Learning Curves Revisited

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Shayla

Shayla

WOW Framer
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Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Posts
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Loc
Washington State
We had a thread on here awhile back with suggestions that might
help a newbie framer friend. I thought of a couple more today, so
am doing this rather than making a zombie of the old thread.

One is, make sure you have a good magnifying glass/loupe on hand.
You'll get people bringing artwork in, wanting to know if they have
an Antiques Roadshow moneymaker, and even if you're not an
appraiser, you can still be of some use. We get folks who bring in
things that are obviously posters, and they just have no clue, even
with the torn paper and printed copyright info that it's just a print.
If you look through your magnifying glass and see a pattern of little
ink dots all over, you can at least tell it's not an original painting.
There are some things to be aware of with the way old lithograph
prints, etc... were made, but just knowing this much can help.

The other thought is this. When someone brings art on a pre-stretched
canvas to you, it's safest to measure it several ways. Measure the
width on both ends, the length on both top and bottom, the distance
across the middle, and the diagonals from corner to corner. This can
tell you how square it is, and if you need to take extra measures.
I had a lady bring one in today that was 1/2" narrower across the
center than on either end, due to an unbraced stretcher frame. The
painting had been stretched, then all the extra canvas cut off the
back, and it's not a high end painting worth lining to restretch. I
measured all this from the get go and told her we'd need to add
a fillet to cover the gap in the middle. As she was leaving, I thought,
"Our Sunshine might like knowing this...."

If anyone else has comments to add, feel free. :popc:
 
A recent "gotcha" was a good reminder on replacing frames

A customer recently asked to replace a dated home-built frame on an original oil he just inherited. After being pleased with myself for selling a nice ROMA Versailles... I wish I had taken the old frame off before committing. The ROMA has a 1/8" rabbet and, you guessed it, the rabbet on the old frame was larger, which means there is some slight scuffing visible on the artwork. Luckily, I was able to position the artwork so that it is barely noticeable. A lucky break, indeed.
 
A) Take apart the customer's framing before said customer leaves the store.

B) Be sure this same customer understands that once you take it apart, things have changed. You will not 'just' put it back together for free.

Two lessons I have to learn about once a year....
 
You might already do this, but anytime you place an order, ask for and write down
the name of the customer rep who is taking it. Read off all the items with their information,
then have the rep repeat it all back to you, and put a check beside each item as it's
repeated. Write the date next to the reps name, and if it's a company that gives order
numbers, note that, too. Doing this saves a lot of confusion and helps prevent mistakes.
If there's a problem with anything from the order, write down the name of whoever
you talk to when making arrangements for a replacement, along with the date and
any new order number.

Some companies require that returns be made in the original packaging, so I don't
recycle cardboard or paper from shipping until the order has been opened and checked.

Some people here fax their orders in (or whatever the newest method is). I've only
done that a couple of times, but it's probably a good way. If you ever get the voice
mail at a small supplier when calling to place an order before a deadline, it's fine to
give the details to the machine, but ask that someone call you and read it all back
before any work is done. This can save both sides headaches.
 
shayla said:
Some people here fax their orders in (or whatever the newest method is). I've only
done that a couple of times, but it's probably a good way. If you ever get the voice
mail at a small supplier when calling to place an order before a deadline, it's fine to
give the details to the machine, but ask that someone call you and read it all back
before any work is done. This can save both sides headaches.
Click to expand...

I e-mail in all of my orders, unless I have to know about stock immediately.

I normally do this on Sunday night, so I'm combining the weeks orders for freight allowance, etc. Also everyone is within 3 days ground, so I will have everything come in by Thursday.

Some companies are set up, so I even get a confirmation Sunday night, so I can check what I really ordered, and change it to what I really wanted, Monday morning, before it is shipped.
 
Thanks for commenting, Russ. :thumbsup:
 
Never ever prejudge what budget a customer has based on their appearances or the vehicle they pull up in. Many of my best customers don't live in a mansion or drive a Mercedes. They put their available funds into art and framing.

Even Sam Walton drove a beat up old pickup truck.
 
The back of the frame package is important. Using proper hanging hardware and explaining it's use... Using filler board to build up the back so that it is solid and not just a trampoline dust cover easily punctured... Taking an appropriate colored marker to tint the bare wood around the edges of the dust cover... Using felt or other appropriate bumpons on the bottom corners and explaining their purpose (helps to keep mars off the wall and allow air flow)... putting COA's (certificates of authentication) in a neat envelope on the back... attaching a quality wall hook to the back... Applying a quality shop sticker and possibly even signing your name and the date on the back...

All of these things denote quality and an attention to detail. I've had customers comment that if I pay that much attention to the back they can't even imagine how much care I must give to the inside of the package too.

Also... remind customers not to leave their framed artwork in their vehicles. Heat, cold and humidity can wreck havoc on a frame package.
 
That last bit bears repeating. Paper art can ripple from heat in a matter of minutes on a super hot day.
 
