The Framers Forum

My high end is Larson Juhl & Nielsen exclusive - ranges with matching mount slips sell very well.

Apart from that we have a nice selection of swept frames from Nielsen & Arqadia, but only in standard sizes of course.

American framers' high end are 'closed corner' frames - i.e. fames that are finished after joining. What would we call those?

Anyway, Frinton Gallery (not to be confused with frinton mouldings - now owned by Wessex) provide this sevice - swept frames and other ornate/upmarket stuff to order, including gold leaf, finished after joining.

I've ordered a set of 20 chevrons, most with corner embellishments, to test the water.

Anyone know of similar suppliers?

Roboframer wrote: Anyone know of similar suppliers?

If you are interested in high end mouldings and closed corner frames with real gold, real silver or metal leaf finishes , we are able to offer you these kind of products.
Company Spagl GmbH
We already sell closed corner frames to framer in London.
Just let me know your address, I will send you the latest catalogue with price list.

Best regards
Florian

Hi Florian,

Welcome to the forum.

Please feel free to add more detail to your profile. A link to your website would be useful.

Hi Roboframer
you'v asked this question before and got a nice reply from Sudbury Frames.

Ashworth and Thompson have a good range. There are a number of framers out there that do little but "closed corner" frames and seem to exist at an exclusive end of the framing spectrum. Personally I find it fairly difficult to add on the margin I need to make this form of framing viable. The last one I did was a relativley small frame - reasonably plain profile and it cost me a fair bit before I had even added mount glass etc. I think one of the problems is that customers come in - see the price on the standard size ornate frames - then cant comprehend why the frame to fit their picture costs £200 + more than the standard.

I bought 20 chevrons from Frinton Gallery to test the water, none are real gold leaf. The plan is/was to order a real gold chevron with every order I took.

I have them on a spinner right by the counter and have had hardly any interest in nearly 3 months. Those that have shown interest were put off by price (2.35 markup plus stretching or glass, mounts etc and carriage) To be fair, the things that (a) would suit and (b) would be worth the expense have also been very few and far between. I don't have a problem with selling upgrades such as washlines and UV glass, but with these frames I do.

However, they HAVE been useful, they are very useful for selling down from!

Tastes are far different here than the US, as are pockets, also these frames would look out of place in the average British house, we are far more minimalist, but we must have more of the type of house here (ie OLD!) where they would suit.

Also to be fair, this time of year is not our busiest, good weather/world cup/ wimbledon is never good for business. I won't be able to say if they sell or not until after Christmas; if they do I may look further afield for suppliers, but thanks anyway Florian.

Roboframer wrote:I bought 20 chevrons from Frinton Gallery to test the water, none are real gold leaf.

Do you have to buy your moulding samples? Struth, we wouldn't stand for that down here!

I SOLD ONE TODAY !!!!!!!

Yes Ormond, I had to buy the chevrons, but they were doing a 'deal' on them. I suppose if there were more competition for this sort of stuff here, it would be different.

Regards other chevrons/suppliers I have two who will give you what you want for free, one who will give you a complete set of any 'range' if you spend X amount on lengths from that range. Everyone else you have to pay.

Anyway - I sold one! it was only 14 x 11" and is costing the customer about £140!! I ordered ONE ornate full gold leaf chevron which almost wiped out the profit from the frame! I'm also swallowing the carriage. But that's fine - it's money for a phone call. plus this lady is a superb customer and brought in about 11 items today!

When I ordered the chevron and the lady at Frinton asked 'what finish do you want' and I said 'Full Gold leaf' I could tell by her reaction (she laughed) that they don't shift a lot. £30 per foot - trade!

Worked out that a 20 x 16 frame (24 x 20 o/a) would cost £517 retail weeeehah!!!

When you get it John, perhaps you could post a photo.

(Though not one that fades away like this)

Will do John, Frinton work on a 3 week turnaround it seems.

I think the photo in your link must have gone because I deleted it from my on line album. I'll bear that in mind in future.

The second one down is the one I am having gilded, it's more or less a smaller version of the one above it - pierced.

osgood wrote: Do you have to buy your moulding samples? Struth, we wouldn't stand for that down here!

G'day all,

Good on you John for looking at this niche in your market, I hope it pays off for you.

Re closed corner sample sets . . .

I don't expect my suppliers to give me free 'expensive' samples, and I sure as heck am not naive enough to think that if they did, that they wouldn't be charging me (and everyone else they sell to) indirectly.

This topic has been a hot potato (potatoe) on the US Grumble for a looonng time.

Basically, SOMEONE has to pay for all samples somewhere along the line, whether a direct cost to actual end users, or spread across to all clients as a vendor cost of business.

Sure, normal moulding chevrons can be cut and joined from length relatively quickly and cheaply . . . but we are talking cc (closed corner) frames here (in the main).

In Johns picture, the top 2 are certainly cc's, while the bottom 2 COULD be length / joined.
The cc's are finished framed, cut into 4 pieces and trimmed to the final chevron cut.
A vendor can't wear costs like that. Well they can (sort of) but it certainly goes into their cost of business, and everyone pays.

We will have a new profile, 3 finishes, and an extra 2 shapes (total of 6 shapes / sizes) available on our reproduction portrait 'bubble glass' frames next week.
These are mainly aimed at the picture framing and wedding / portrait photography industries here in Australia.

One of the prototypes . . .



Looking at the rectangle short above, I will cut this into 4 corner samples, so 3 frames, one done in each finish, will provide 4 corner sample sets.
We will be offering a corner sample set of 3 finishes at cost price, when purchased with any one finished frame with convex 'bubble' glass for display in a shop.

These aren't as expensive as top end cc frames, but still to cut up finished frames for sample sets there is a cost, and someone pays.
It's a lot fairer for end users to pay for such samples, rather than all on a vendors' client list.

There are a couple of good ways a vendor to provide samples of cc's free of charge to a client . . .

If someone wants to purchase a decent volume, a vendor could be in a position to include a set free of charge.

A better way perhaps is for the client to purchase up front, then when a certain level of sales have been achieved, a credit for the sample purchase can be made by the vendor.
Some cc suppliers in the US have this system.

Well, cheers for now.

osgood wrote:Do you have to buy your moulding samples? Struth, we wouldn't stand for that down here!

Wooops, just goes to show that the whole post needs to be read carefully. I missed the closed corner part!

Sold another on Saturday! Plus ordered another full gold leaf chevron. First one is 'In the Post'

Her is my first full gold leaf closed corner frame and I hate it!

It's too plain - no distressing, looks like it's been sprayed on. Still, I got what i asked for I suppose. What i need to do is take a trip to Frinton on sea and see what they have, because I know they have and can do just what i want, difficult over the phone.