The Framers Forum

There once was a man who heard a strange tale of of a wise old man living somewhere in the Himalayas who was reputed to know the secret of happiness. Being somewhat unhappy himself and generally dissatisfied with life in general, he decides to seek this man out. Many miles he walked, up and down var...

Speaking of hand-finishing, I would like to see more mouldings available unfinished. There is quite a good range available, but occaisionally I have seen a great moulding in a rep's case and asked "Can you get that in plain wood?". The answer is usually either "No" or "Yes.....

Right. With unfin wood the glue will probably penetrated more but you should be able to lift the stain of with some sort of spirit. Avoid the wire wool if using spirit. It will push oily gunk into the grain.

Hydrogen Peroxide is also handy if you have dark grain patches on light wood.

It depends on the moulding and how delicate the finish is. As a general rule, try a mild solvent like white spirit first. If that doesn't shift the gunk try something a bit more powerful like celulose thinner or as a last resort, acetone, but try it out on a scrap piece first. I used to get a lot of...

Call me Mr Cynical if you like, but I can't help thinking that all these safty regs aren't really brought in out of concern for benefit of the populus at large. They are a classic piece of arse-covering to avoid any possible future lawsuits. Sueing for compo seems to be a growth industry in the UK. ...

If you get in touch with Lion Picture Framing Supplies.... http://www.lionpic.co.uk/ and ask them nicely for a catalogue, you will not only find virtually every framing gizmo you are ever likely to need, but they also do some very good books. Most are U.S. origin. There is one of the collected 'Pict...

:) Are you talking about making picture frames or framing pictures? There is an almightly difference. Seriously though, to provde an across-the-board framing service from scratch is a tall order. Most people seem to think it's just a matter of making a frame the right size and putting the picture in...

It's amazing how people can get into a panic over a largely theorectical threat when all around are more obvious dangers that we face every day. I remember the anthrax scare a while ago. People walking around with face masks, etc. Yet in the same period, how many were killed in traffic accidents? A ...

Quiz programmes on TV are very popular these days. I can't help be amused sometimes at some of the questions that people don't know. The worse offenders are usually teachers. Remember one chap who didn't know the name of the place Jesus was crucified. He was a vicar. Another girl (who I think worked...

Yes the bubble burst on L/E prints long since. The only prints I deal in nowadays are by artists who I can also get original work from. No bad thing really as most of the prints were bought by people hoping to make a quick buck, and lots did. :o Only enquires I get these days are from people trying ...

Hehe. never chuck out old catalogues.

Not in last Byron cat I have.

Wessex Pictures have B1040 listed. 1/2" gold.

I thought it looked like a Simons type number, but can't spot it in the cat.
Arqadia numbers tend to be 000 000 000 format.

Do you know where he got the number? Could it be another framers personal reference? And how long since he last bought some?

There seems to be a great variation in terminology among UK framers as well, particually on the subject of 'slips'. To me, a slip is a flat moulding designed to fit inside an outer moulding. A liner is a slip with a rebate. A fillet is a slip with a lip on the upper surface. A slip/liner that is wid...

And the whole thing fits under a rabbet.

The giant toads have eaten them all.

So they do. (page 74) And it's acid free. I'll order some forthwith.

In Days of Yore there was a fad for making cheap 'frames' by taping around glass/back with stuff called 'Passe Partout' tape. I don't know if this is still made, but it was incredibly sticky. I have seen examples of this that must have been done pre-war and the tape was still clinging on like the pr...

"How do you spell (hardwordhere) Sir?" "d-i-c-t-i-o-n-a-r-y" Comical lot, teachers..... I wasn't exactly the star pupil in the subject of English grammar, but now I am much older I seem to be developing Victor Meldrew syndrome. Some TV adverts really irritate me. "The forkli...

I'm going to try an experiment. I'll make a frame and just put a mount in it and not put any type of self-ahesive tape in it at all. The hatching season is coming up so I will see if they still find the frame attractive. :P Somehow I don't think it's the tape that attracts them. If this were the cas...