FLUMBS

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RoboFramer

RoboFramer

PFG, Picture Framing God
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Nov 19, 2002
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United Kingdom, West Sussex Coast. (Bottom centre)
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A 'FLUMB' is a foreign body found under the glass after you have sealed it up, attached the cord, fitted the bumpers etc.

I don't know if 'FLUMB' is an abbreviation for anything but I could certainly think of a word for the first letter - and the last one!

I think there is some pervert going around with a bag of assorted flumbs, silver and gold for dark mountboard and black and brown for light colours,oh, and if you use a flecked mount, he uses hairs!

He's so fast you don't see him quickly unseal everything and chuck a few under the glass before re-sealing it and running off, sniggering.

How else can you explain it when you clean the glass, lay the mounted work on top, flip it over, carefully remove any foreign bodies - perfect, not a flumb in sight. Then you put the frame on top, hold the lot up to the light, examine it from different angles, then, when happy, put it all face down on the bench, fire just two points in, check again, fire some more in, check again - still fine, seal it, check again - fine. Put the harware on, flip it over and BOO! a flumb, no TWO - Oh **** FOUR of the **** things!

How does that happen?

My all time best flumb stayed concealed until the customer collected his picture, a watercolour landscape, there were three birds in the distant sky. We both watched agape as one of the birds flew across the sky, now that's what I CALL movement in a picture! It was a tiny bug.

I clean the glass with lint free cloth ('Raginabag' from lion) on ribbed rubber matting, have a 4" paintbrush that has never been used for anything but flumb removal and an anti static whisk brush, earthed to the compressor Even tried jets of compressed air, bought a tin of it once, if it helped I would have rigged up something from my compressor, waste of money!

The busier I am the more the flumb pervert attacks, always trying new tactics. The other day, knowing I would be searching for his really tiny but annoying 'once you know they're there' type flumbs, he threw in a lump from my cleaning cloth to see if I would miss it, and I did, the customer didn't!

I don't think it's possible to cure this problem, but any new ideas would be very welcome.
 
We deal with flumbs in the following manner: once they are seen we set the frame aside for about three days or until the flumb ceases moving on its own. This allows for the framers temper to subside and the flumb to die. They may then be safely removed. They are tricky little things and may appear only after being hung for months. We still allow for the required three days.

Regarding your sheep; I was once in the sheep business (wool and lambs) and owned a herd of 1100. I would not even guess the total of both of yours.

Jack Cee
 
I've always called them "fish". Don't know why. There are different kinds usually differentiated by the frequency and volume of the expletive adjective.
Not that any real definition helps in preventing their spread, the thought that knowing the enemy is part of the battle.

Now get back to framing!
 
FLUMB

Fine Lint Under Mat, Begone!

The only effective way to eliminate FLUMBs is through an exorcism.

Look under "Metaphysician" in the Yellow Pages.
 
Little trick......
working with black fabric = wear a black shirt
white mats = white shirt
also, make sure what you wear does not have lint or collects dust.
 
An air compressor shot over the glass and mats seems to work too sometimes
 
Our FLUMB occurances went way down when we asked the matting and mounting dept to make sure they aren't under the mat or art before sending it off to fitting, and fitting needs to check for them too, not just the mat face and artwork.

From what I can gather, here we call them "Oh ****** I need a cigarette, be right back."
 
Hmmm...I'm just wondering... if you run a rainbow vacuum while brushing, blowing, whatever, would the water 'filter' be efficient enough to capture the little flumbs that are flying around? (especially if strategically placed in the direction of your removal efforts)
 
"fish", is because you have to fish them out.

I call them "smart dust" because they seem to know what colors they contrast with best.

Check your environment for crumb sources... does your ceiling have old tiles? Is your boss munching on crackers while looking over your shoulder?
 
I call them *%@&*&!!* ^**&%%##&(*!!


-Mike.
 
I can't post what I call them. Lots of *!?&@!!. On my polite days, I call them bugers.One of my framers calls them fuzzy-wuzzies. She will spend enourmous amounts of time looking for them! Not finding any, I'll check for her and there's one, or two, she hates me. Better me than the customer! I found it helps to lay the glass on top of the package first (after a quick squirt of compressed air), then lay on the frame, check again, turn it over, tack with a couple of fletchers/staples/brads,whatever, flop it back over, check again. Then finish. Then have a 2nd person check it again. Fresh eyes. Still happens, but not as often, Fuzzy-wuzzies, my ***! Flumbs, now I like that!
 
on good days we call ours "boogers"......

on bad days they have much more colorful titles!!!

