Advice on buying glass

[Merlin]

Oh Áine

So you are only 4' then

[Not your average framer]

Depends on the cutting table you have. Most tend to use 4x3's but 60"x40'" are also available as are 6x4's. Obviously, 6x4's are more efficient but can be a bugger to handle. I use a company in Goole, Yorkshire that supply me weekly with my glass, board and ancilliaries. i know they cover nationwide 'cos I'm down south. Quality is excellent. 01405 767897

Hi Dan,

I've been using them for couple of months now - one of my better decisions, I think! Their prices for silvered float glass and bevelled mirrors are very helpful too. So much so, that I'm making up a few mirrors and getting some useful sales by doing so.

[Moglet]

So you are only 4' then

I am only an egg...

NYAF, good point about the mirrors. I've bought a couple to do for the Autumn season, and I'd like to do something kinda funky framewise. Any style advice going begging?

[Roboframer]

I've bought a couple to do for the Autumn season, and I'd like to do something kinda funky framewise. Any style advice going begging?

(Mirrors)

I have just had a mad mirror day and will photograph the results tomorrow - memory and time permitting!

But anyway - I don't like landscape mirrors - generally - depends on hanging postion.

People generally go portrait!

Square is good too - or better than landscape.

[Moglet]

Like you, I far prefer portrait-oriented mirrors, although I must confess that I used a few in my beloved Wiltshire cottage landscape-fashion in order to create a sense of space in certain locations. But in that context, they ceased to be mirrors and became "faux room extensions"....

[Not your average framer]

Hi Áine,

I've never had any clear idea about what makes a particular mirror appeal to a prospective buyer or for that matter how to price them. Fortunately, Mike my part-time assistant has more of an idea that me.

I started by placing a bid at my local auction house on a lot of 9 unused and obviously new Arqadia swept/oranate frames. Having been successful with these I needed to get some mirrors for them. I was just going to buy some silvered float and cut it up to suit, but Mike twisted my arm a bit and the prices from my new glass supplier (Solid Glass) were quite tempting too, so I bought bevelled mirrors instead.

I've sold three of the nine, broke one mirror and sold the frame for that one cheap to Mike and I'm already well up on the deal with the rest still left to sell too! Another customer came in and ordered a pine full length mirror as a present for his daughter after looking at the others.

I've always looked upon mirrors as a good way of clearing any suitable mouldings which don't look like selling anymore. By "suitable" I mean not just anything, but something which looks the part. I made a mirror frame last week from a couple of lengths of about 1" wide gold bamboo moulding, it's a triple section frame with an obsolete red and gold ramin moulding inside each section as a liner. The centre section will take a 12" x 16" and the two side sections will take 4" x 16". It will be fitted with cut sections of silvered float.

This as an example doesn't matter much, but it illustrates the advantage of using mirrors to turn obsolete stock into cash. For some reason, nobody minds if a mirror moulding is way out of date. Also being a bit of a fashion thing, anything different is likely to go down well! Where I was trained they used to do this all the time, with great success.

Clearance deals from moulding suppliers can be good for this too!

[Roboframer]

Áine - when you say you have bought a few - do you mean standard sizes/bevelled?

'Funky' can refer to size as well as surround - how about a 30x4" ???

Not much artwork comes that shape - but many alcoves do (plus a 3" wide frame to make it 36x10" .... or whatever)

[Not your average framer]

As John says, shape has a lot to do with it. The place which trained me, sold lots of framed silvered float left-overs, all sorts of shapes and sizes and they all sold! Long thin ones usually sold very quickly, even in cheap crummy mouldings.

For instance 20" x 4" off-cut, with a 1" cheap black cushion moulding would always sell come the week-end. They used do mirror sale's and advertise them in the local paper as an event and people would come from miles away.

[Moglet]

At the moment, I've got some standard-sized bevelled mirrors, but I just lurvvvv the idea of the funky shapes! What a great way to use up weird-sized offcuts of attractive mouldings. The mirror sale is a great promotional idea, too!! Must check with my glass supplier about whether he does mirrored float...

[Not your average framer]

Hi Áine,

Here is the Bamboo mirror frame:



As you will probably already know, I ain't got any chance of selling either of these two mouldings any other way. Mirrors are a great way of turning dead stock back into cash and we've all got dead stock to do it with! Time to start digging it out and it's o.k. to use up your left-over MDF at the same time!

[Moglet]

... and it's o.k. to use up your left-over MDF at the same time!

What left-over MDF?!? Don't use the stuff....

Really different, NYAF! It's very "designer"!! Is it all one mirror, if so how you do dat?

[Not your average framer]

What left-over MDF?!? Don't use the stuff....

Really different, NYAF! It's very "designer"!! Is it all one mirror, if so how you do dat?

Sorry about the MDF, I was waiting for comments from elsewhere!

Right, the mirror bit!

It's easy, it's made out of three individual frames, screwed together. However, there's a problem the gold bamboo moulding is Obeche, so the screws aren't gonna hold very well in that!

So I make up three smaller insert frames to be a good fit inside the others. These are made of Ramin, so the screws are really gonna hold in that!

The centre section and it's insert frame are assembled and fixed together with veneer pins from the inside. The pins are punched below the surface to be clear of the mirror glass, (just in case).

The two side frames are screwed onto the sides of the centre section with in this case five countersunk screws each side. (It's important to make sure the frames are properly lined-up and in-line before fixing). The screws are then tighted to be below flush inside the rebates.

The two side frame inserts are the fitted in the same manor as the centre section and the mirror sections then installed and backed with anything you've got as scrap and fixed in behind with framers points.

Then a nice solid piece of MDF is cut to size and securely fastened all around to the back of the bamboo frames with long enough screws to really grip in the Obeche.

These fixings and the fact that the screws between the individual frames are much further forward, ensures the the whole assembly will stay solid and flat.

With practice you can do one of these these in about 45 minutes including fitting the glass. I use plenty of power tools to get the speed!

BTW Bamboo mouldings vary in profile depending where you cut them, so I sand them down to match and re-guild the sanded areas with bole and Everest gold paint which burnishes to look like the real thing!

[Roboframer]

Sorry the two main shots are shaky - my camera normally lets me know and asks if I want to delete.

All discontinued stuff or offcuts.

Some 2" wide bamboo in silver & natural - long gone - Euro mouldings.
A blue 'rocky' moulding - ditto (Close up). Larson Juhl Florentina (about £2:40 per ft) A couple of small ones in real white gold leaf (Euros again)
Gaudy gold one a discontinued Arqadia moulding.

Silver one you can see greetings cards in - D&J Simons CHIC-0002 - love it (£1:60 per ft)

Small flat silver ones - a new Nielsen exclusive 'platinum' range - this one (£2:10 per foot) is just over 3" wide and dead flat so on a really small frame (the square one is 5x5") this type of moulding really lets you know if your blades are set right (close up)

All mirors are plain bar the rocky one - 48x12" bevelled

Didn't paint many rebates black - sorry!

[Not your average framer]

Then a nice solid piece of MDF is cut to size and securely fastened all around to the back of the bamboo frames with long enough screws to really grip in the Obeche.

I just thought I would mention that even without the back fitted it is already very stiff and solid, but the MDF would just make sure!

[Roboframer]

Silver one you can see greetings cards in - D&J Simons CHIC-0002 - love it (£1:60 per ft)

Rep called today - the 'Chic' range is being discontinued - it's pretty new too - typical - anything I sell well gets canned!

Look out for it on their 'GR' (Get Rid) list - I'd be up for a shedload, but not with my current stock levels!!