State Visit

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Thu 17 Aug, 2006 9:24 pm

Guys (The term is uni-sexual in The States)

I have just got back (well, a week ago) from a trip to the USA, where I attended a fabric-wrapping class (mounts and mouldings) with Baer Charlton and met a shedload of Grumblers whom I have built up a rapport with on the Grumble.

Then I went on to Niagara Falls, with a Grumbler who drove me there (6 hrs) & put me up for the night.

I took some great photos of the falls - not your average stuff, a bit scary and abstract, got really lucky with the light and I know I can sell them - hopefully I will eventually recover the cost of the trip.

I flew back on the day of the big shaving gel scare, but was only delayed 3 hours.

Anyway - I don't see much fuss made of fabric-wrapping mounts here, not in competitors' windows; not in trade mags; not in suppliers' catalogues.

I like bucking trends!

Not only do the Americans steal the show on fabric wrapping, they charge big bucks, and now they have come up with a flexible fabric fillet.

Wooden fillets only go in straight lines, these follow pretty much any shape aperture.

Basically it is a silicone cord, about 3mm dia, wrapped with fabric, from a choice of over 500 - including metallics, suedes and leathers, with ATG tape burnished on - finicky stuff.

Pure sex - believe me!

I almost don't want to share this, but as I don't get out much, maybe some are already doing it??

Big problem - shipping and import tax.

Big solution - make my own.

Got no piccies but my imagination is on fire!!

Post by **John** » Sat 19 Aug, 2006 6:21 am

Hi John

I think that you are making a good move. The ability to offer something new and aesthetically pleasing is bound to give you a competitive advantage.

In the past few years I have noticed a gradual trend in our shop away from the 'bog standard' style of framing. We seem to be doing more and more box frames, hand finishing, multi-aperture mounts, etc.

So, the more techniques we have at our disposal for providing our customers with something that bit special, the more likely we are to succeed and prosper.

Looking forward to seeing a few pictures.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 05 Sep, 2006 8:00 pm

Still experimenting, have yet to get the right tools together, may just buy the kit from the states, plus a load of fabric fillets - see how it goes. Carraige is not too bad, but import tax and handling fees may make it a one-off order before I try and copy the idea - we'll see.

Bought some very very nice faux suedes from the fabric warehouse on Sunday, (but they only had two faux leathers thin enough and they had no 'grain' to speak of) and have been experimenting with fabrics that we sell, raw silk, Indian silk, linens and organza. Organza was best, it's a metallic fabric, gold/silver threads weaved through a sheer colour, pretty much transparent but in some lights/from some angles it is gold/silver and in others, red or whatever, or both.

Anyway, the thread frays, you can pull individual ones out from the whole length; I dropped one on my prepared (pasted) mount and thought 'BUGGER' but then thought 'Sod it' and dropped a whole load more on and then stuck the organza over it. Oh Boy, what a happy accident!

Anyone know a good source of thin leatherette, or even real (thin) leather?

NYAF? - ex bookbinder!

Dermot · Post by **Dermot** » Tue 05 Sep, 2006 8:54 pm

http://www.fjratchford.co.uk/

http://www.societyofbookbinders.com/

http://www.russels.com/specialist-leathers.htm

John a few links that may help…….let me know if you don’t get sorted, my brother is a Bodhran maker www.bodhran.com he should have some knowledge of the leather skin market, if needed I will ask hem for ideas……

Rgs

Dermot

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 05 Sep, 2006 9:28 pm

Thanks Dermot,

I've emailed the first and last for more details and there are more links on the second.

Great to see you back on TFG BTW!!

Dermot · Post by **Dermot** » Wed 06 Sep, 2006 2:21 pm

If you are a member of the PPFA they will send you on some good information about fabric wrapped mats (mounts)

Drop Diana (sp) an email and she will take care of you...

Rgs

Dermot........In the wonderfull area of Yorkshire/Harrogate

Dermot · Post by **Dermot** » Wed 06 Sep, 2006 8:08 pm

John

Stairrods (UK) Ltd. www.stairrods.co.uk have a new product not on their web site yet called Easybind, I saw it at the National Floor Show in Harrogate today.

The Easybind is a system for putting a binding on a carpet it is a binding/rope trim set on a tape with a self-adhesive strip for sticking it to the back of the carpet so that from the front you only see the binding/rope, there are currently 23 attractive colours of binding.

