The Framers Forum

.......Still sandpapering boss.

Got a 6x4ft booked in for next month.

Cool Hand Prospero..... can you also do the thing with the hard boiled eggs

I was bound over for six months.

Have you finished the frame yet Prospero...

Just got back from a little road trip with the artist to deliver and hang the thing.

Managed to get it on the wall despite slightly dodgy paster work. It was an old house.
I put in six f-off hammer fixings and it appeared fairly secure.

The lady was delighted.


Film at 11.

Met the horse as well.

Few more progress pics.....



All primed and sanded with coat of Red Oxide acrylic.




After that a stippled coat of Black/Burnt Umber to darken the red a tad.

Applying the gold.

I didn't want to use wire/cord hangings so I devised a French Cleat.

Pieces of timber fixed to the sides for the cleats to get a good hold on.



The piece along the bottom had two small bumpers fixed on to keep the canvas away from the wall.

All this was then papered over for the sake of neatness.




The two cleats. Painted black for camouflage. Five screws in the frame cleat.
The wall cleat had three f-off hammer fixings.

The finished job.




The gold on the frame was treated to a going-over with dark wax to give it a richer
tone and very lightly distressed.

Beautiful.

I'd be happy if I could get the finish in the 2nd pic!

Installation.

Fantastic frame Prospero. I'm used to seeing you with a cup of tea in your hand and your 'I love MDF' tee-shirt so I'm a bit confused which one is you in this photo?

The one with the glasses and second-most hair.

Not sure if you noticed but there's a guy on the right trying to sneak off with it

That's the lady's hubby.

Don't worry. He didn't get far.

nice to see the end result

very smart

A question about the red underpainting, not withstanding that it will show through where the gold is removed during distressing, do you think the colour applied beneath a gilt varnish makes a lot of difference to the final finish? I undetsnd why it does with gold leaf, bug not so sure with the gilt varnish.

Good question.

I very rarely put the gilt varnish on so thick as to totally obscure the undercoat. Sometimes I stipple it on
so you get a sort-of broken leaf type finish. Sometimes I dry brush it as it dries to get a scratchy look.
If you add extra varnish you get a ghosty effect as the gold will be semi-transparent.

It's all in the mix and the wrist action.