The Framers Forum

I want to emulate the frame in the attached photo. It is hand finished but the feature I want to create is the grooves/fissures in the wood. I am fairly sure they are not natural. Is the moulding bought with the grooves pre decorated or is it done by the framer by hand? If so what wood is used and how are the grooves cut? Thanks, Colin.

Are you sure it's hand finished? There's plenty like it about pre-finished, like this one from Simons - search Simons website for "Driftwood" there's 4 pages with others very similar if not exact.


https://djsimons.co.uk/product/black-driftwood-2/

Most likely pine moulding or ash. If hand finished then the softer wood is removed with a wire brush. Do that while it is in length - a bronze brush if you’re lightly opening the grain and a steel wire brush if you’re taking out more.

Prepare and stain in length and then cut and join. If you’re happy you can get a perfectly glued join on the corners then you could happily stain it once joined.

That one looks like it’s been stained once joined as there is quite a distinct dark stain line on each mitre. Looks like it’s been wire wooled after staining to remove some of the stain to leave the lighter patches.

If it is a hand finished moulding then you could get close by taking some bare-wood oak and drenching the surface with very hot water. Keep doing it a few times so as to soften the fibres.
Then go at it with a wire brush, along the length of the grain. This should create that raised grain effect.
Another way is to get someone to give it a quick whizz with a sand blaster.

For the colour I'd paint on a strong Van Dyke water stain.
Then stir in a heap of Burnt Umber dry pigment into some well-watered down Raw Umber acrylic paint (Jacksons Art Supplies, very cheap)

Paint that onto the oak and when dry, seal with some shellac.

Finally, rub in some wax.

A bit of a faff - but so is everything hand finished.

Thanks for those helpful replies.
Colin.

There are many ways according to how extreme the 'grooving' you want.

A wire brush on a power drill along the grain gives a good rough effect.
Pine works better than obeche as it has soft parts between the 'rays' which
wear quicker.

For deeper grooves, and sanding drum on a Dremel used at 45º works well.