Cheers Budgie
general
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budgie05
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu 18 Oct, 2012 4:42 pm
- Location: cumbria
- Organisation: funky fusion
- Interests: motorsport, footy, painting,
general
How do I am an artist living in cumbria lokking for a picture framing cousre near by as it costs a fortune getting my stuff framed and now we framing glass art to it will double the cost so i am looking at doing it my-self, but i need a list of tools and supplies to get me started, o also where is the best place to get you materials and supplies from.
Cheers Budgie
Cheers Budgie
Re: general
That's a big old question, equipment wise you need something to cut glass to size, mitre your frame mouldings, join your frame, cut board to size. You will also need some had tools to finish the frame. Most people will admit to buying too cheaply initially and then buying better later on, I certainly did. The standard and quality of all of these items depends on your budget and the volume you wish to produce.
Lions Brochure is an excellent place to start, there are lot's of other suppliers, a quick google will bring them up. Also look on ebay, there is always lot's on there.
Materials wise, Arquadia, Lion, Wessex, Simons, ashworth and Thompson are probably the best known, but there are others. Everyone has their favourites. Be wary of buying lot's of second hand mouldings, they can be twisted, bent, and just not popular. I'm not saying don't, just be wary, I've still got some that i bought 7 years ago.
See if a local freindly framer will let you work with them for a couple of days. It'll be invaluable, but tell them why you want to do it, they really won't appreciate it if you then start taking business off them 200 yds down the road.
Dave
Lions Brochure is an excellent place to start, there are lot's of other suppliers, a quick google will bring them up. Also look on ebay, there is always lot's on there.
Materials wise, Arquadia, Lion, Wessex, Simons, ashworth and Thompson are probably the best known, but there are others. Everyone has their favourites. Be wary of buying lot's of second hand mouldings, they can be twisted, bent, and just not popular. I'm not saying don't, just be wary, I've still got some that i bought 7 years ago.
See if a local freindly framer will let you work with them for a couple of days. It'll be invaluable, but tell them why you want to do it, they really won't appreciate it if you then start taking business off them 200 yds down the road.
Dave
Re: general
Hi and Welcome Budgie. 
If you are going to be framing your own stuff, you wouldn't need a comprehensive course on all aspects of the craft. No use paying to learn how to frame nedlework/3d objects/whatever if you are never going to do any.
The basic skills are cutting and joining good frames and cutting mounts/mounting artwork (if applicable). Cutting frames isn't rocket science, but it can be tricky with certain mouldings. You could just buy the gear and practice on scraps until you get it right. When I started I got a load of offcuts from a local framer who was moving shop (fiver a boxful ). That way you don't ruin a lot of good stock learning. I'm sure you can find a framer nearby who would be very happy to let you have some.
Be careful in picking your mouldings. Some are a dream to use and some are a pain. Some (cheaper ones) are aimed at mass production market and are best cut on big automated equipment (saws rather than guillotines). It may look like a good deal, but you will end up throwing most of it away.
There are magic mouldings that look good, cut well and are good value. You only find this out by experience though, so it's a good idea to buy small quantities - maybe a couple of sticks of a few profiles to road test.
Equipment. The Morso guillotine is more or less the standard mitre cutter for most folks. Best part of 2K for a new one with spare blades. Used ones can be had but expect to pay around £800 for a decent one. Don't be tempted to use a power chop saw. They are not accurate enough for frames. You can buy saws for framing, but because they have to be engineered to finer tolerances and are not made in huge quantities they are not cheap.
For joining, you can use a mitre vice and good old hammer and nails. If you are using wide chunky mouldings then this is fine. But for smaller mouldings an underpinner is the weapon of choice. Again, there are different levels of sophistication with these machines. Basic manual to automated pneumatic jobs.
You can cut boards/glass by hand but it's a long-winded exercise if you are doing a lot. Glass isn't so bad to cut by hand but a wall mounted dedicated cutter is good for boards.
If you are cutting mounts, then Keencut is the popular choice. They have just brought out the 'Futura' model so there might be a few 'Ultimat' machines floating about on the secondhand market.
Good kit can be an expensive outlay, but it will earn it's keep and retain it's value. I bought my Morso in 1985 for £610 and could probably get my money back if I sold it now.
If you are going to be framing your own stuff, you wouldn't need a comprehensive course on all aspects of the craft. No use paying to learn how to frame nedlework/3d objects/whatever if you are never going to do any.
The basic skills are cutting and joining good frames and cutting mounts/mounting artwork (if applicable). Cutting frames isn't rocket science, but it can be tricky with certain mouldings. You could just buy the gear and practice on scraps until you get it right. When I started I got a load of offcuts from a local framer who was moving shop (fiver a boxful
). That way you don't ruin a lot of good stock learning. I'm sure you can find a framer nearby who would be very happy to let you have some.Be careful in picking your mouldings. Some are a dream to use and some are a pain. Some (cheaper ones) are aimed at mass production market and are best cut on big automated equipment (saws rather than guillotines). It may look like a good deal, but you will end up throwing most of it away.
There are magic mouldings that look good, cut well and are good value. You only find this out by experience though, so it's a good idea to buy small quantities - maybe a couple of sticks of a few profiles to road test.
Equipment. The Morso guillotine is more or less the standard mitre cutter for most folks. Best part of 2K for a new one with spare blades. Used ones can be had but expect to pay around £800 for a decent one. Don't be tempted to use a power chop saw. They are not accurate enough for frames. You can buy saws for framing, but because they have to be engineered to finer tolerances and are not made in huge quantities they are not cheap.
For joining, you can use a mitre vice and good old hammer and nails. If you are using wide chunky mouldings then this is fine. But for smaller mouldings an underpinner is the weapon of choice. Again, there are different levels of sophistication with these machines. Basic manual to automated pneumatic jobs.
You can cut boards/glass by hand but it's a long-winded exercise if you are doing a lot. Glass isn't so bad to cut by hand but a wall mounted dedicated cutter is good for boards.
If you are cutting mounts, then Keencut is the popular choice. They have just brought out the 'Futura' model so there might be a few 'Ultimat' machines floating about on the secondhand market.
Good kit can be an expensive outlay, but it will earn it's keep and retain it's value. I bought my Morso in 1985 for £610 and could probably get my money back if I sold it now.
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
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impressive19
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Mon 17 Oct, 2011 12:02 pm
- Location: Lincoln
- Organisation: Framing
- Interests: Framing, Bees and Football
Re: general
I would also add to the above by saying a material cutter is a fantastic item to have. Never looked back since I got a Fletcher 3100 wall mounted cutter. Does all your glass, mdf, foam board etc in a jiffy. There are other similar models around which do the same job. R-bay sometimes have them but also keep an eye on the Sales & Wants on here. Rick K