These were a bit out of the ordinary, designed and made for a stately home somewhere in Hampshire.The brief was to come up with something a bit different, and rather grand. We always love a challenge, so tried to think a little outside the rectangle, as it were. So no conventional 45 degree mitred corners, no pre-finished picture frame moulding for this one. We bought some lengths of fluted pine and took them into our woodwork shop to have a little play.

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The corner blocks were made just a smidge bigger than the moulding, and all the parts assembled using a good old biscuit jointer. The circular recesses were bored with a forstner bit, with the central button being an off the shelf  ‘mushroom’ headed screw cover simply glued into a smaller hole. When the whole ensemble had been given a couple of coats of ebony wood stain, finishing oil and beeswax, the differing woods and grains came together nicely as a frame.

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The frame contents were a little more conventional, with two apertures being cut in a dark brown mount, topped off with our very best glass; ArtGlass UV. That way this particular character ‘The Welshman’ (we’re guessing that’s the horse not the tophatted gentleman) will be preserved for many more generations to come, whilst of course being seen in all his glory through this truly magic glass.

 

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I must just mention our good friends at South East Conservation Centre, with whom we worked closely on this project. Tim