Dust of ages hand finish

[David McCormack]

A lot of my customers 'leave it to me'! which means I don't always know how frame finishes will turn out until I get the brushes, paint and wax out! It's a nightmare when they ask me to do the same again! That's the trouble with adding a bit of this and that into the paint mix and not keeping a record

A nice simple finish I like is with white paint on obeche and rottenstone. After a couple of coats of white matt rub on some clear wax and before it dries dust with plenty of rottenstone and then buff up with a soft cloth. To tone down the effect you can rub some lime wax on and rub off again with the clear wax.

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[StevenG]

Neat - Thanks for the quick guide too

I've done a few things too in the past where it's just trying a few things until I get something that I like, mostly pure luck if I'm honest but I don't reckon I could reproduce it again if I tried!!

[caro]

white frames are popular at the mo, nice one. and your work surface might sell as an abstract

[David McCormack]

It's not ready for sale yet.... I'm still working on it

[Graysalchemy]

I have moulding samples of my finishes on the wall and I have a corresponding spread sheet with the recipe. They are all coded with a reference corresponding to the moulding (s) and colours used. That way you know how it was made.

[Steve N]

Greys wrote
"I have moulding samples of my finishes on the wall and I have a corresponding spread sheet with the recipe. They are all coded with a reference corresponding to the moulding (s) and colours used. That way you know how it was made."

You're too well organized to be a framer

[Graysalchemy]

Not really, it just makes it easier. Hand finishing is usually a protracted process and if you have to muck about trying to remember how you did something then the profit will go out of the job. Also if you offer the frames to commercial clients they want consistent results.

[GeoSpectrum]

Sorry to bump the thread but can anyone tell me what profile that is?

[David McCormack]

Sure, Rose & Hollis A77 obeche, page 17, 45mm wide with a 14mm rebate.

[GeoSpectrum]

Thank you very much

[Not your average framer]

Out of curiosity what do you use for your white paint? I find that not all paints are the same.

I like the durability of a good quality acrlic paint, but I don't like a glossy finish when it dries, so I like to mix an acrykic paint white a chalky emulsion. I don't measure the exact ratio, but it's just gesswork of an approximate 50 / 50 mix.

I may just be me, but I feel that 100% acrylic paints can sometimes look and feel a be plasticy. I'm always looking for the muted and slightly dull effect where the frame has an old look and feel about it. Another somewhat similar moulding is Simons M0099B which may be of some interest, if you ever need something similar in a smaller profile.

Another colour which looks quite nice with rottenstone is a sort of off black made from brown and black. I make it with Craig and Rose clove brown (or was it spice brown) and black. Be careful, as you mix it, it does not need as much black as you might think!

BTW, a very nice job too!

[prospero]

One of my first ventures into hand finishing was very similar to the OP example. I even used the same profile.

I used white acrylic gesso which dries fast and is as hard as nails. This stuff is nice and thick so it holds brushmarks. I would typically gesso an entire length and brush along the length in one go to form 'tramlines'. Later I got into stippling and other textures. A thin wash of a colour, brushed on quickly an wiped off leaves a very subtle tint to the surface. I would then rub back with wax an wire wool. This imparts a soft grey tone to the whole thing as the solvent in the wax mixes with particles of the steel.

I don't use white acrylic gesso any more. The good old ripple paint is better. Easier to sand. But what I do use often is Black acrylic gesso. One of my favs is to apply it using criss-cross brushstrokes. Gives a subtle but striking effect. So much more interesting than a smooth, flat finish. Adding light washes over the black also gives nice results. Thin white over black leaves a deep blue cast.

[David McCormack]

Out of curiosity what do you use for your white paint?

I use mostly Farrow & Ball sample pots but also have a few colours from the Plaka range. This job was F&B Tallow 203. I must get round to trying some of the acrylics and the white ripple that Prospero favours.

[prospero]

It comes in a different shaped pot now.

[markw]

Vacuum cleaner bag is a good source of distressing dust....

[Graysalchemy]

Not in my house unless you want dog hairs and bits of crisps.

[prospero]

If I did the vac-bag thing I could do mohair frames. Both myself and my glamorous feline assistant are very hairy. If I had saved all the hair that went up the hoover I could have knitted another cat.

[Not your average framer]

and bits of crisps.

Ah, scratch and sniff handfinished frames! Available in Cheese and Onion, Smokey Bacon, etc, etc.

[markw]

You wanted to add character haha

[IFGL]

I know a framer who used some mushed up ginger biscuit to fill a knot hole in a frame, thankfully he is now a ex framer.