Display Case Frame

A carved display case frame that needs to be repaired and restored. It is fitted with bevelled edge glass which is very thick and heavy, far too heavy for such a frame that is intended to be opened and on small, and rather inadequate hinges.

Oval Mirror Repairs

This table standing oval mirror frame had a few areas of damage, which have been repaired.

18th Century Carved Candle Holder

This 18th Century carved wood candle holder came in with the 18th C mirror frame posted yesterday, part of a large restoration project of a Georgian house. It has been over-painted and has a few sections missing, the condition is a little fragile so it will also need some securing. The later applied gold paint, which has tarnished over time and gone this horrible brown bronze colour, will be removed. 

Pair of Fluted Frames

A good, pair of fluted second Empire frames that have a nicely distressed antique original gilded finish, they just need some repairs to make them complete.

Matching Pair of Antique Frames

Antique paintings often come in pairs, although it can sometimes be a real challenge to find a matching pair of original antique frames that are a suitable size and style for a pair of paintings. Of course good reproduction frames can be made, but they are not the same as period frames. These two 19th Century Rococo revival swept frames are a perfect size and style for a pair of paintings that we have been searching for the right frames for. They clearly need a lot of work but it is unlikely another pair of the right size will come along for years.

Finish Stripping

This 19th Century has been cut down to fit a smaller painting It had been regilded in metal leaf at some point in the past, and did not look very nice, so now this poor finish is being stripped off. The frame will then be joined together and regilded with gold leaf.

Two Antique Swept Frame Repairs

Watts repairs

This outer section of a Watts frame has been cut down, and is having a few repairs to the composition ornament.

Small Antique Swept

A small antique swept frame that needs some repairs. It has a nice original distressed gilded finish, and the ornament design is a little unusual. The base or ground of the frame has a fine mesh applied to it which adds texture to the surface. 

Nice ripple frame for repairs

Small repairs

One of a matching pair of antique (mid 19th Century) compo frames that need a few minor repairs. I am using Lab Putty by Coltène for making moulds of undamaged areas, so I can then cast new pieces to replace the missing sections of compo.

Silk strips

The rebate of this frame have been lined with silk which is then soaked with glue, this is to reinforce the rebate. As mentioned in an early post the excessive routering has made the rebate weak.

Two antique frames

Two lovely antique carved frames, Louis XIII inside, and Louis XIV on the outside.

Gluing corners together

Rebate and repairs continued...

This is the second Louis XIV frame that I am working on at the moment, it is in much worse condition than the previous one. All four splines were broken through and the corners are in a bad way. Like the other one I also had to extend the rebate by quite a lot (3cm each side, 1cm top and bottom), but because the inner part of the frame and especially the sanded panel section of the moulding are very thin, I did the rebate extending on the table saw instead of with the router. The saw allowed me to remove small amounts at a time and is not quite as heavy-handed as the router.
The extending of the rebate on this frame is not ideal as there is now only about 1/8 or less of timber underneath the sanded panel, which makes the whole rebate very weak and care will need to be taken when fitting the painting. 

Repairs and extending rebate

This antique carved Louis XIV frame was damaged and broken at all four corners, which were loose and wobbly. First I put glue and filler in the gaps in the mitres, then I put some plywood pieces on the corners with glue and screws to brace and secure them. Next the rebate needed extending to fit the painting that it will surround, quite an amount of wood was removed from the long sides which meant the corner splines were cut through, so the plywood braces are even more necessary. The frame appears to be carved from walnut (or oak??), next I will work on the front, fixing and restoring the corners and centres.

Repairs to a frame

The repairs to this frame still need to have the detail sharpened and the edges/joins tidied up and blended in with the original ornament. The repairs can then be painted with bole and gilded.

A few repairs in progress