Old frame with woodworm - advice?

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BertieWooster
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Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

I recently obtained this old, large gilt composition frame. However, the back is covered in comprehensive evidence of woodworm. There appears to be no recent debris at all, and I suspect this is decades old. However, I'm not keen on taking any risks with it.

Normally, when I get a frame with any evidence of woodworm, it gets thrown out. But it seems a shame to destroy such a large old composition frame like this. Do you think I should treat the back of the frame with an off-the-shelf woodworm killer and then hope for the best? Treat it and then seal it in some kind of container for a year or two and see if there's any further evidence of beetle activity? Any advice would be welcome!
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BertieWooster
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

The woodworm holes!
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BertieWooster
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

More holes.
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Not your average framer
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Not your average framer »

The value of the frame is at best debatable, but it's looks like an interesting picture. It might be worth taping up the back to hide the woodworm holes and trying to sell it in a local auction.. What's it worth? Who knows!
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BertieWooster
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

Not your average framer wrote:The value of the frame is at best debatable, but it's looks like an interesting picture. It might be worth taping up the back to hide the woodworm holes and trying to sell it in a local auction.. What's it worth? Who knows!
The picture is indeed interesting, it's Prince Philip in a yacht by Deryck Foster. It's actually hard to tell whether it's a print or a painting, but I'm assuming it's a very high quality textured print. If it's a painting, it's valuable. But it's probably not.

Would you not say the frame has at least some modest value? I thought it struck the right balance between classy and vulgar. So many of these frames just look OTT.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by vintage frames »

Currently, I'm afraid, the frame has very little value. It looks to have been over-painted with gold paint, although some time ago. Like many things in the antique area, there are periods when objects come into and out of fashion. With this frame - it's time has yet to come.
Maybe someone could make a nice mirror with it.
Just treat the wood-worm with a can of something off the shelf.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Not your average framer »

There's a market for everything in the right place at the right time. I used to earn part of my living buying a selling through the auctions, I never was particularly successful at it, but it helped to pay the bill and I've had my share of making money on some items and losing money on others. It's a mixture of guesswork, some knowledge and experience, plus some luck. My wife and I were not having the best of times in those days and doing our best to get by.

It is more difficult these days and it does not always make sense to spend too much time and money on something. which may not sell for what you are expecting. I used to buy some items that nobody else would bid on, with intentions of converting something that nobody wanted into something that I hoped that everybody wanted and sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. You rarely get anything that is a cast iron certainly to make a good profit. Life is not like that, but you learn as you go along.

It's not a bad thing to do a bit of buying and selling as you will soon learn a lot about what works, what doesn't if you've got a bit of time to spare and few general auctions located near you. I enjoyed it and often suceeded in selling things that were worth almost nothing, for much more than I expected. Life is a lot more certain when a customer bring in something that they bought for the auctions and ask you to re-frame it. There used to be a local auction within walking distance in my town and I did well out of if, but those days have gone.

Are your intentions to do more along these lines? It can work, but be careful, it's not always easy.
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BertieWooster
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

vintage frames wrote:Currently, I'm afraid, the frame has very little value. It looks to have been over-painted with gold paint, although some time ago. Like many things in the antique area, there are periods when objects come into and out of fashion. With this frame - it's time has yet to come.
Maybe someone could make a nice mirror with it.
Just treat the wood-worm with a can of something off the shelf.
That's a shame. I may treat it as a bit of a restoration project. I've dabbled with a bit of gilding in the past, so I may treat it as a test piece to see how well I can restore it. Thanks for the advice.

I'm a glutton for punishment when it comes to these old composition frames, and I also have this waiting for some restoration, once I've honed my skills a bit.
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BertieWooster
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by BertieWooster »

Not your average framer wrote: It's not a bad thing to do a bit of buying and selling as you will soon learn a lot about what works, what doesn't if you've got a bit of time to spare and few general auctions located near you. I enjoyed it and often suceeded in selling things that were worth almost nothing, for much more than I expected. Life is a lot more certain when a customer bring in something that they bought for the auctions and ask you to re-frame it. There used to be a local auction within walking distance in my town and I did well out of if, but those days have gone.

