June 25th, 2007 |
Finding, Fixing and revitalizing junk.
Our house hunting continues. We're making the seller fix a furnace and the chimney...things are progressing. In the mean time, here's a fun quick project I did in an evening.
I was driving in to work one morning when I saw two large canvasses on the side of the road, propped up for disposal. Well, to call them canvasses would be a stretch. Obviously I pulled over and threw them in the back of my Saturn. Here's what they used to look like:
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They're both about two feet tall by three and a half feet wide on the inside, so add another half a foot to each dimension for the frames. Nice sized frames indeed! The prints that were in them were apparently nothing special. Probably just mid 50s generic reproductions. They had been painted over and used as chalkboards for someone's pottery sale.
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The frames were both in pretty good shape. They showed signs of wear and tear for sure but basically they were solid. Definitely in need of theWAREHOUSE touch. No not the dirty one. The kind and gentle revitalizing one. Pervert.
First order of business was that the pressed cardboard the prints were on had to go. They were badly warped and just overall rather funky. Second, the paper backing of both of them was in poor condition. So, off they come!
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A little work with my pocket knife and a screwdriver and I was easily able to remove both the cardboard and the majority of the paper. Both were near crumbling. Fortunately the wood of the frames themselves was still solid and remarkably clean. I'll have to do something to preserve it now that I've removed the paper covering, however.
The next step I took was to clean up the backs a little with a quick run around with my trusty palm sander. Remember, kids, always wear proper safety equipment and work in well ventilated areas. I would do this anyway, but I was particularly curious about the state of affairs of these finds, seeing as how they were a touch musty and funky when I picked them up.
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No worries! A few minutes on the balcony with the sander and the backs were free and clear. Time to reseal them!
I chose to lay down a double coat of spray paint. It was easy, cheap, and I had the materials on hand. If these had been big hand carved genuine antique frames there's no way I would've done that. But if they really were huge ornate antique frames I wouldn't have found them on the side of the road. By the way, after a few minutes of searching, this is what "October Gold" by R. Wood looked like before it got painted over. I don't believe it was worth much anyway. Neither was the other one, "Morning Mist" by Amadeo Boroni.
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So I coated the backs of both of them to hopefully give them at least a moderate seal.
Moving on to the fronts, I have never been a fan of the white patina - I always think it looks decrepit, like tile grout falling apart. Darker patinas remind me of age and heritage. So I used a cheap trick and continued spray painting black on the front. I did a quick spray around the light tan fabric strip, quickly blackening it. Then I went around the "gilded" edge in about two foot strips, following quickly with a paper towel, wiping off. It darkened the frame considerably. I like it quite a bit!
Here's a picture of just the first part:
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Eugh, sorry about the flash blow-out on that photo.
The second frame I chose to just touch up a little with some gold spray paint in areas. I had pried off the nameplates before starting and now returned them to their places. No particular reason. I thought they kind of looked nice, even if they would no longer match whatever we decided to put in them.
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Heh, heh heh...Wood
Reader Participation Section! With Prizes!
So, what am I going to do with these frames? I don't know yet! It's been a few years since I've painted anything, but I used to love painting. I will be doing something with one of them, most likely acrylic on masonite with the dark frame, and Aubrey will probably take the gold frame for something. But I want you guys to give me suggestions!
Any ideas for a diptych? Any ideas for just one of them? The frames are intended to hang horizontally but could certainly go vertical if the idea justifies it.
Note that this isn't specifically a contest. If I don't like any of the ideas enough to actually spend the time to paint it, no one wins! Remember, this is going to be something that will hang in our hopefully new home for many years! So the winning entry, if there is one, will be chosen based on something that I can conceivably paint but also something that I would actually like to have in my home.
The winner will get to choose from any of these great trophies (click for larger):
Yes that's right. Contain your excitment, Fancy Pants. Each one has a plaque that reads as follows:
theWAREHOUSE
you're fine just the way you are
warehouse.carlh.com
So email me your idea or use the form below! I'll keep the contest open for, oh, probably two weeks or so, give or take!
Don't forget to input a valid email address otherwise I won't be able to contact you! No spam, don'tcha worry!
Long story short, that's how I found two neat frames, fixed them up, and am hoping you wonderful sexy WAREHOUSE readers can help me figure out what to do with them.
The End
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