Why Liquid Metal Frames Offer More Than Aluminium or Gilding

We often receive requests for metal picture frames.  However, some of our clients want something other than a standard aluminium extrusion, or feel that that a gilded frame is not quite the right look for their artwork. There is one other alternative that we offer here at SohoFrames.

How We Create a Liquid Metal Finish on our Picture Frames

Liquid Metal is a process where we spray metal granules onto a primed wooden frame profile. These granules can be made from various types of metal. Bronze and brass are the most popular. When the initial sprayed layer is dull and has the texture and appearance of a paving stone.

We smooth this rough unfinished layer with a series of finer and finer grinding discs until the surface is perfectly smooth. We then polish it to a lovely shine. The finished polished surface is cold to the touch, conducts electricity, and if left as it is it will tarnish just like anything else made of metal. The prevent tarnishing we can lacquer the surface with either a matt, satin or mirror gloss finish.

Copper, Brass, Bronze or WHITE BRONZE: Choosing the Right Metal for Your Frame

We can also apply certain finishing techniques to change the appearance. For example, etching with acid produces whirling patterns of different colours, the exact colours depend on the base metal:

• Copper metal frames produce more green, blue and white colouration
• Bronze and brass frames exude darker contrasting shades.

The advantage of this type of metal frame over welded sections is that the corners are “closed”, so the mitre joints do not show.

See Liquid Metal Frame Samples in Our Soho Workshop

The photos below show various profile shapes and sizes with various liquid metal coatings in bronze, brass, white bronze and copper. Some of the samples you can see have the natural metallic finish. Others we have lacquered with various levels of shine. The copper samples were mottled with acid and then lacquered with a mirror gloss finish.

The liquid metal technique only works on smooth sided picture frame mouldings due to the polishing required. We cannot polish inside the carved detailing and crevices found on ornate and textured profiles.

Square or rounded profiles work the best on both rectangular or round or oval pictures frames. The liquid metal process is time-consuming and demands many hours of hand polishing. We cost each job on frame size, profile size, profile shape, metal type, and finish so would need to know these parameters before we are able to quote. 

Enjoy the samples below, all of which can be inspected in our Soho workshop.