Triumph of Hope

Discuss Picture Framing topics.

PLEASE USE THE HELP SECTION
WHEN SEEKING OR OFFERING HELP!
Post Reply
User avatar
prospero
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue 05 Jun, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Triumph of Hope

Post by prospero »

A guy brought me a framed mirror this morning. He wants the frame strengthening. :D

It's a 48" x 36" 1/4" thick mirror with a 1" ornate gold frame. The corners are nailed. This thing must weigh 20Kg.
It was made in Kenya about 50 years ago. And for all that time since it has been hanging from 4 strands of thin wire
attached to single small (No.14?) screw-rings. The glue on the frame corners has long-since given up but despite this the corners
are not gapping noticeably.

All-in-all I think this is quite miraculous. :clap:
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
cleaver
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue 01 Jan, 2019 8:42 pm
Location: Surrey
Organisation: Satriale's Pork Store
Interests: .

Re: Triumph of Hope

Post by cleaver »

Sounds like a lot of bad luck if that mirror fell!

You've reminded me, the one in our living room is hanging by a pretty stretched bit of wire :oops:

What are you going to do with the frame, Mr.P...keep as a mirror or put a painting in it?

BTW, do you get as excited as that Salavge Hunter (Drew Pritchard) bloke over 'foxing' on old mirrors? He seems to love tem most when you can barely see your reflection in them!
User avatar
prospero
Posts: 11492
Joined: Tue 05 Jun, 2007 4:16 pm
Location: Lincolnshire

Re: Triumph of Hope

Post by prospero »

I'm going to make a subframe out of some flat timber and screw though this into the back of the mirror frame. Then concoct
a cleat system whereby a batten fixed into the wall will lock into the subframe.

The mirror is quite a nice item as it's rolled glass rather than modern float, so it is slightly wavy. Antique mirrors are quite the
thing. I've tried 'antiquing' modern ones, but the protective backing is virtually bullet proof and nothing I've tied will strip it. :|
Watch Out. There's A Humphrey About
Not your average framer
Posts: 11013
Joined: Sat 25 Mar, 2006 8:40 pm
Location: Devon, U.K.
Organisation: The Dartmoor Gallery
Interests: Lost causes, saving and restoring old things, learning something every day
Location: Glorious Devon

Re: Triumph of Hope

Post by Not your average framer »

Old mirrors with loose corner joints can be quite a helpful way of earning a few bob fixing them. I get asked fix stuff like this for time to time and since I have an old Stanley framers vice and a compressed air driven 18 gauge nail gun this is a very quick, neat and solid repair in not much time.

I cross nail the corner joints and as a result, the scope for corners opening again is pretty much eliminated. Also as the material cost to carry out such repairs is so little, jobs like this are usually good for profitability.
Mark Lacey

“Life is short. Art long. Opportunity is fleeting. Experience treacherous. Judgement difficult.”
― Geoffrey Chaucer
Post Reply