Help needed
Di Brookman
The painting has recently been affected by smoke damage caused by a chimney
fire. The painting itself seems very dark and in need of cleaning.
Does anyone have any tips how I can undertake this myself? FWIW I am an
amateur artist who paints in oils! I presume one would have to remove the
old layer of varnish and re-apply a new layer. Would this cause the paint
underneath to be dissolved too?
The price that I have been offered for restoration/cleaning of the painting
is exhorbitant - GB 600
Please help urgently - thanks
--
Di
"The hurrier I am the behinder I get"
artangel
Dampen a very fine cloth and use ivory soap and lightly clean the
surface. I was told this does not affect the varnish.
Again, I heard this somewhere and not sure if it is true.
Erik A. Mattila
and a fellow brought an old painting that had been in his family for
years, showing his great great grandparents shop in Prague. It was very
dirty, and it had a small rip in the canvas near one edge. He wanted it
restretched so the rip disappeared, and cleaned.
I tried some painting cleaner product, and it was just too slow (if it
worked at all). But it just so happened that my parents tax-preparer
worked in the county art museum in the conservation department. I
called him to ask for his advice, and he said "we use soap...a natural
soap like Ivory, and soft cotton and warm water."
So I tried that and got terrific results. The customer was delighted,
in fact, because the cleaning brought out the sign above the shop which
had been obscured for years by the dirt, which showed the family name.
Di Brookman
> Di Brookman wrote:
>> I have an old family portrait in oil painted about circa early 19th
>> century. The painting has recently been affected by smoke damage
>> caused by a chimney fire. The painting itself seems very dark and
>> in need of cleaning. Does anyone have any tips how I can undertake this
>> myself? FWIW I
>> am an amateur artist who paints in oils! I presume one would have
>> to remove the old layer of varnish and re-apply a new layer. Would
>> this cause the paint underneath to be dissolved too?
>>
>> The price that I have been offered for restoration/cleaning of the
>> painting is exhorbitant - GB 600
> Here's something you can consider. I worked in a frame shop years ago
> and a fellow brought an old painting that had been in his family for
> years, showing his great great grandparents shop in Prague. It was
> very dirty, and it had a small rip in the canvas near one edge. He
> wanted it restretched so the rip disappeared, and cleaned.
>
> I tried some painting cleaner product, and it was just too slow (if it
> worked at all). But it just so happened that my parents tax-preparer
> worked in the county art museum in the conservation department. I
> called him to ask for his advice, and he said "we use soap...a natural
> soap like Ivory, and soft cotton and warm water."
>
> So I tried that and got terrific results. The customer was delighted,
> in fact, because the cleaning brought out the sign above the shop
> which had been obscured for years by the dirt, which showed the
> family name.
Brilliant - thanks so much for your advice - now I have to search the web to
find out about ivory soap - I have never heard of it! Actually the old boy
in the painting has a rip across the bridge of his nose - but whoever
inherits the painting can sort that one out!!!! I just want to clean the
smoke damage off the varnish so that it looks ok.
Di
sup...@themuseummasters.com
painting restoration leave it to a pro. Shop around , most high end
frame shops and galleries usually can do it or they can refer you to
someone who does. good luck -Chris http://www.themuseummasters.com
Erik A. Mattila
soap marketed here that doesn't have deodorants and other chemicals
added. "Pure" soap, in other words.