Gesso Everywhere

Gesso frames

Here are a few frames being coated in gesso, we have about 35 to get done in the next couple of weeks. Spraying on the gesso is a real time and labour saver :)

Gesso, sand, bole

Over the last three days the big order of 40 frames have been spray coated in gesso, sanded (not much needed thankfully), and then painted with bole. The bole colours I used vary; red, grey, yellow, orange, and plum. The next step will be the gilding.

Spraying gesso is a big time saver compared to brushing. My gesso for spraying is mixed thinner than if it was being brushed on the frame, as a very rough guide it is about 50/50 whiting/glue. It did take some time and experimenting to get the set-up right for me, I imagine there are a number of ways of getting good results, and I am still tweaking some factors!
I just use a simple gravity fed HVLP (high volume low pressure) spray gun, the very warm (even close to hot) gesso is put into the paint cup, 500ml at a time, depending on the size of frames, this measure will give 1 coat on 3 to 6 frames. I have heard of concerns over the gesso being needed to be kept warm in the spray gun, but I don't see this as a problem, it is used quickly and even after a whole day spraying, I find the gun does not have any clogging at all, a rinse in water and it is cleaned.  
I use a compressor with dryer to supply the air to the gun, really you need a large sized compressor or one that can run continually like a Hydrovane. The dryer is good because it totally cleans the air, but bad because it cools the air, hence why the gesso in the paint pot is very warm.
An alternative to this set-up would be the portable turbine powered units, the Fuji range are very good: http://www.fujispray.com/hvlp-systems/

These could even be better than some compressor set-ups, as the air needs to be very clean and some of these HVLP portable units warm the air slightly which helps with finish quality.

If you are doing any volume then a dedicated spray area or booth is preferable, although as long as you have a form of extraction a practical system could easily be built on a budget.

Big order and rack

These cut lengths waiting to be joined are a part of a big frame order, this was the encouragement for building a large drying rack, which is now finished. This order will keeps us busy for the rest of April...

Spray twirler

Another job that I have got done at long last, is to make a rotating table top for the spray booth. You can buy simple metal tables and expensive ones for this purpose, but I always prefer to try and make something myself and none of the ones I saw online did quite what I wanted. So my table is made from an old walnut veneer repro cupboard, a lazy susan bearing (idea poached from Bronislaus Janulis), a piece of 6mm MDF, 4 drawer slides, and some flat mouldings. It works well and can support surprisingly big frames which can't be rotated fully in one go, but do go half-way and then moving the large frame slightly on the supports means the whole frame can be easily sprayed all round. The largest size (at around 25" x 30" or 24" x 36") we make regularly does fit easily though, and can be rotated fully. The only thing I need to do is watch the build-up of gesso on the slide bearings when the arms are fully extended, I might need to design something to cover these but I will see how it goes for now.

Rack construction

I've finally got round to starting to build a big drying rack. It will be used for holding frames in between coats of gesso, bole, paint and various other processes. There are some big orders coming up in the next couple of months, and we will need every single area of flat shelf space to put frames while they are drying, so it seems like a good time to get this built.

Drying rack

The strange wooden storage rack in the photo at the top was bodged together from scrap wood when we first moved into the workshop, (2 1/2 years ago now) and for a while it was used to store short lengths of moulding. To be honest it was rather useless and has not been used for over a year, it has been taking up space under a work bench since then. Instead of breaking it up for rubbish or firewood I decided to make it into a storage/drying rack for small frames. I have fitted some supports made from scrap wood, and then some MDF and plywood shelves which are also scrap and of not much use.
One 6mm MDF shelf can be seen with lots of 1" drilled holes, this is because it was used as a drilling support when air holes were cut in styrene, used for the protective backings on canvases. This gave me the idea to add some air holes to the other shelves, to allow some air flow for drying. Metal grilles would be more suitable, but these will do for now. I will add another 7 shelves, so in all it will have 14 racks for storing frames in between stages of gilding and painting.

Gesso day

I have a lot of frames to gesso at the moment, 24 done today, amongst other jobs like cutting/joining more frames, spending time with customers and clients, and doing repairs. I've got another frames 12 to gesso later this week, and about 12 more next week. Thankfully spraying makes it much easier to get frames coated in gesso relatively quickly.

Spray finish

These two frames will eventually have bright glossy sprayed finishes. The barewood frames are obeche which has been coated in several layers of gesso which was then sanded smooth. In these photos I have just sprayed the frames with two coats of white primer, next the surface will be lightly sanded back, and then I will use cans of car spray paint to get the smooth finish which will then be sealed with spray lacquer. Sometimes I mix up paint and use a spray gun but occasionally I use the vast range of colours easily available for car body repairs. It can be tricky getting a good even finish without drips or runs, but when thin layers of paint are carefully built up, you can get a really good smooth finish.

Gesso

I am gessoing some frames at the moment, 10 are done and 10 more to do this week for gilding jobs that need doing in the next couple of weeks. The gesso on the frame in the top photo was brushed on, only because it was a little big for the spraying area to easily move round. The other frames were all sprayed, you can see in the bottom photo the nice smooth finish from spraying; which means minimal sanding needed and quicker production. For ages I have intended to make a simple turntable in place of the current spray table (an old Black & Decker workmate), I have all the parts needed but never seem to have enough time. I currently use a simple gravity feed gun although I plan to get a new set-up in the coming months.

It's nearly over, I promise

The (dragging) on going, and admittedly rather boring posts about the spray booth are nearly over, the hole was cut in the wall today, and just the finishing off to do now. Here is a photo of Ian looking rather pleased about the whole thing.

The motor was mounted to its support frame today, the big hole through the wall will be done on monday... hopefully.

Spray booth update

The spray booth is nearly finished, Mark and Ian worked on this yesterday, the hole in the back of the booth was cut out and reinforced, and some 4" x 4" fence posts were used to construct a support for the extractor motor and fan.

Lots of frames in production

Here I am spraying gesso on lots of frames, I would quite like to build a large drying rack one day soon, similar to the small shelf unit in the photos that I use as a rack for small frames. So much space is taking up with drying frames, I think a large drying rack next to the spray booth would be a good use of space.

Spray booth is up at last!

We finally got round to putting up the spray booth today, its only taken 6 months, and it was in storage for 18 months before that, so it's good to get it in position. There is still the small task of drilling a 16" hole through the back wall, attaching the extraction fan, and fitting the ducting, but hey, one step at a time.

There are still a lot of jobs on the 'to-do list', since moving in 6 months ago, and it has been quite a challenge balancing these jobs around the workshop with getting customers work done.

I have something like 70 gilded frames to make over the next 6 to 8 weeks, so at least now the booth is in position I can have a contained area to spray gesso onto frames, which will greatly increase productivity.