Should You Clean Antique Oil Paintings?

One of the most common questions that people ask regarding antique oil paintings is how they should go about cleaning them. First of all, you have to really think about what you are doing and if you are willing to risk damaging the artwork if something goes wrong with the cleaning process. Although there is always some type of risk with any do it yourself cleaning process, oil painting cleaning has to really, honestly been done by professional conservators. Many original, authentic oil paintings are valued at thousands of dollars. If you have one that is not too old, not too expensive or not too valuable (monetarily or sentimentally), you might be able to be successful in brightening it up a bit. However, if you really do have a work of art, a truly valuable antique oil painting, modifying them in any way, including cleaning them, actually degrades their value. It doesnt matter if it looks better to you after cleaning or not.
If you have antique oil paintings that are not priceless works of art, you first need to assess whether the paint is in good condition and the varnish over it is just old. You can try using a mild solvent name conservation liquid, and art supply stores usually sell an emulsion that will clean and take that old varnish away. There is still always a chance that any solvent, no matter how gentle, will harm the painting. However, if you are willing to take that chance, it is a good idea if you can to test the emulsion with a tiny spot test on your antique oil painting to see what happens. Be sure that you are working in an area with sufficient ventilation, always!
Most of the more recent oil paintings are going to have issues with things like a build up of smoke, pet hair, dust, dander and fungus. Before you do anything with your antique oil painting (that is not worth thousands), you have to inspect the condition of the paint. Does it have any flakes, cracks or missing chunks? If it does, that paint is not going to be stable enough to withstand any type of cleaning. It will most likely easily come off, obviously destroying the value and the integrity of your oil painting. However, if you do not see any evidence of the strength of the paint on your antique oil painting being compromised, you can slowly and carefully clean the surface with a dry and very, very soft bristle brush. Some people use a baby toothbrush or a shaving brush, but you may want to use one of the special brushes that are designed for that purpose.
If you have a not so old antique oil painting that seems mucky, gummy or oily, you may want to take some steps to clean it using a delicate detergent solution. However, usually it is not a good idea to mix oil and water, because sometimes the moisture could damage the canvas and the protective layer of varnish over it. You have to be incredibly careful using cotton cloths dipped in a mixture of dish soap and warm water. Lightly blot the base, and never ever scrub or rub the antique oil painting or submerge any part of it into any water.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.