LOL!!
 
There is a simple solution to this problem! You can find it on the FrameTek web page under the pull-down menu titled "Free Info".

The article is a reprint from PFM some years ago. It's titled "Stopping the dust pump"

Please don't make up your mind untill you have read the whole article. I'll guarantee this method saves a lot more time than it takes.
 
Mine are called "noogies" but I do like flumb
 
ARGH! I just got a call from one of my framers and something has happened to the air return system in the store during the night...big store, lots of dust, glitter, etc, and there's @$!!*& blown in all over the frame shop!!! Big Flumbs, boogers, stuff I've never even seen before. Now is not the time!!!!! We have to completely clean the shop area before we can go any further. Oh man, this is not good. Who said exorcism? Please start the process now. Flumb dance, prayer (I'm desperate here!), help!!
 
Deaconsbench - I've tried a vacuum cleaner - it sucked!

Val - Fuzzy Wuzzy wuz a bear...............
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
So Fuzzy Wuzzy wuzn't fuzzy wuz he

Sorry
 
Greg,

Sealing the undermount/mount/glass sandwich together (which is what your link suggests is the solution) is simply playing into the flumb pervert's hands.

We do this where required, but not for flumb reasons, when we do this we use a magnifying glass to check for flumbs, then get a second or even a third opinion, that's before we seal the glass. Then we repeat the flumb search, then we seal the sandwich in the frame, add the hardware, put our company stamp on and - hey, why check it again after all that? but I do - and guess what, lots of specks of dust all formed up spelling out the words **** YOU!
 
Originally posted by Steven6095:
Little trick......
working with black fabric = wear a black shirt
white mats = white shirt
also, make sure what you wear does not have lint or collects dust.
Click to expand...
So, if your framing more than one piece that day, and one has white mats and one has black mats, do you wear a black and white striped shirt?
 
Originally posted by Steven6095:

also, make sure what you wear does not have lint or collects dust.

Steven, you have given me an idea, wear something that DOES collect dust, I'l be back, my cogs are whirring here
Click to expand...
 
OK here's what we do, invent a suit made from a fabric that attracts a huge amount of static when rubbed against itself. (as per balloon/wallpaper)

Clean glass, put mounted work on top, have framing assistant standing near, wearing similar suit, rub yourselves together until your hair stands on end. (Maybe no suit required!) Turn around - lift glass and ....

WHOOOOSH! all the flumbs fly out and stick to you.

You heard it hear first

Ha Ha Ha HHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA
 
Originally posted by RoboFramer:
OK here's what we do, invent a suit made from a fabric that attracts a huge amount of static when rubbed against itself. (as per balloon/wallpaper)

Clean glass, put mounted work on top, have framing assistant standing near, wearing similar suit, rub yourselves together until your hair stands on end. (Maybe no suit required!) Turn around - lift glass and ....

WHOOOOSH! all the flumbs fly out and stick to you.

You heard it hear first

Ha Ha Ha HHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA
Click to expand...
You're a nutcase.


.


.


I like that.


.
 
Greg's article is worth a read.

I am one of the few framers that dust seals almost every frame package and have been for about 17 years. It makes assembling a snap. It also makes for a solid frame package.

Why more or even all framers don't do this baffles me.

Because of this, I just don't have the booger/goober problems that most of you write about.
shrug.gif


edie the 810tape4ever goddess
 
Edie's right again.
thumbsup.gif
I think I'm going to start getting my framing done at her place. :D

We seal everything too. Have been for as long as I can remember. I'm pretty sure even back when the shops were "Do It Yourself"ers.
 
Originally posted by johnny:

You're a nutcase.


I like that.

--------------------------------------------------


I know Johnny, but I'm getter better every day, with help. I used to be paranoid, but I'm OK now, well that's according to my stalker anyway!
Click to expand...
 
Interesting point on sealing of glass. I once read that self adhesive tapes used for this can trap stale air in the frame and produce 'micro-climates'

Is this taking conservation too far? Hmmmmm new topic required?

Maybe in the new year, I must have better things to do than grumble - nope, can't think of any.
 
John, unless you are using a non-permeable mount or support the gas exchanges will happen, abeit slowly, through the backing.
In making a true sealed package (using non-permeable metalized polyester film) you must be more careful about the ambient environment since that is what you will seal into the frame.

Fish, or FLUMBS don't really care either way, since they can hold their breath forever.
 
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