Good point. We will soon be in "asking season". That is, when the weather gets hot I always ask people picking up their order if they are going straight home with it, and caution them about leaving it in a hot car. (I tell them it's roughly equivalent to leaving their pet in a hot car.) I offer to let them leave it and swing by as their last errand on the way home. If they want, they can even call me on their cel when they arrive and I'll just bring it out and load it for them.
:cool: Rick
 
If you are going to cut yourself and bleed on the artwork or the mat, make sure to have hydrogen peroxide on hand at all times - a dot of it on the blood spot will make it go away - then blot immediately.

Maybe I wouldn't try it on a signed Picasso - but it sure worked well on the cream colored mat I just bled upon. :)
 
Reserve final quote for after you have measured the artwork personally. I am frequently amazed at who in our allied businesses are incapable of accurately reading a tape measure. Also, do not rely on curatorial records for accurate measurements. Remeasuring during the course of framing can also help avoid simple but costly mistakes
Make no assumptions about exactly what the art is without close personal inspection. The person on the phone is making their best guess and they have no training for the most part. You can easily have an original print when it was described as a poster, and vise verse.
 
In the category of CYA

If you or one of your helpers accidentally undercharges a customer, be sure to let that customer know when they pick it up. I usually say something like, "Well, I want you know that today is your lucky day. I must have been in a good mood when I did the math on this piece and you got a $320 frame job for $280, and I just want you to know what a great deal you got, this time only! hahaha!"

If you don't, I will personally goddessguarantee that they will bring in 3 more next week that they will want done exactly like this one. Then they will think you are trying to pull a fast one when you give them the real price. Then you will look foolish when you stammer something about "accidentally undercharging on the last one..." Yeah, right, lady, they'll think.

So just tell them up front and get it over with.

edie the howmanytimeshasthisonecaughtme goddess
 
In the category of Get It Over With

If someone brings in a poster or print that has creases, fingerprints or mustard smears on it, POINT IT OUT.

I usually say something like, "Once we dry mount this, THESE NASTY CREASES RIGHT HERE AND HERE will be minimized. But in harsh/raking light, someone might notice them if they look hard enough." Then they look at it and say, oh that's okay. But, if you don't point them out, YOU WILL GET BLAMED FOR THEM. I goddessguarantee it.
 
If you want more customers to walk in, get out the vacuum.
 
If it has been quiet all morning, just sit down to eat lunch. As soon as you put that first bite in your mouth the doorbell will ring instantly, guaranteed.
The phone may also ring at the same time.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
The other day it had been very quiet. Then the phone rang and no sooner had I answered it (with a mouthful of sandwich) my cellphone started and someone came in the door. :help: Never done the triple before.
 
I once had the mailman, UPS man and FedEx guy all walk in at once.
I said, "It's the trifecta!", but I don't think they knew what it meant.
 
Shayla, you're so sweet! I LOVE these threads!!! So many good tips.

I keep super glue on hand for those cuts. Except one time I put super glue on a bad glass cut and it wouldn't quit bleeding.
I quick grabbed a napkin and wrapped it around my finger. Guess what got glued to my finger? lol But the bleeding finally stopped. :)
 
Framing Goddess said:
If you or one of your helpers accidentally undercharges a customer, be sure to let that customer know when they pick it up. I usually say something like, "Well, I want you know that today is your lucky day. I must have been in a good mood when I did the math on this piece and you got a $320 frame job for $280, and I just want you to know what a great deal you got, this time only! hahaha!"

If you don't, I will personally goddessguarantee that they will bring in 3 more next week that they will want done exactly like this one. Then they will think you are trying to pull a fast one when you give them the real price. Then you will look foolish when you stammer something about "accidentally undercharging on the last one..." Yeah, right, lady, they'll think.

So just tell them up front and get it over with.

edie the howmanytimeshasthisonecaughtme goddess
Click to expand...

Edie, this happened to me when I first started. I think it was in my first week. I completely forgot to add the mark-up for the frame for 2 decent size pieces! I honestly at the time didn't know how to handle this.

I mulled over it for the whole day and finally called the customer and told her I had undercharged her for the frames. She had lots of framing done by a previous owner and knew the price couldn't be right. She was very understanding and I made my adjustment. I now have POS software!
 
Another thread reminded me that I sometimes use smaller scrap mats (between 11x12 to 12x16) to make additional corner samples.

These are great for doing painted bevels, reverse bevels, and sometimes, if I don't like the mat color, and I have the time, I have painted like a 1/2 inch next to the bevel of another color that can be used as a 1/8 to 3/8" reveal on a bottom mat.

I normally have my margins 3-3/4 inch so they are easy to distinguish from the ones I get from my suppliers.
 
With handling glass, if you have to work with a long narrow piece (i.e. say, 12x36), be
careful to support it properly. Never lift it just be both ends, as it could do what one did
on me years ago and snap in the middle. Best to either hold it on one side, with your
hands spaced apart some distance, or with one hand on each long side, offset from
one another. On a piece this size, I'd have about 18 inches between my hands.

If you have to work with either a large, fragile piece of paper artwork or a piece of
glass so large that it's awkward for you, turn either one by sandwiching it between
two pieces of foam core and then turning those. This also works for large, floppy
mats.
 
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