The third and last installment for this picture frame I made my best friend. (Here are links to part one and part deux.) I'm really liking the color compliment of the frame to the painting and while the lighting was tough for filming the close-ups (needed daylight!) the curl in the maple is really well highlighted.
I talk a little about a Fuji Super 4 HVLP sprayer I purchased from a fellow forum member (thanks, Corwin!). In a nutshell, it was a joy to use. I also used the MFT table with Qwas dogs to cut the miters and have some hints on how to eliminate blow-out as that would be horrible on these pre-colored and partially finished pieces. Lastly, a discussion of the Miter Stitch from Bridge City Toolworks. It should be noted that the Miter Stitch is no longer available from Bridge City, but they do occasionally come up on eBay. That said, though, creative types could make their own; you won't be disappointed with their utility.
Roll it...
Friday, April 15, 2011
Quilted Maple Picture Frame - Cutting and Gluing Miters and HVLP
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Naturally, I like woodworking as a hobby, but an ice hockey tournament will easily get me out of the shop :)
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Hey Paul, I have the same spray system, I can find no fault with it yet either. I been using it for about 1.5 yrs and it's great.
nice finished project. talk about a long weekend....
Hello, Nice frame in the end. You should throw out that push stick and get your self 1 or 2 Grr-rippers. They work very well. A fella has a great deal for them on Ebay. He gives great service and quick delivery.
Great finished result Paul. Wonderful choice of color matching.
Having never used color, I'm very impressed. That turned out phenomenally! The style, color and size of the frame only enhances the painting. It's not overwhelming nor understated. Thanks for the review on the Fuji. I need to get a sprayer in the not too distant future.
Two questions about that epoxy you used to glue the corners of the frame:
1. Which hardener do you use in your mild/warm/hot Arizona garage?
2. You seem to think the pumps are a great idea. While I can see that they would be very convenient, I wonder what happens when you need much less than one squirt's worth of glue. Do you abandon the pumps, or try to get half a squirt, or just waste the extra glue, or what?
-- Russ
Hi, Russ,
In the video, I used West System 205 'fast' hardener since the temperature in the garage was mid-70s (its normal range). When it gets ugly hot around here, I switch to 206 'slow' hardener. With the added heat in Arizona, 206 cures as fast as 205 on a normal day.
For a long time, I used to toss the resin and hardener into the beer fridge in the summer as the extra cold slows it down, too. In that sense, 206 is a luxury. Woe to be the dude so hammered he drinks the 205...
I like the pumps and wouldn't go without them. For small quantities, I can't imagine trying to pour or scoop out the amount.
If you watch carefully, I do a half-pump. I calibrated it once by taking a full shot of resin into those plastic cups and weighing it. Squirted into a second cup until I got half as much by weight and put a red line on the plunge rod so I know where to stop. Ditto for the hardener. You can pour each back after calibrating (well, into their original can ;)
The fridge trick also works after you mix it. If while gluing up you notice 'crap! dry-run FAIL! this isn't going together correctly!', you can put the mixed epoxy into the freezer while you fix your assembly. Stir it up until it flows afterwards, but you won't have a lot of time.
Thanks, P-M. I didn't notice the half-pump in the video. That sounds like a pretty good idea.
In one of my former lives I did a LOT of work with fiberglass and vinylester resin. I wound up transferring the resin from the gallon cans it came in to smaller, easier-to-pour-from containers. Then I weighed each batch to the tenth of a gram and added the appropriate amount of catalyst depending on the temperature. That made for pretty efficient use of the material, but it was indeed a messy process.
If a guy had a need for very small batches of epoxy, I'm thinking that weighing each one would be the way to go. The pumps would still be a good idea to avoid the mess; you just wouldn't necessarily use the full stroke every time.