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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