise if out of stock and when its due back in