Thank you very much, David, Marc and Barbara for your responses.  I  
agree that sometimes doing nothing is better than doing the wrong  
thing and am glad to have my memory refreshed as to the specific  
concerns about such a treatment.  Sarah
On Aug 12, 2007, at 10:27 PM, Marc A Williams wrote:

> My 2-c:
>
> I agree with what David said.  The other problem with certain kinds  
> of oils is that they may not fully oxidize or dry, remaining oily,  
> softening underlying varnish or paint layers and entrapping dust  
> and dirt, creating a real mess.  Oils are one of the worst products  
> that can be used for preservation of painted, finished and  
> decorative surfaces.  I never use them.  Period.
>
> The other issue is that any coating or treatment will seal in  
> existing dirt if it is not properly cleaned first.  Then, the dirt  
> is much more difficult and more expensive to remove in the future.   
> I never varnish or otherwise coat a dirty surface.
>
> The treatments you mention, if one ignores their potentially  
> devastating effect on the paintings, of course do nothing for the  
> losses requiring inpainting.  Hopefully, anyone that would consider  
> using the aforementioned products on a painting has enough sense  
> not to attempt inpainting, but I doubt it.
>
> I know doing nothing is difficult for many people, but doing the  
> wrong thing is much, much worse than doing nothing.  I would  
> suggest that the money she would spend for the inappropriate  
> treatment would be better applied for a partial treatment by a real  
> conservator.  Conservators do not have to do a complete treatment.   
> One may be able to stabilize the areas of loss and do a quick  
> cleaning of dirt, making the paintings look better, without  
> creating any additional damage now or in the future.
>
> She may be surprised to find that a qualified conservator lives  
> closer than she thinks, she just doesn't know it.  The American  
> Institute for Conservation (AIC) in Washington, DC maintains a  
> referral list that anyone can access.  Otherwise, doing nothing is  
> the best thing she can do.
>
> Marc
>
> American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
>     4 Rockville Road
>     Broad Brook, CT 06016
>     www.conservator.com
>     860-386-6058
>
> *Collections Preservation Consultation
> *Conservation Assessments & Surveys
> *Low-Tech Environmental Control
> *Moisture Management Solutions
> *Collections in Historic Structures
> *Collections Care Grant Preparation
> *Conservation Treatment of:
>     Furniture
>     Painted Wood
>     Horse-Drawn Vehicles
>     Architectural Interiors
>
> Marc A. Williams, President
>     MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
>     Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
>     Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sarah Wood-Clark"  
> <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 11:45 AM
> Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Painting Conservation
>
>
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I have what may be a dumb question, but here goes...a friend has  
>> a  couple of nice aging oil paintings (early-mid this century)  
>> that need  some attention (cleaning and inpainting), she lives in  
>> a rural area  and does not have access geographically or budget- 
>> wise to painting  conservators and has turned them over to someone  
>> who has promised to  go over them with Salamander Oil and varnish  
>> them. I don't know what  varnish, and I seem to remember earlier  
>> in my career equating  salamander oil with snake oil or worse.   
>> What does this stuff  actually do?  Will it harm the painting?
>>
>> Oh, thank you in advance.
>>
>> Sarah
>>
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