The Framers Forum

Wow, what a job this has been, after setting myself a budget of £600-£1000 for a used Morso F I spent a lot of time looking at various secondhand machines that were advertised on different platforms and was fortunate enough to have a friend drive me for viewings, I even looked at increasing my budget to buy a new machine as things got so confusing (they are wonderful). There are so many machines available within a hugely differing price range that it can be tough making a decision, especially with the cost of replacement parts being so expensive. In the end I was advised by a bookbinding friend to contact a company called LondonLetterpress as they supply her with beautifully refurbished antique bookbinding equipment, it was as though all of my prayers had been answered in one call, they supplied me with a fully refurbished and serviced Morso F that had been resprayed and a Cassese CS88 underpinner, both machines look and behave like new machines and come with a warranty, none of my friends can believe that they are not new and that they are around 20+ years old. I opted for the delivery and setup option as they are installed in my loft conversion with limited access, when the chap arrived to install he commented that I hadn't mentioned about a loft installation but said that it wouldn't be an issue, he completely stripped down the machines and carried them up the steps in manageable pieces, after a well earned bacon sandwich and a cup of tea he promptly started to reassemble everything, I was a bit dubious at this point as you read so many tales of machines not being setup correctly but this was not the case in this instance. Once completed he asked me to have a go with the different frame samples that he had bought along, deep, shallow and tall, I kid you not when I say every cut and joint was perfect, even the final joint on the underpinner aligned perfectly, the machines worked like a dream. I was then shown how to change the blades safely and made to change them and align them 3 times so that I am confident when doing it myself, he told me that should I have any problems then do not hesitate to contact him. You might think that this is coming across as a sales pitch but it has been a very long time since I have seen this level of service in this country and I have to say an enormous thank-you for all of your help LondonLetterpress, the price was midway within my budget, the machines look and work like new machines. What more can I ask for! I did buy the mount board cutter from eBay and sort of wish I hadn't
Let the learning begin, onwards and upwards!
I cannot attach pictures as I use an old mobile phone without a camera, a bit like the wonderful Morso it works just fine without any bells and whistles.
Phyllis

It sounds like you are going to be enjoying yourself using this equipment are you going to be getting a mountcutter as well? I also have a Morso F and a Cassesse CS-88 and it's a good set up. CS-88 are a very solid and popular machine. You've made a good choice I think!

HI Mark

The mount cutter is a Keencut Ultimat Gold with the original cutting head, I've been told that there was an upgrade to the new Futura head that rolls smoother along the track, I also have Fletcher-Terry point guns, a green one and a black one, these are given free with the machines as it was part of a 'job-lot' of equipment he had bought in

I think it sounds like you could be ready to go!

now I can get some of my art framed at last!

Glass is the only thing but for now I'll order pre-cut, a bit more expensive but I can't do everything at once and glass scares me a bit

Where abouts are you in shropshire? Hopefully you might be in an area, which is already covered by a suppliers van delivery service. Wessex cover most of the UK and if I remember correctly, they supply pre-cut glass in 50 piece packs. It's quite easy to cut some sizes down into multiple smaller sizes from larger pre-cut pieces and this may be quite useful and practical for you to do!

I remember my Morso arriving from Ashworth&Thompson and two of us hauled it up a flight of stairs on a running barrow.
Still in the wooden packing case. 1984. I was a bit fitter then.

I would imagine that if you had to move it as one piece then it would be a very heavy and awkward thing to move, even with two people moving it, thank heavens for these engineers that know how to strip down and reassemble machinery.

welcome to the forum and congratulations with your purchase

Hi Everyone
I am new to picture framing and glad to have joined this group, it looks like I can get most of the information I need to get up and running with our framing services.
Just want to say a big thank-you to Phylis for her post about buying a used machine, I followed your advice and contacted @londonletterpress about machines and yesterday they installed a refurbished Morso type F, a Casesse underpinner and some keen cut bits plus point/tab hand guns, I really cannot believe the equipment is second-hand as it all looks like brand new and after a few safety lessons on blade changing and blade setup I produced my first sample frames that joined perfectly on all four corners, top and bottom. What a nice guy to deal with, I am not sure if they operate on this site but they should do, I'd recommend them and will use them again for equipment and the blade sharpening service they are setting up.
Danny

I told you they were good, congratulations on your purchase

Hi Danny,

Welcome to the forum. I hope that you will enjoy being part of the forum and not be afraid to ask any questions which you may need answers for. The is no shortage of those who are happy to offer good advice and generally share their experience. Enjoy!

Hi Phyllis
Thanks for the mention, I hope that things are going well and you are finally framing