A NICE FRAME FOR THE ABOVE.
Procure a strip of board, half an inch thick and three inches wide; take the dimensions of your drawing or impression picture, and subtracting half an inch from both length and width, make the remainder the inner dimensions of your frame. For instance, suppose your picture was twelve inches wide and fourteen inches long, the inner dimensions of your frame would be eleven and one-half by thirteen and one-half inches. The two upright strips would be cut just thirteen and one-half inches long, but the top and bottom would be eleven and one-half inches plus six inches, the width of the two sides, which is seventeen and one-half inches. So the two sides would be thirteen and one-half inches and the top and bottom seventeen and one-half inches each. Great care must be taken to cut the pieces so that their ends will be at exact right angles to their sides. If you are not expert in such work, it would be well to get a carpenter to cut the pieces for you. In selecting your stock for this frame, procure a board with a rough, unplaned surface, if possible, as the result is much better than with a perfectly smooth satin finish. Next take a lath and cut from it two strips three inches longer than the side-pieces, in this instance sixteen and one-half inches, and two other strips one-half inch longer than the inner dimensions of top and bottom, being twelve inches for the frame we are making. With good hot glue join the parts of the frame, and tie it with a cord to keep its form till the glue is dry; then lay the laths upon the back of the frame, one-fourth of an inch from the inner edge, and with small brads nail them in place. At this stage it is well to have your glass fitted, as it saves marring the frame when finished. After it is fitted—any glazier will do that for you—lay the glass carefully away till needed. Find some prettily shaped larch twigs with their little cones attached, or if they are not to be had, pine twigs will do, and with the hot glue and two or three slender brads, place them in graceful bunches over the points of joining. With a bottle of gold paint and a soft brush you can very soon change this rough, unpretending affair into a very artistic frame, one of which, if every step of the process of construction has been carefully taken, you may justly be proud. The glass is next put in place, then the picture carefully laid upon that, face downward, and a piece of cardboard—an old paper-box cover will do—cut the exact size of the glass, laid upon both; these are caught in place by brad-nails driven into the edges of the laths, and extending over the edges of the cardboard. When the picture is firmly fixed in its place, paste a piece of strong brown paper over the whole back of the picture and frame, covering the laths as well. This will exclude all dust and dampness and make the whole thing neater in appearance. Last of all, put in two screw-eyes a little above the middle line of the frame and attach a wire or cord for hanging it in its place upon the wall.
[Note.—Before pasting on the brown paper, dampen it well to avoid its wrinkling.]
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