Here are some of the questions that we’re often asked – if your question isn’t in the list, drop us an email at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk.
General
What does ‘on backorder’ mean?
All of our items are handmade and sometimes we’re out of stock for a given item. If an item is recreatable (e.g. a portrait of a famous person or a style of candle holder) it will be marked as ‘on backorder‘
What this means is that you can purchase the item, but we will have to create a new one for you as we don’t have one in stock.
What does ‘out of stock’ mean?
An item will be marked as ‘out of stock‘ if it is a one-off item that we can’t recreate. An example of this might be a particular candle holder made from an interesting piece of driftwood.
We sometimes leave these items on the site to showcase the kind of work that we do. If you like a particular out of stock item, get in touch via enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk to see if we can create something similar for you
How long does it take to get items that are ‘on backorder’?
Items that are on backorder typically take between 2 and 3 weeks to complete.
In addition to the time needed to hand-craft an item, we live in a small village and our post office is only open for 1 morning per week.
What do you charge for shipping?
All of the prices shown on the website include shipping – there are no additional shipping costs.
Our in-person prices are fractionally lower, as we don’t have to ship items to you, so come and find us at a craft fair to cement a bargain!
Do you ship outside of the UK?
Not for online purchases, no.
We’re a very small outfit, just starting out on this journey – at present we do not ship outside of the UK.
But … If you live outside of the UK and there’s an item that you really want, or you want to commission a piece, please email us at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk and we’ll do our utmost to accommodate.
Do you store my credit card details?
No!
All of our online credit card transactions are conducted via the secure, industry-standard PayPal or Stripe portals, so we never see any of the details on your card.
The only information that we need are your contact details and a shipping address in order that we can get your purchase to you and let you know how your order is progressing.
Wooden Portraits
How big are the portraits?
We create portraits at A4 size (210mm x 297mm). The reasons for this are:
- The FSC approved plywood that we use comes in A4 sheets
- Fret saws have a ‘throat’ limit that makes A4 the maximum easily cut size
- Smaller than A4 reduces the level of detail that can be achieved.
If there’s something that you’d like in a different size – email us at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk and we can see what can be done.
Can you make me an image of my wife/husband/pet dog …?
Yes!
We love taking commissions. All we need is a clear, well defined photo of the subject and we can work our magic from there.
Take a look at our commissions page, for more information, or Email us at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk to to start the conversation.
Can you create an image of <insert famous name here>?
Yes!
We have a wide range of ‘famous faces’ throughout our shop and take a wide selection to the craft fairs we attend.
If you want a picture of somebody that we’ve not yet ‘done’ then email us at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk and we can rectify that situation.
How do you create your images?
First we generate a B&W image to work from, based upon an interesting photograph of the subject. Ideally the image is clear and shows the subject in a recognisable or interesting way. This exact process is a mixture of science and photoshop black arts.
The exact process to get this template image is a secret.
This template is then printed, spray-mounted to a prepared A4 sheet of FSC-approved plywood and manually altered using a black Sharpie and a white acrylic pen to produce something that can be physically cut using a hand-wielded fret saw.
For each area to be cut out a small-hole is drilled to allow the fretsaw blade to be threaded through. Each hole is then painstakingly cut out by hand until the final image is revealed.
The image is tidied up and glued onto a stained backing board using a custom jig built for the purpose before the final item is sanded and finished in a food-safe hard wax.
Are your portraits framed?
By default our portraits aren’t framed.
Early on we found that unframed portraits sold better than framed ones – there’s less to clash with people’s decor if the portrait lacks a frame.
If you want a framed image, we can do that for you – we use a variety of reclaimed materials for the purpose. Email us at enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk to start a discussion.
Ink and Print artwork
How big are the pictures?
The pictures vary in size.
The internal dimensions of the images vary from 10.5cm x 14.8cm up to about 15cm x 15cm.
Once frames are added the figures are closer to 15cm x 21cm and 20cms x 20cms.
These measurements are approximate and actual sizes are available per-piece in our shop.
Where do you get your stamps from?
The stamps we use are bought from a variety of places including, but not exclusively: Lavinia Stamps, Visible Images Stamps and Hunkydory Crafts.
How do you create the backgrounds?
The backgrounds are created using alcohol inks, dye-based inks, pigment inks, Brusho’s and sorcery.
What are the frames made from?
This varies piece-by-piece…
Some of the frames are generic 3rd party wooden frames, In other instances we custom make the frame to fit the piece. Our custom frames are made from recycled/reclaimed wood and the provenance for each is available for anyone interested.
Can I commission a picture?
Of course!
Start the ball rolling by dropping us an email to enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk letting us know roughly what you want.
Clocks
What are your clocks made from?
Our clocks are made from reclaimed timber.
This may be a pallet that we’ve been given, a wardrobe or someone’s old door frame. So long as it’s not covered in something toxic then we’ll try our best to keep reusable wood from being dumped in landfill.
Where do you get your clock mechanisms from?
The honest answer is wherever there’s a good online offer with the fewest delivery miles that we can manage.
Unlike clockwork mechanisms, there’s little difference between lower priced mechanisms and higher priced ones – mostly the difference in cost is in the quality of the clock hands supplied with the mechanism.
Can you make me a bespoke clock?
Sure. Send an email to enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk with an idea of what you’re after to start a conversation.