Monday, April 19, 2010

A PICTURE WINDOW PICTURE








Window Frames as Pictures Frames 04 18 2010



“A PICTURE WINDOW PICTURE”



If you upgrade to energy efficient windows you can take the old aluminum framed screens and windows and recycle them for the aluminum. You won’t get as much as a can because they have some lead content, maybe a third of the price per pound of a can. I didn’t know of the lead content when I made these, but am always careful when working with materials.



Or you can make picture frames like I did. A PICTURE WINDOW PICTURE? When you look at these it is as if you are looking out a window to your favorite place.



Here are the rough instructions how these are made.



1. Clean the surface of aluminum to remove aluminum oxide. Use cleaner, emery cloth, sandpapers, dish soap in an iterative process and wipe with vinegar to prep for painting.



2. Determine rough dimensions of frame. Remember that the part of the triangle that forms the corner on the end of a 45 degree miter must be added to the perimeter piece length so that the frame is not too small. Miter cut the ends if you want to you can prime and paint now. You can always touch up later.



3. Find some ¼” flat corner brackets made of metal or ask your local Ace Hardware store guy that repairs screens if he has any of the internal corner fasteners. I didn’t do this but it would make the process easier if you had a dedicating fitting. If you use the flat brackets the fitting isn’t easy, but nothing worth doing will ever be. Key holes can be drilled and thread tapped to fit set screws on the backsides of the corners. You may need to do some filing and metalworking to fit this together strongly, and once in tight dimensional form solidify the joints with glue, I use Eco Glue.



4. Sometimes you need to put the glass in first. Some hardware stores will cut it for you. Lowes cut my used old glass for me. I don’t know what they charged but I was also buying other pieces of new glass from them and having them cut to approximately 18” x 24” plus at least 3/16” or more on two perpendicular sides to allow so it doesn’t fall through the center of the frame. This is very tricky to fit right when making own frames. Sometimes with wood you just take a router with bearing bit to make the opening bigger sometimes you use a razor sharp chisel, etc. Tool choice is a matter of craftsmanship and sometimes it is fun to use the tool that is harder to work with.



5. Prime and paint.



6. Insert glass. Set in place with some nontoxic clear silicone sealant. I prefer “Brand” because it has the least smell.



7. Put your favorite picture in it and back by cardboard etc.



8. Telling you the fittings you need to make to hang this flush with the wall will be omitted. The part of securing this will be left up to you. As it will allow you to develop your own judgment as to what is strong and weak.





And there you have it, “A PICTURE WINDOW PICTURE”, the concept ought to provide much food for thought in terms of symbolism. Can we make our urban settings more natural, more relaxing and suitable for us as human beings? Okay you think of it the way you want.





A PICTURE WINDOW PICTURE by,



Thomas Paul Murphy









Copyright 2010 Thomas Paul Murphy

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Welcome to my Blogs. My name is Thomas Murphy and I love the forest and wildlife areas of Wisconsin and would like to share my thoughts and the pictures I have taken of the natural areas of Wisconsin. Come share in my collection of what I feel to some of the finest scenes and images of the forests, lakes, rivers and marshes that Wisconsin has to offer. I like to go to pristine and secluded areas where nature resides quietly and I feel the resulting “lost” images are profoundly unique. I am usually “in the moment” when I take these pictures. When I say in the moment I mean a sense of excitement often precedes what my eye captures through the camera. I never stage these shots but seem to be in the right place and time when I shoot them. And when I transfer them from my camera and view them on my computer screen I realize a sense of surrealism that resonates with me yet again to the time they were taken and exemplify the beauty of nature. Please peruse my sites and experience the beauty of being there as I did. WWW.ThomasMurphy.lifepics.com