The Framers Forum

Not your average framer wrote:I looking forward to the day when we see some of your hand-finishing too!

Breath-holding not recommended....

Not your average framer wrote:We all think and work differently, so our ideas will be different too!

One of the things that blows me away about your work, Mark, is that you can design such beautiful mouldings "from a standing start." For the little bit of handfinished work I've done, it has been driven (inspired?) by the need of the item being framed, and not being able to find a moulding to complement it adequately. Perhaps that's what made me an effective design engineer/project manager: come to me with a problem, and the problem itself will provide me with the inspiration/impetus for a solution. My creativity seems to require an external spark. As I look at the fruits of the internal creative genius of others on the forum, I kinda feel like a fraud (but in a good way ).

Moglet wrote:One of the things that blows me away about your work, Mark, is that you can design such beautiful mouldings "from a standing start."

Hi Áine,

They're not as designed as you think! They kind of evolve and the ideas come from a combination of things. It's a bit like a journey, which started when I first visited the NEC Spring fair, perhaps about eight to ten years ago and watch Pete Bingham hand-finishing mouldings.

I was hooked from that moment, but at that time was not involved in picture framing at any serious level at all. I started getting moulding and equipment catalogues and the seed was sown.

It was years before anything further happened, but all my best ideas are geared to copying something classy and expensive loking that I've seen and would like to do cheaper, (That is cheaper to me!). Things went up a gear after spending a week training with Pete Bingham.

I've got a big box of old fashioned moulding samples, some cut from frames bought from charity shops, some from auctions, some real Italian hand finished ones, etc. It helps to see and handle things, to look through the finish and try and work out how it was done.

In a nut shell, I try and copy what I like, for profit. Things don't necessarily come out exactly as I expected, so I learn things and some which work differently become my way of doing it. I started of at a much less upmarket level, but it's only practice, practice and more practice. You'll get there too!

Moglet wrote: For the little bit of handfinished work I've done, it has been driven (inspired?) by the need of the item being framed, and not being able to find a moulding to complement it adequately. Perhaps that's what made me an effective design engineer/project manager: come to me with a problem, and the problem itself will provide me with the inspiration/impetus for a solution. My creativity seems to require an external spark. As I look at the fruits of the internal creative genius of others on the forum, I kinda feel like a fraud (but in a good way ).

You are already on the way and you're not a fraud. It just seen difficult to know where to start. So get as many moulding catalogues as you can, spend time with them, look for ideas, cost them and start trying. Pick as many brains as you can on the forum and go for it.

Great stuff Mark. Too many hand-finished frames look loud and showy. Yours look very subtle and understated. Pure class.

More piccies pleeeeeezzzz.

Someone shop one of Steve's paintings in to one of Mark's frames.

Stunning stuff!

Roboframer wrote:Someone shop one of Steve's paintings in to one of Mark's frames.

Stunning stuff!

Actually one of those paintings is of a place not a million miles from you, John. Know of a village called Amberley? 10 miles away from you I think....

I got the original photograph from a book (I know, copyright issues!) it was such a pretty place, I had to paint it.

prospero wrote:Great stuff Mark. Too many hand-finished frames look loud and showy. Yours look very subtle and understated. Pure class.

More piccies pleeeeeezzzz.

Hi prospero,

Thanks for the kind words.

You want more pics. Well, I think we ought to be getting back to the original thread. Also I'm worrying about those who would like to get into hand-finishing, but maybe find that all a little to daunting.

So I'm going to see if I can order a suitable discounted clearance moulding, which can easily be transformed into something reasonable profitable without much fuss, or doing anything difficult and there will be some pics.

Give me a few days to get it ordered. (I hope they've still got some of the moulding I've got in mind!)

Mark, how about taking photos of each stage with a description of what you're doing - Myself or Áine could put them in the Oracle as a how-to.....

Good-O.

I still have some clearance moulding that I bought during the great LJ/Magnolia takeover debacle. Horrible finishes but nice profiles. I have been gradually recyling all the weird moulding I have accumulated over the years plus a shedfull of of old frames.

Pics & descriptions please, Prospero!

Hi Steve,

This is probably something to ask John about. I'm not sure if it would fit into the overall purpose for which Oracle was created.

To pass on knowledge? What you do fits right in, and would be one of the most viewed subjects I reckon!

i second that, the Oracle is designed to further knowledge and understanding within the framing trade, and certainly hand finishing is one of the more coveted secrets of framing

Grahame Case wrote:i second that, the Oracle is designed to further knowledge and understanding within the framing trade, and certainly hand finishing is one of the more coveted secrets of framing

No real secrets to it. To paraphrase Edison: 1% inspiration and 99% sandpapering.

prospero wrote:No real secrets to it. To paraphrase Edison: 1% inspiration and 99% sandpapering.

Sound about right!

I'd never take something as rough as sandpaper to my finishes 0000 wire wool or the front side of licky-sticky tape perhaps......

Spit wrote:I'd never take something as rough as sandpaper to my finishes 0000 wire wool or the front side of licky-sticky tape perhaps......

Now that's just being a big girls blouse. It's a man's life in the hand-finishing trade. Anyone who has fingerprints left is a big whoopsie.

Now there's an idea to test - how smooth a finish would a big girls blouse give?

Not as nice as one as a smaller girl's blouse on a big girl.

Why do you ask?

I suppose it would depend on whether a big or small girl was actually in the blouse at the time?

prospero wrote:It's a man's life in the hand-finishing trade. Anyone who has fingerprints left is a big whoopsie.

Does this mean that if I go down the hand-finishing route and succeed, I'lll be allowed to eat Yorkie Bars?