Months ago the wife and I were talking about putting up the family pictures. With all the different pictures and different frames they had, I couldn’t think of a way to arrange them that I would be happy with. So I came up with the idea of making frames that resembled gears of different sizes. We thought that it would be a great way to help make the apartment into a home. Even better if we had it done before my parents visited.
I made a prototype, and then started working on the actual frames. Along the way I realized that a few power tools would make the project go a lot more smoothly, so I ended up buying a scroll saw and a disc/belt sander.
For the finish I wanted to make the pieces look like rusted metal. I researched different techniques for getting the effect; I eventually settled on a product by a company called Modern Masters called an Oxidized Finish.
Having used the product, I have to say that I like it very much. Although it is a bit confusing to use, the how to video says one thing and the label on the bottle says the opposite. Also, it is a bit difficult to control the degree of rusting.
I was considering making some of these to sell but instead of using plywood as I did. I’m going to research other materials like High density foam or resin casting or both. I am also thinking of investing in an air-brush to speed up the finishing process.
Having finished with the protective coating, The wife and I picked out the pictures to use in each of the frames. I then cropped them into circles and resized them to fit the particular frames. We left one empty that we plan to fill with a group picture that we’ll take when the my parents, brother and daughter visit in a few days.
Last thing to do before hanging the pictures is to cut out the backing for the pictures. simple enough task, I have some double thick cardboard that will fit flush to the back of the frame. with a couple pieces of masking tape they will be ready to hang with some transparent double sided tape.
So we hung all but one and the prototype. We saved one for a group shot we took at the Grand Canyon. I printed out a copy for the prototype frame and Samantha took it with her back to Pennsylvania. Shawn hung our copy so this project is complete. Woo Hoo.