Framing baby shoes

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L.frames
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Framing baby shoes

Post by L.frames »

Hello everyone,
I’m new to the forum (although have regularly scanned for useful tips) You’re such a helpful bunch that I’ve signed up and now I have my first question!
I’m framing 4 pairs of baby shoes and wandered how most of you would attach them to the mount board behind?
I’ve only ever framed soft baby shoes so was able to stitch them on, but these have proper soles...
All advise welcome!
Thank you!
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YPF
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Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by YPF »

I would still look to use a thread somehow. Without seeing the shoes, is the sole glued or sewn on? If sewn on you should be able to get some thread through the same hole or at least around an existing thread.

There may be some more areas of the shoe leather sewn together that a thread could be attached to.

Consider changing the orientation of the shoe, instead of viewing them from the top consider attaching so they are seen side on.

If conservation is of less concern and the soles are plastic maybe some nuclear strength double side sticky foam pads could be considered.
Steve
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http://www.yourpictureframer.co.uk
L.frames
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue 10 Mar, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: Surrey
Organisation: The frame shed
Interests: Painting, walking, needlework

Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by L.frames »

Thank you Steve,
I’ve had a good look at the shoes but they are toddler shoes rather than tiny baby shoes so the soles are pretty substantial and I cant find anywhere obvious to take a thread through like you suggested (which was a top idea!)
I’m considering drilling tiny holes with a teeny tiny drill bit!
Failing that it may have to be nuclear adhesive 😂
Not your average framer
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Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by Not your average framer »

I have both of the main sizes of price tag guns, but I have bought serveral boxes of different length of tags, some going up to abont 4, or 5 inches long. It's a pretty simple matter to fix the shoes in place using long tags and to pull the surplus tight behind th mount board which they are meing mounted to and for the end of the tag to be out of sight inside the shoes.

I the material from which the shoe is made of is a bit difficult to penetrate then I would drill a very small diameter hole with something like a 1mm diameter drill. As usual, I am aiming for simple, quick and easy, plus immaculate presentation. I'm not particularly in favour of using adhesives for this sort of thing and that applies to both self adhesives, double sided tape and most other adhesives.

Will many different adhesives, I am concerned about difficulties with chemical compatibility with the substances which the adhesive needs to stick to, and you are immediately into the area of guesswork will childrens shoes. The potential for silicone, or oil based plasticers with childrens shoes is enough to deter me from using adhesive straightaway.

Anyway a mechanical fixing, or stitching beats a chemical fixing every time, for me! Also there's not need for cleaning up surplus adhesive and now possiblity of unwanted chemical reactions doing bad things to the shoes, or waiting for adhesives to cure.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
L.frames
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue 10 Mar, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: Surrey
Organisation: The frame shed
Interests: Painting, walking, needlework

Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by L.frames »

Brilliant,
I completely agree with not wanting to use adhesives. Really interesting to hear you use tags. I might try and get some longer ones for my tag gen. I’ve already fished out my minute drill bit.
Thank you for the feed back. It’s very reassuring.
Not your average framer
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Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
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Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by Not your average framer »

I bought my extra boxes of tags from Morplan. Unfortunately ther are a thousand tags in a box and You will probably never use that amount, but there are plenty of uses for when framing objects. I'm a bit of a specialist when it comes to framing objuct, it's not that I do huge amounts of such work, but I am very good at making fixtures, fittings and craddles to surport just about anything. I make up such bits a pieces using my band saw, my scroll saw, my bench top combined belt and disk sander and etc. It is very easy to drill small holes in a wooden craddle to pass tags from a tag gun through the craddle and to hide the from view. I usually make such fixtures and fittings from nice looking wood such as oak to avoid needing to paint them.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
L.frames
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue 10 Mar, 2020 6:51 pm
Location: Surrey
Organisation: The frame shed
Interests: Painting, walking, needlework

Re: Framing baby shoes

Post by L.frames »

Thanks Mark,
I’ll have a look at moreplan. The tags were really useful when framing rugby shirts a few weeks ago and I actually could have done with longer ones then but lion only do a couple of lengths.
You sound like the sort of skilled craftsman I aspire to... I’d love to have a little pillar drill and bench top bandsaw... maybe on the Christmas list!
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