The Framers Forum

Do you know, Tim, what sort of gesso Compo mouldings use on their profiles?
In other words, can they be water-gilded?

I was shown a sample, some time ago, and the gesso wasn't water permeable. Maybe some sort of acrylic gesso.

I know this is between you and your customer but I do have to see it just as Prospero said. You are taking on a problem that your customer is wholly responsible for. You said the art works were created using scraps and other loose recycled components. Of course, bits are going to fall off. The artis...

Bambi is expensive because it describes itself as a 'silent' compressor. That's ideal if you have the compressor in the same room as you. However, all compressors will give you the same PSI and differ only in the CFM rating, ie that's the volume of compressed air you're using per minute. If you do a...

That's good to hear you're getting on well with the hide glue. And the beauty of using that glue is you can repair any blisters, easily with a hot iron.

As regards any sort of finishing, the best results are all in the 'cleaning' or sanding down to a fine finish.

Hi bookmark. I suppose this is a hangover from when i used to make a lot more veneered frames, mostly for an interior design company. We were used to spreading Titebond by the gallon, so making up that quantity of hide glue wouldn't have been so practicable. I'm also not so sure about the performanc...

Thank you, Ed. Much appreciated. I use Titebond 1 inside a vacuum bag for all my veneers with a heavy duty vacuum pump. There is a possibility of using an ordinary domestic clothes storage vacuum bag with a Henry type vacuum cleaner. Orde02, who doesn't come on here very much, said he used it for so...

Nobody seems to want to talk about 'hand-finishing' anymore. I'm sure there are lots quietly beavering away and not much interested in showing off their work. So,here's one that I'm happy to show off. IMG_0002.JPG It's a Birds Eye maple veneered frame with a thin inserted gold slip. Ask anyone who's...

Does anyone know why they bother?
It's obvious that the posts mentioned were AI generated, but why go to the trouble?
Is there some grand plan or just bored mischief?

I don't think the government is going to barge in and fine you for any waste recycling misdeeds. Any local enforcement of the rules would be contracted out to local councils. Your business is of micro size. Will anyone care what's in your black bag? Is someone going to go through it looking for the ...

I would do as they say, verbally ie stick it in general waste.
If they haven't issued a formal direction, that means they know that there are no facilities yet available to deal with that type of waste.

Oh dear. That's some pretty dodgey oak. I've never seen it that colour and the wood grain is pretty ropey too. If you're stuck with it then the best thing is to stain it dark and call it antique oak. Buy a bottle of this stuff - https://bolgers.co.uk/collections/wood-dyes/products/country-oak-water-...

All the framing mitre saws are belt driven off the motors.

As Justintime said, the older the saw, the less 'bells and whistles', the better the cut, - even if the blades are knackered from wear! If you only use barewood mouldings, then a good chop saw will actually do because you can fill for any wobbles of the saw blade. Prospero has an arrangement of two ...

You could be right.
The sawmill will slice through the logs in the most cost-effective fashion but in doing so will also expose some boards within the figured/ quarter-sawn plain.
Perhaps a good moulding company will select these boards from the pile and use them to produce their mouldings.
Or not!

This is a question I've often wondered about. Is the oak that framers buy from R&H et al, quarter-sawn faced oak? That is where you see the medullary rays streaking across the grain, sometimes called fiqured oak. This oak will have the finest grain pattern and be of cabinet quality. All the oak ...

Fitz has given you the most pragmatic advice. I notice that you have an interest in classic car restoration. So why not make the frame first with a 50mm wide plain wood moulding. Then mix up some two-part wood or car filler and scrape it evenly along the top surface of the moulding. After it's dried...

Yep, that's the stuff. You could paint it on with a paintbrush. Diluting 50/50 with meths always gives best results. But then you have to go to the bother of cleaning out the paintbrush. For this I would fold a bit of cotton into a small pad, tip on some shellac from the bottle and smear it over the...

Once the wood filler has dried, try adding a little shellac over the filler. Use a cloth to just rub some on.
The liming wax should go on to that the same as the timber.

If it is a hand finished moulding then you could get close by taking some bare-wood oak and drenching the surface with very hot water. Keep doing it a few times so as to soften the fibres. Then go at it with a wire brush, along the length of the grain. This should create that raised grain effect. An...

A cheap basic compressor like the one you mentioned on Toolstation will give you lots of compressed air but will rattle like hell when running. You could put it in the loo, out of the way and that could help. All compressor fittings are universal and you can run the air hose as long a distance as yo...