The Framers Forum

here are two pics of a recent commission . restoration and reproduction
they show the tall original french mirror and the copy we had to make to sit opposite on a radiator shelf

used 5 kg of silicone to cast the decoration and had to hand carve the curved angles on the moulding as I couldn't use the moulder to get the curve.

finished in 23 1/2 carat water gilded leaf and took 80 hours overall

still sweating!

http://www.kingswoodframes.co.uk/french ... on-mirror/

Very nice Tim. I hope you charged accordingly.

Looks a great job Timh. These sort of things are always a challenge and a bonus having the silicon mouldings to reproduce others and variations of the original. Incidentally, what did you cast the ornamentation in?

What casting material did you use Tim ?

How much will charge?

thanks for the comments

Geoff/Pete- we used a traditional compo mix of glue oil resin and chalk and some very secret ingredients . we use this to make all our decorated frames.
you can control the mix to induce cracking also to give an older look to it.

the cost to make the whole thing was about £1600 in 23 1/2 carat gold water gilded. I know there are some firms out there charging quite a bit more than that but loved doing it, plus he's a very good customer.

we're looking for trade outlets for our decorated frames. big push this year.

Damn! I was hoping to learn your secret ingredients.

mwah hah hah ( evil laugh)!

sorry Pete. those secrets cost me very dear.

I have also just made a watts punched frame for a William Waterhouse drawing

will post up in coming week

best wishes
Tim

Oh, well, I'll stick to me polyfilla and plastiscene then!

A punched Watts frame sounds interesting. Have you used traditional oak? Be interested in seeing it once finished Tim, One of my favourite periods for "new" frame designs. The pre-raphaelite period being a particular like. I have attached a repro copy I made a while ago finished in water gilded gold leaf. I was going to oil the flat as many are but my customer wanted the whole thing bright. Not my choice but what do I know? Sorry if I've posted this frame before...I cant remember.

Do you use thixotropic or pourable silicone for taking your master mould? If your silicone mould is a block then the undercuts are more difficult to de-mould.

I always tried to make my production moulds a 1/4 in. profile of the model, from pourable silicone. This made the silicone easier to peel off, and longer lasting moulds.
However, I found, a vacuum chamber was necessary for these types of moulds.

Generally, I will use a basic compo mix possibly similar to yours but with rosin, pearl glue and a couple of other ingredients for firm castings either in wood or resins. For items such as leaves, ribbons, flowers etc which are usually on a wire framework around many period frames, I will use the same "compo" and shape, cut etc treating it like timber basically but building it up around a wire frame. I haven't used "compo" in silicon moulds because of the distorted results from it's compression and shrinkage which is why I opt for other mediums generally. We all however, have our own way etc that works.

Silicon is a great casting medium and some "shores" capture the finest detail and undercutting. I use this more than any other medium and have never been let down with the results. I have some "grotesque" panels to cast up soon and will post the results at a later date. The originals have very fine surface detailing which I know the silicon will capture.

I also prefer to use silicone for mould making. It captures detail exceptionally well.

I have a small vacuum chamber made from an old kilner jar. these are made from very strong glass and are designed to withstand pressure, when they and their contents are boiled in a saucepan of water. You need a special drill to drill the glass lid. The coupling in mine is a bicycle valve stem, without the valve insert. Getting a good seal between the glass a the valve stem is not an easy matter, excessive tightening of the nut and washer may strain the glass, so it must not be too tight. I used to be using domestic tap washers, but they don't always stay sealed all that well. Nitrile rubber "O" rings work much better!

For those who are wondering what I am talking about, the vacuum causes any air bubbles in the silicone to be drawn out, leaving no air cavities. Once the air bubbles have all escaped the mould can be removed from the vacuum and allowed to set normally.

You can buy two part silicone compounds in various grades (shore hardness rating) from suppliers to the electronics and aero-space industries. This include smaller quanities sealed in a plastic bag with the two parts seperated by a removable metal clip dividing the bag. The contents are vacuum packed and contain no air whatsoever. After removing the clip, you simply mix the two parts together in the bag by neading with your fingers and when the mixing is complete you just cut a corner off and squeeze the silicone out of the bag. It's very easy and there is a grade recommended for mould making!

That's a beautiful frame Geoff

we have used oak as a centre panel but just showing the grain , no punching.
a few years ago the National Trust wanted six frames for a collection of Rossetti watercolours and it was the oak we used. looks very nice gilded.

The watts style frame we have just done is for a Waterhouse drawing and did something similar to what is on his work at Manchester Art Gallery

Like you, I'm a big fan of the pre Raphaelite period.

regarding the silicone, we used putty silicone as there was loads of undercut and the ornament was very large and bulky and is similar to what NYAF has described.
this was backed up with compo to make more rigid.doesn't work as well on fine detail though.


The compo mix is same as your basic but over time you add a few different things to prevent cracking, mould etc.

There is so much material out there and with a bit of experimenting you can get some good results.