The Framers Forum

Sanding sealer will do for now. What is does is provide a barrier to prevent the glue size from soaking into the gesso, depending on what type of gesso you have. Sanding sealer has a lot of zinc solids in it and when it dries, will give a rough surface. As you will want a very smooth surface for gil...

It's good to see someone trying to improve their offering, I hope it works well for you. If you can get good at it, you can go well up-market and do work for some very prestigious customers. There's the usual guff trumpeted about the ancient art of gilding where secret techniques are buried in coded...

I'm a great believer in reversibilty. No matter what type of finish you apply, it's good to be able to safely remove the finish without damaging the underlying gilding. I speak from experience where I've mucked up and had to start again many times. If the gilding is oil laid, then a thin coat of she...

Yeah - but that's not the point. You know what you want to happen when you rub them two sticks together and you know when the effect looks just right. As it does. My point is that no matter how detailed or concise the instructions, 99 p'cent of the effect is obtained from learning the "look&quo...

Brilliant work. Love the way he says just do this and a bit of that - easy. All the best artists will say the same.

Richard Christie is the man to talk to. He knows what he's doing and does it for a living.
http://richard-framemaker.blogspot.co.uk/

The saw you mention will do for most jobs. I use a site saw with a fine cut blade. See if you can get one of their very thin blades, as this will be better for more delicate mouldings. And around 60-80 teeth. As long as you're spending around £400 for a saw and from a reputable company such as Axmin...

All my work is delivered by courier. I use APC couriers. They tend to carry the goods and not fling them about. They seem to be used for wine and even live fish deliveries! All their services are overnight and I'm paying about £11.50 inc. per consignment countrywide. Bicycle boxes are the most usefu...

If I was handling that job, I would first retain the original gold slip which complements fully the colours of the painting. Then I would look for an in-period frame but lighter in colour than the laquered black original. My choice would be a similar oak profile as this would be of the right period....

A good idea is to trim the hairs on the paintbrush to about 1 1/2 inch. The secret of a good wax finish is to apply as thinly as possible, and to use two coats - letting the first dry out.

Thanks for all your interesting points. I'm inclined towards the traditional "key" across the back of the mitre which as NYAF says, gives a very strong joint. I'll probably use the router as I've had the most experience with this. The biscuit jointer might even be superior but as I don't o...

I think you're right. I do rely on the glue being as strong as possible but was only pinning the mitres closed previous. I'll have to go on to clamping each frame, which is a pain on multiple projects, but will allow the glue to form a stronger bond. I'm still happier with the Titebond 111, in as mu...

I'd be interested to know which wood glues are preferred by framers. Like Graysalchemy, in another posting, I've recently been using a moisture curing glue, Gorilla, for its' advertised strength. The downside was the mess it made on your fingers. However, a few of my frames arrived at their customer...

Don't know how he could sand between coats as gesso takes 24 hour to dry before sanding. Typo error perhaps. Best is to lay on 3 to 4 coats of gesso and then sand when dry. When you see the wood grain ghosting through, you've gone too far! Sand smooth first with 180 grit paper, then finish with 320 ...

Maybe the argument should be about what the driftwood frame is for. As a mirror - yes, otherwise who's going to buy it? For some off the shelf art or art with as yet, no great value, a factory finished moulding is perfectly adequate.
For an established artist, a handmade frame is a must!

Very impressed!

In my experience, making a driftwood finish is one of the hardest. It's not so much technically difficult as hard to be convincing. Beware of a curious blindness to the fact that the finish you're so pleased to have achieved, is indeed quite crap. If you're up for the challenge, then take a lenght o...

That's a good looking and sturdy shed with good ceiling height. I've operated my business from a complex of sheddage for some years now and found them ideal for the different processes in my work. One thing I always do is clad the walls with 50mm insulation and then plasterboard (easy to paint). Wha...

Myself, I'm not really into competitive framing, but I'll watch with interest if any wish to have a try. Looking at the photo of the moulding, I'm not too sure its' a hand-finished frame. The straight distressing lines that NYAF describes suggest the use of a finishing wheel, as in machined producti...

If I was making that frame, I'd paint on some greyed gesso, or even a grey primer paint, paint over with red oxide and then either a water based or oil gold size. Stick on the schlagg leaf and let dry. Then smooth on a length of brown vinyl packing tape and rip off again to break up the gilding. Rub...