Frame Camp Nuggets

[Puppyraiser]

I will tell you some of the things I learned at Frame Camp, but many of you can contribute by sharing things you learned from another framer (not counting courses!)

I learned that if you hold down the Control button on the Wizard program, you can highlight several openings one at a time. Before, I would just select them in bunches with a click and hold, which sometimes gave me items I didn't want included.

 

[Pat Murphey]

Yes, Ellen, that's a Windows selection protocol.

 

[Val]

Nag Timer.
In my "daily routine" lessons, I start the morning updating my work-in-progress and Orders-to-picked-up lists, and other non-framing duties. I give myself a set time (an hour, for instance) and set a timer in the other room. Not the kind that dings once, but the digital kind that beep-beep-beeps until you have to get up and go turn it off. It's so easy for time to run away without noticing that an hour has turned into two, and then the rest of the day's schedule is outa whack.

Also learned about the "quad" selection on the Wiz. Ellen, can you explain that?

The guys taught me how to keep from turning back into a scrap-squirrel. That's a hard one, tossing out a "perfectly good 3-foot stick of moulding", etc. But I'm stickng to it.

I learned a buncha cool stuff from Sarah, and will have to think of how to describe them.

Frame Camp is soooo fun!!

 

[Puppyraiser]

OK, so everyone other than I knew it.

So, did you know if you clamp all your corners that you can rock back the vises on to their handles so that the rails kind of stick up in the air so you can get a bunch of them on a drying table at once? Or am I the last one to get the word on this, too? It's OK; my feelings won't be hurt much if you point it out...

 

[imaluma]

Well I am going to go ahead and describe Ellen's v nail extraction technique.

Lay your stick of moulding on the table with the end sticking out and grasp the vnail with your pliers or whatnot like you are about to yank and pull on the thing.

Instead of yanking and pulling raise the end up off the table at about a 45 and while still grasping the nail slap it down on the table.

Whammo!

V nail has been extracted.

 

[osgood]

I guess that vee nail extraction technique is something that some of us have been doing for yonks and have never even imagined that everyone wasn't doing it that way.

I suppose there could many other odds and ends that we do that others might not have thunk of!

We should all give that some thought!

 

[Framecrazy]

I like to take my needle nose pliers and roll it out

 

[PaulSF]

I grip the v-nail with a pair of pliers, then whack down hard on the pliers with my rubber mallet. It might take a few whacks, but it generally does the job. Plus, I feel manly.

 

[Couture's Gallery]

real manly if you just yank them out with your teeth!!!!!

 

[pictureframingpro]

I wait until right before I fit the piece to put the v-nails in. That way if the frame needs to come apart i can just snap it. I hate pulling out v-nails.

I guess that would only work if you glue and clamp first.

I also do the vices on their handles, my glue table is only 3 ft by 3 ft. I can fit 3 gluing frames on it if they are sticking up in the air. Doesnt work on heavy long mouldings though.......

that is why i have a big floor space

 

[traflet]

A v-nail extraction trick that works great for me (and believe me I use it a LOT) is to put the stick on the carpeted or rubber-matted floor, park your foot firmly on it and pull the nails with your pliers. There is no trauma and they slip right out.

 

[Val]

Traflet, welcome to the Grumble. Love your avatar! Is that a Flamingo Flower??

 

[jframe]

The benfit of using the method Ellen and possibly Traflet use is that most of the time it leaves the miter smooth so it can be rejoined without triming or sanding. Those methods also don't pull out a chunk of the frame like rolling or prying methods often do.

 

[Tom Reigle]

I grip the v-nail with a pair of pliers, then whack down hard on the pliers with my rubber mallet. It might take a few whacks, but it generally does the job. Plus, I feel manly.

I do almost the same thing, Paul, only I use a lead shot filled dead blow hammer on the handle of the lineman's pliers. I also use a vise grip on V-nails that are sunk into hardwood like ash or oak.

(I used to pull them out with my fingers but they became too clawlike and impeded my nose "safaris"!!)

 

[cwiser]

The benfit of using the method Ellen and possibly Traflet use is that most of the time it leaves the miter smooth so it can be rejoined without triming or sanding. Those methods also don't pull out a chunk of the frame like rolling or prying methods often do.

What? Why pull them out? Just kidding, I totally agree, we lay the piece on a table, rest our arm on it and pull straight down. This makes for a nice clean exit that can be re-joined most of the time. Works for me anyway.

 

[Rick Granick]

My method is similar to Paul's and Tom's. I clamp a ViseGrip onto the vnail, then lay the moulding rail on the table with the end raised slightly by resting it on a pair of needlenose pliers. Then whack down on the ViseGrip and the vnail comes out just like it went in.
Rick

 

[Kirstie]

OK, so everyone other than I knew it.

So, did you know if you clamp all your corners that you can rock back the vises on to their handles so that the rails kind of stick up in the air so you can get a bunch of them on a drying table at once? Or am I the last one to get the word on this, too? It's OK; my feelings won't be hurt much if you point it out...

We do this will all volume jobs. OTOH, in theory we should be wet joining everything. But that's another topic.

 

[imaluma]

I just thought of something. The peeps at where I work use those little foam brushes to clean suede mats. Dang, they work good.

 

[j Paul]

Acrylic Corner Touch-ups!

Many already use acrylic paint for touching up frame corners (filling in small gaps).

I found a paint brush that works better than what I had been using.

I had bought a Loew-Cornell #5/0 Pointer Brush for a prior use. Well this brush comes to a perfect point with bristles only about 1/4" long and an eyelash width. Using this brush to apply the acrylic to your corners means in most cases your control is so perfect you don't need to wipe the paint away and mess up your filling/touch-up job.

Bought it at (Dread) Michael's for $1.49. A little dab of dish-washing soap in the palm of your hand under warm water, swish, swish and it's clean.