The Framers Forum

I make no comments about the mounting in the attached photograph, but what about the moulding?

Thanks.

Judging by the vintage of the mounts, it could date back quite a time.

Is it all in one piece or is the shot pattern a separate fillet? If so, you might be able to cobble together a reasonable facsimile as there are various plain scoops like that available.

The picture has only been in the frame for a matter of weeks so the mounts are of no help. Now I know who supplied the frame I should think it is certainly Edwardian and possibly Victorian. Any ideas on a shot pattern fillet?

Can't recall seeing a black fillet like that lately, but a gold one shouldn't take too much finding. Not a huge job to paint it black.

A rough approx. would be Rose and Hollis A232 and their finished fillet 1383. The wood does look like obeche, so you could match it with a mahogany stain, a coat of sanding sealer and then wax. Black the fillet with a few coats of black shellac polish.

Thanks VF. That Liberon black polish is great stuff; thanks for the info re the R&H fillet, I need to drop in on them anyway - I haven't a copy of their finished mouldings catalogue and an email request to them was, needless to say, ignored...

They have an e-mail address?

Yes. They emailed me their catalogue as a pdf.

roseandhollis@aol.co.uk

I have now received my finished mouldings catalogue by email. Post might have been slightly quicker... But it was addressed to "Dear Sir" - and the only emails I receive addressed thus are from our friends in Nigeria who have $100m that will be mine once I've paid them £10,000...

AOL? I had their broadband at one time and the whole PC seized up.

Quite pleased with the Mafauxgany. French polishing is possibly a tad lumpier than I'd have liked, but as it's being done as a favour I ran out of patience.

Recipe as per Vintage Frames, mix of Van Dyke and Fiddes Mahogany, shellac, some white spirit/burnt umber/raw umber/raw sienna sploshed on so as to be darker in the corners than the middles, and French polished as much as I could be bothered.

That looks a well matched, good job, well done.
If you're having trouble with lumpy finishes, try using thinner coats and sand down with 600grit wet n'dry between coats. You can use 00 wire wool, but you get a flatter finish with paper.

try using thinner coats

It's all about patience, isn't it....!

good.

Dermot

I'm doing something vaguely similar.

I seem to recall the white spirit and oil paints sitting there wet on the surface for ages. Days even. Is there a tip for speeding this part of the process. Not enough time...

Thanks.

If you want diluted oil paints to dry faster, add some terebine driers .
You should be able to buy it in any good paint or artists supply shop.
I usually add about 10%,too much though and you have to be aware of some cracking of the finish - not small decorative cracks but big swirly cracks! Trial and error I'm afraid.

Thanks. 10%?! The package says 1% - 50ml per 5 litres of paint.

Yes, but if you think about it, commercial household oil paints contain a high volume of driers. That's why they dry overnight. You don't want your artists oil paints to dry so quickly, so they contain much less volume of driers. That's why I said 10% should be enough to dry them in 24hours.
You would also want to seal them over then with shellac anyway.

Thanks. Just checking it wasn't a typo.

I love the finished result. Really superb!