Are your intentions to do more along these lines? It can work, but be careful, it's not always easy.
That's what I've been doing for the last few weeks - it's a very new venture for me. Amongst other things, I'm buying up nice antique frames to frame my own work (I'm a photographer) and old prints etc. I only paid about 30p for this frame as part of a small lot - and didn't even realise it was included until I collected it - so I don't mind that it's not a winner. I'll just try and do it up and keep it for myself. I like it, even if it's not in vogue at the moment.

Thanks for the advice! This forum has been very helpful to me already, when it comes to mounting techniques etc.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Not your average framer »

It sounds like you're a man after my own heart and a lot more is starting to make sense. I see you are based somewhere in Devon, if you are reasonably near by and we are both not committed to anything else at the same time, I don't mind quickly showing you a few useful techniques and tips and not expect anything in return.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by JFeig »

The colors look faded. My best guess is that it is a print.

In the woodworking realm there are epoxy products that are applied to wood to strengthen and fill in cracks and holes.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Not your average framer »

I think Bertie may be looking at selling some really nice quality restored antique and period frames. With the right presentation as an exclusive end of the market product, with a price tag to reflect it's exclusive perception, this could have some serious appleal to the right people. This sounds like it could be quite a smart move in a location where people like to spend money on nice things. So why not!

Yes, I can see where this might be going and it could be ticking all the right boxes in some locations and there's even scope for selling some onto trade customers, based in really juicy locations, like Kings Road Chelsea, Camden Lock, Chipping Norton, Stratford on Avon and the like. If a good supply of the right frames is available at nice low prices then this could be a good move.
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prospero
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by prospero »

I wouldn't worry too much about the worm holes. People get panicky when they see them but the don't appreciate
that they are exit holes not entrance holes. The danger is if there are larvae munching away inside, which I doubt.
You could seal it up for a couple of years and see if there is any dust/beetles inside the bag. long-winded exercise.
Treating it with chemicals would prevent re-infestation, but unlikely to kill off and live larvae still active.
I have heard that the only sure way to do it is to put it in a freezer for a few months. Know any butchers? :lol:

As mentioned previously, it's an 'institutional' frame of no real value but worth hanging on to if you have room.

It's a decent frame if you like that style. Looks to have no serious damage/bits missing. The print is of little value
and the subject is specialised. It is also very mucky and cleaning them is not as simple as cleaning oils.
It looks a bit faded as well. :cry:
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Benhen »

Wouldn't touch it with a barge pole..... Sorry, just having fun. I've messed a round with these sorts of frames before -- it ended in tears. As the man says, tape top the back and take it to an auction.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by Not your average framer »

There was a time when I used to pick up similar frame at the local auctions for very little and turn them into mirrors to sell in my shop window, but selling mirrors does not seem to be like it once was and if you have not got a shop window in the first place, that's an extra difficulty as well. Given the fact that you say you can pick up plenty of quite promising frames for almost nothing. I think it would be quite advantageous to only bother to acquire those frames without woodworm holes, or other defects that will require extra time and money.

In so far as this may be an interesting ideas, which may piggy back of of your photography activities, the lack of shop premises and a shop window for displaying items for sale may still be a missing part of the formula for success and as such needs to be given some serious thought, to see how you can take this idea forward. There are quite a lot of reprocessed older frames being offered and succesfully sold on eBay and Esty and some people are clearly doing quite well with this.

There's a very big difference in the prices on eBay and Etsy, with Etsy selling at higher prices, but if you don't mind the lower selling prices then eBay may well result in a faster turn around, if that's more appealing. I've got quite a lot of older looking mirror glass that cost me nothing and don't mind cutting you a few bits of mirror glass to fit a few of these frames for you at no cost, if this will be a help to you. I get given plenty of old mirror glass, so I won't miss cut you a few bits to fit some of your frames.
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Re: Old frame with woodworm - advice?

Post by prospero »

:idea: As a matter of interest.........

I've been wondering about that print and where I had seen it. I had two very like in my shed which I got lumbered with. :lol:

I think they were by Montague Dawson. Funny thing was they had been printed mirror-image as the signature was reversed. :roll:
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