The Framers Forum

Hi
I am startiing a framing business in Sarawak Malaysia, I was operating as a home based business there for one year and have returned to the Uk this year for various reasons, one of them being to attend as many framing courses as I can and to sit the GCF exam next year.

I am working full time in the construction industry to finance the course work and I am looking for weekend framing work to give me continuity required to sit the GCF and also to gain experience in the workings of a framing business.

I have taken the introduction course at Lion and the 5 day course at Down School of Picture framing and will be taking a few other courses over the next year or so.

I am currently based in North London

George Hannah

Hi George,

Sorry I can't help with the weekend work, but if you're looking at learning more about object framing as part of your training, I can heartily recommend going to Mike Royall (Royall Framing, Almondsbury, Bristol).

I wish you well in your hunt for weekend work, and in broadening your framing skills!

Moglet wrote:Hi George,

Sorry I can't help with the weekend work, but if you're looking at learning more about object framing as part of your training, I can heartily recommend going to Mike Royall (Royall Framing, Almondsbury, Bristol).

I wish you well in your hunt for weekend work, and in broadening your framing skills!

I agree. I spent two very helpful days with him. He's an outstanding framer and teacher of long standing. Training with him is money well spent!

Likewise, I sent a member of staff on a course with Mike last year, and he will tailor it to your needs, with attention to quality and detail too. And he gives you a year's worth of support (answereing questions etc) afterward, if you need any help later.

And in addition to the technical skills you will learn from Mike, he can give you a wealth of advice about business and marketing aspects of the trade, too!

Moglet wrote:And in addition to the technical skills you will learn from Mike, he can give you a wealth of advice about business and marketing aspects of the trade, too!

Obviously, when you send you staff to be trained, you ask mike to omit the "start your own business" part of the training

I think the saying is "Teach them everything they need to know, but not everything you and I know"

Thanks to the responses from everyone.

With regard to the courses, the 5 day course I had with Steven & Sharon Lee McKee was excellent and I will be booking there for the box framing course in the new year. Apart from the fact that Steven and Sharon Lee are both excellent teachers (Steven is in Octobers ABT for being the first framer in the world to hold all three advanced qualifications), I really enjoyed the trip over to NI.

The introduction course at Lion was very good also, it packs a lot into 1day, but is well worth attending especially for the time Martin Harrold spends, giving the talks on Mouldings and the business aspect of framing, invaluable.

I will also try and fit in a few courses nearer to home next year and will certainly take up your recommendations, I believe Lyn Hall's courses are very good too.

Whilst these courses are a necessity it will be very difficult for me to prepare for the GCF without having the "hand-on" experiance necessary and also the means of preparing the samples for the test, while I appreciate that it would be very difficult to organise in the run up to Christmas, I would be grateful to hear from any framers in the London area who would be in a position to help out in the new year. with some weekend work.