Novice advice needed: hand finishing wooden frames for oils

[Whitewater Gallery]

Prospero

Frames like that make me glad that I am a photographer - stunning!

That said, Nagg2000, brilliant job for a beginner!

35 years ago I worked at in a Gallery in Tunbridge Wells with a framing workshop at the back. They used to hand cut the 45% bevels in the mounts, even did a clover leaf mount for a photo once, as well as stunning washline mounts, these frames remind me of these skills, and how framing can really be an art in itself. John, the mount cutter, was about 60, and had used the same Stanley knife to cut mounts since he had started as an apprentice. He used to snap the blades between each mount cut to sharpen them and this over time wore away the knife itself which actually finally fell apart whilst I was working there. Probably the first time that I had seen a grown man cry - certainly at work!

I am in admiration for those of you who truly keep this art alive.

That said whilst this was going on in the workshop the Gallery owner was mass producing bird prints in brown and guilt frames and wholesaling to around the country. This involved me pin and glueing 100's of frames a week on a bench in the corner of my bedroom and then stacking them all on the landing (2p a corner if I remember correctly), what a contrast to the quality craftmanship in the Gallery!

[standenfineart]

Nice job.
To improve the corners I would say sand the flats level certainly before any finishing but ideally before filler.
Make little sanding blocks to hold the sandpaper perfectly flat.
Rub in fine filler and sand again.
To deal with wood grain, for me traditional gesso is the answer but if you don't have the facility or equipment for rsg try pva gesso.
I often use this to prep bare wood then sand before a rattle can spray coat (I use graffiti paint) and then oil gild metal leaf finished to taste.
The pva mix that works for me is 1 volume pva, 2.5 volumes water, 3 volumes whiting. Tweak the water for texture, keep the glue to pigment ratio the same.
For my taste wax over paint is too glossy. Try a final rub over with a whiting/rottenstone/pigment mix to moderate.
Hope these ideas help.

[Benhen]

Nagg, Ebonised is what you see on all those Dutch still lives. That's why I thought it could make the colours stand out. A journey for another day. Compliments to the painter too.

[Benhen]

Couldn't agree more, just the right amount of gloss is hard thing to attain.

[Benhen]

Have any of you wise hands ever tried adding a very subtle touch of pearl essence to the paint in one of the cords? Just wondering....

[prospero]

Prospero, will to promise, before you retire to the great frame workshop in the sky, to write down all you know and publish it. Please.

What will I do in the afternoon?

[Benhen]

I'd also add, at a risk of contradicting a member with a zillion times more experience: if you're going to the trouble of making a handmade frame the corners are everything.... Try not to be too concertina like with them, let the hand flow around the corners --- pull them together. It will make for greater unity, beauty, and enhance the image at the centre more.
Enough from me.
Au Renoir all

[prospero]

Donkey chain mine Herr.

[Benhen]

Here to learn, brov, respect!

[Not your average framer]

just the right amount of gloss is hard thing to attain.

That's very true and how you do it affects other things too! I mix Amsterdam acrylic paint with an equal amount of Craig & Rose chalky emulsion, which reduces the gloss when the paint dries, but as a side effect it also enables you to get a much better fine stippled effect when applying the paint using a lightly loaded brush to stipple the paint. It has a lot to do with the amount of solids in the paint.

I'm not totally traditional when it comes to hand finishing frames and like using paints which enable me to avoid extra labour time with other operations in achieving the final result. It is often difficult to charge as much as you need to for hand finishing unless you can develop ways of working at fast rate.

Getting the right properties from the paints and other materials that you are using will get you much nearer to the desired result and therefore require less effort later in the process. Those who were on my hand finishing course a few years ago will be able to confirm what I am saying! It is also true that just about everyone develops their own methods and techniques as time goes on.

It's always good to see other forum members taking up hand finishing and developing the necessary abilities. The main requirements are imagination, practice and the will to succeed. Many find that it's not as hard to do as they had expected and if you are not too rushed of your feet to add some hand finishing to things you are able to offer to your customers, this may be something which may be good for your business.

