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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