The Framers Forum

Hi Everybody,

I just thought I would introduce myself. I'm Mark, based in South Devon. My forum name is "Not your average framer" mostly because I'm willing to do lots of jobs that others have the sense to avoid. Also as you get to know me, I have a crazy sense of humour too!

My original career was as a design engineer working mostly in the aero-space / automotive / defence and communications industries. Somewhere along the line, I grew too old and found myself to be surplus to requirements and over the hill. Without having planned it, somehow I ended up being a bookbinder / paper conservator and then bought a small secondhand bookshop which also sold art and prints, which was where I got interested in picture framing.

I then got the chance to get back into design engineering and went to work for a major telecoms company, which then promptly went bust (Nothing to do with me - Honest!). I and a few thousand others lost our jobs and the govenment stepped in with some serious funding for re-training. I asked to be trained as a picture framer which was duly funded and I also was given a placement with a well respected picture framers and gallery owners where I was trained. I now own my own business which also employs one other member of staff and we are always busy.

A little over one year ago, I had a heart attack and now can't work as fast as before. Come to think about it, I was not that fast before anyway. I'm not one of the "bash'em out quick" brigade and never cut corners on quality or on doing things properly. I am also definitely not the cheapest framer around, in fact everybody knows I charge top money for my work. After my heart attack, I put my prices up to try and reduce my workload. Well, it didn't work - I got more work than ever! A while later, I put my prices up again - same result! So now I employ an assistant to help me.

To complete the picture other experience includes cabinet making, antique / art restoration and some areas of knowledge in various technologies, chemistry and physics.

From time to time you no doubt will see me chip-in on discussions and I look forward to joining in.
Regards,
Mark

Welcome Mark,

Wish everyone would give an intro like that!

What sort of stuff would you be willing to take on that others would have the sense to avoid though?

Hi John,

Thanks for the welcome. I often take on jobs like hand finished antique style frames with multiple stacked mouldings, framing things which are about to fall apart with age and anything which I fancy doing just to show off a bit. I'll probably grow out of it one day and only do sensible things which have a reasonable chance of making a profit without jamming up my very small and overloaded workshop.

I also have my own way of framing football shirts. It takes ages to do, but looks the business - customers are told it won't be quick, but one particular customer just keeps on bringing me more and more of them.
They are fitted onto a foam core insert with cut-off neck and arms which are painted in flesh tone. The sewing is using mono-filament nylon invisible thread, (absolutely no-one can see it behind glass) and it is spaced away from the mountboard at the rear of the box with a couple of layers of foam core so the shirt will cast a shadow on the back and usually finished of with a singe or double mount in team colours. Sometimes, I will also use a torso manequin inside the shirt, but the best ones need shorts to cover the leg stumps.

Fortunately for me, my rent and rates are low and I can take on silly jobs once in a while. By the way, if you don't use mono-filament nylon, it's invisible on medals and almost anything else too!
Regards,
Mark

Restoration projects - no thanks! Luckily I know a man that can, and a woman!

We sell needlework and haberdashery, including invisible thread (real good, can't find it anywhere!) Never use it - it's fortnight (too weak) but use monofilament for certain things, like, as you say, medals - just drill a couple of holes in 'em, pass the line through .......... kidding!

Also use a foamboard insert for football shirts usually, but concealed; I use invisible stitching, like wot's on your trouser hems.

Manequin torso? Gordon Bennet! Now we ARE talking cabinet making
bet it looks great.

Restoration work was a major part of the work I had to do when I used to work as a bookbinder. Suprisingly, no one ever wanted to pay what it cost to do it when I was bookbinding, but now the money side is usually much less of a problem.

In case you are wondering, I get the mono-filament from Empress Mills somewhere up north. Mike Royal from Royal Framing put me onto the stuff.

Yes, I conceal my stitching too, but I usually stitch part of each football shirt sleeve through the front of the shirt and the foam board; to work well it has to be very close to where it would be visible. By the way, because it's so slippery I always find the mono-filament difficult to secure when starting-off and casting-off without causing some degree of pulling the shirt too tight somewhere.

To date one of the best methods I've found is to tie of a loop when starting pass a rust-free verneer pin throught and tape the pin and the thread in place onto the back of the foam core board inside the back of the shirt with a piece of conservation fabric tape. It's got a safe self-adhesive and sticks really well, if you try and remove it without heating it first, you will pull the paper off the foam core. However, this method is not always possible to use in each case due to in-accessibility problems and it is not that easy when casting-off. I would be interested if you have any better way.

Also, Yes the Manequin torso does look great and they have an opening behind to the hollow inside. I assume this is used in clothing shops to tuck in an surplus garment material, but for framing this has an added bonus. The opening at the back does not go right to the edges and it's just the right thickness to tighten the football shirt or shorts around the edge of the opening and to the secure with a few of those clip frame clips from lion which use the levers to open them. The Manequins are easy to get, they come in male or female and a range of colours which seem to depend where you get the from. The best male ones have a prominent chest and that muscule defination on the abdomen which body builders refer to as a six pack - They look the business! Another bonus you can also use the same, (but larger), clip frame clips to fix the torso to the mount board and a sheet of MDF behind if you cut suitable holes in the right places. By the way, there are two types of manequin, you don't want the ones with the coat hanger hook sticking out the top - the are removable, but even then they don't look the part.
Regards,
Mark

Welcome Mark,

Cute handle, btw.

This Yank drops in on the UK forum from time to time, and always will put the kettle on if you journey this side of the pond. How many American homes do you know will have Typhoo ready and have a tea cosy ready to keep that Brown Betty warm?

Look forward to seeing you in the future.

John