[IFGL]

Peter, the ripple paint and fingers example you posted is very nice, I bet it was perfect for the picture too.
You are a true artist/craftsman, developing your own designs and techniques, you never know in a hundred years time there may be some framers copying your examples

[prospero]

Well thank you for those kind words.

The painting looked like this...

[Pierablue]

I have been in the trade for 37 years. I consider myself as experienced and inventive. I started as a picture framer, and finished as a manufacturer of quality mouldings/ profiles of all types. I have produced gilded mouldings, natural finish mouldings, cross grain olivewood bespoke frames with french polish etc etc.

Unfortunately most profiles no matter how dry and seasoned they are, they tend to shrink. Wide profiles are susceptible to this shrinkage more than thin profiles. The problem is cause by the humidity levels which vary. The humidity level at the framer may be higher than the humidity level at the customer's home. While the profile shrinks the miter displays a fissure, which sometimes develops into a "V" fissure over a few years. This problem is common in the Mediterranean area, and in areas where the humidity is not under control. A breeze or a soft wind will often accelerate this defect.

This problem can be reduced, if not overcome by impregnating the back and rebate area at the corners. The exercise is done on assembled [glued] frame, and would need about two day for drying. A solution of raw linseed oil and nitrocellulose solvent are painted onto the frame corners. The mixing ratio depends on the pores of the timber. The amount of linseed oil should be about 30 % of the solution for most timbers, but softer timber may take a little more raw linseed oil. The solvent will carry the mixture deeper into the timber and would not weaken the PVA glue at the miter. Eventually the raw linseed oil solution will lose it solvent, and polymerizes to form a 'non shrinkable' timber, and hence it will not fissure.

I have written a book about framing and all the data that would help the framer to improve his skills and hopefully his earnings, but I have never published it. It was written as a manual to help my memory, but it is designed for the Mediterranean framer where climatic conditions could pose problems.

I have also devised a method of mounting pictures onto a board that would assist the artwork on paper to adapt to climatic changes in the home. If anyone is interested I would be happy to earn something, now that i am retiring. I will try to answer interested persons through my email address: giuseppe@vol.net.mt

Thank you all. I love my job and hopefully i will continue on a smaller scale.

[GeoSpectrum]

You could self publish the book using Amazon. That might give you a small income?

[prospero]

I have been in the trade for 37 years. ........................

That's a very good tip and something I had not thought of.

I've had a few instances where cracks across the mitre have occured. Mainly on narrow liners. One frame I did (small frame- wide moulding) went berserk and the corners opened about 1/8". I suspect it had been domiciled in a damp place.
The worst case was a frame that got in the way of a burst water pipe and the corners opened really wide. The joints were biscuited and strangely enough remained solid, albeit not where I put them. It was slightly tricky to repair as the corners had a textured pattern going over them, but I managed it.

[jimmer123]

Instead of using ready mixed gesso use the good old rabbit skin glue and gesso powder (not real rabbit skin) you'll find info easily on this. For your corners....A good trick is once you have painted the frame with rabbit skin glue cut a thin strip of muslin and place this over each corner while its still wet, you will get muslin from any fabric shop. Cut it about 2 or 3 centimetres wide. Once you paint the gesso over this your mitre joints should never show themselves again

[Jamesnkr]

muslin

Silk is more traditional isn't it? Any views on the difference - particularly given that silk and muslin are both traditional fabrics, just from opposite ends of the scale.

[Benhen]

I heard tell that there are people who go to all the trouble of soaking and melting rabbit skin glue to add to whiting in order to make gesso. Then they slap it on to pictureframes, sand it down with sandpaper and end up with a finish as fine as silk.
I've even seen them wet the high points of the gesso and just as it dries, polish the gesso to a marble finish.
Now who could be bothered with all that?

Precisely, Dermot, especially when it turns to talc within 50feet of damp.

[vintage frames]

Ben - what on earth are you trying to say?

[Benhen]

We're doomed, we're all doomed.