I think this product could have some possibilities as a fillet that you are looking at…..

I just found that they have a separate site for Easybind http://www.easybind.co.uk/

Rgs

Dermot …………………..Back home in Wicklow

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Wed 06 Sep, 2006 8:27 pm

Thanks again Dermot,

That looks good, but maybe for thick board as it looks quite thick.

I see one of their colours is called 'Cow dung' Respect man!!! Got to love a company with a sense of humour.

If I didn't live in a bungalow I'd order some for the stairs right now!!

We also sell a lot of bindings and an absolute SHEDLOAD of ribbon and in time I will adapt them for this use too.

Not your average framer · Wed 06 Sep, 2006 9:32 pm

Roboframer wrote:
Anyone know a good source of thin leatherette, or even real (thin) leather?

NYAF? - ex bookbinder!

Hi John,

Russell Bookcrafts already mentioned by another reply - I once bought from them some incredibly thin calf leather (looks like suede), which they said was used for restoring old pipe organs - It should be fine for decorating mounts if they still do it. They also do leathercloth, but "John Hewitt & Sons" in Edinburgh have a much larger range.

Both Russell's and Hewitt's have a good range of machine marbled and hand marbled papers and also head banding which is used to decorate and strengthen the top (and sometimes bottom) of spines on books, these might interest you too.

Another really interesting company is "Winter & Co", (I think they are somewhere near Bedford), they make a massive range of really exotic stuff, such as bonded leather in various colours and gains, something called "Skivertex" which is in reality a synthetic latex coated paper product with some of the most amazing finishes and textures you could ever imagine. The Skivertex range is nothing short of stunning and as they say it can be hot foil printed - It should be o.k. in the dry mounting press too.

If you want display suede a company called "Govenlight" are worth checking out too, (sorry I can't tell you where they are). They also do display felt and the brushed nylon display cloth for sticking you moulding chevrons to, or "moulding corner samples" in courtesy to Osgood.
Cheers,
Mark

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Thu 07 Sep, 2006 6:12 pm

I emailed FJ Ratchford, the first link in Dermot's post and filled in an on-line enquiry form with another.

Had an email yesterday morning from Ratchfords, saying samples were on their way; they were on my mat this morning, swatches, samples, price list, hand written notes. Seem like a good company to deal with and their leatherette seems competitoively priced, their suedes are cheaper than I paid at The Fabric warehouse too.

The on line enquiry from the other company resulted in a one line email response tonight.

I'll check out those others from NYAF too, thanks Dermot and Mark.

Not your average framer · Sat 09 Sep, 2006 9:22 pm

Hi,

I've just got back home after being to a wedding, where my wife and I were much admiring an amazing wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. My wife was thinking one thing, but I was thinking double mounts with antique white top mount and burgundy satin covered undermount. Sad ain't I!

As it happens, some time ago I bought some fabric which looks like gold satin, but if think it may well be rayon. For various reasons, I never got round to trying it on mounts, but mostly because the fabric is incredibly thin and I've kind of concluded that sticking it down would almost for sure kill the very effect which satin would give due to the adhesive used penetrating through the fabric.

Has anyone ever tried this, if so how did it go?
Cheers,
Mark

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Sat 09 Sep, 2006 10:50 pm

Some of the fabrics I have been experimenting with are not what are normally used for fabric wrapping. Raw silk is full of 'holes' organza is sheer.

But the adhesive is applied with a roller, so it's even - no blotchy patches -I've made chevrons and wrapped them - not complete mounts - and have chucked a shedful of failures out. With sheer fabrics, or anything that wet patches could show through, you have to let the adhesive go off a bit longer - and/or utilise a press, with or without heat, trial and error.

It's fun experimenting and I'm trying the problematic stuff first deliberately - what I really want to get good at is leather (probably mostly fake) and suedette - things that still look like fabric under glass.

The effect of a double fabric wrapped mount - with the bottom mount wrapped in a different fabric/colour to the top does not appeal to me, but what DOES appeal is a double mount with the top mount being ultra-thick and the bottom one being nornal 4 ply wrapped in one go - any shape.

You can stick boards together to make as thick a bevel as you like, (overcuts are not a problem unless the fabric is sheer) you can experiment with foam centre board, you can reverse the bevel of the bottom mount and add a flexible fillet.

Your imagination is your limit.