cleaning an old dark wood frame

[rhiannon framing]

I have been asked to clean up a lovely old dark wood frame that is just grubby. Any suggestions on what I should use to clean it. Thanks in anticipation.

[vintage frames]

I would just use some lukewarm water with some Marseille soap and gently clean with a wide natural bristles brush.
Any really stubborn bits can be worked on with a little white spirit.
Avoid using any sort of alcohol or meths as this could dissolve the original finish.
Finish up with a light coat of pure bee's wax.

[JFeig]

We are custom picture framers.
We ARE NOT object conservators.

[Not your average framer]

Yes, Jerome is right! However a lot of us get asked to clean frames and some us still will do things like this. Some jobs are not too ounerous and are not always neceesary to turn away. Liberon make a rejuvinating cream for cleaning and restoring french polished funishes and the lke, Anyone who wants something simple for cleaning items like this old frame, could consider using a preparation such as this and there are also plenty of other products on the market which are produced for such purposes. I've been doing this sort of thing for quite a while now and usually mix uo my own concoctions. A lot will depend upon looking at the item first, to help determine what is likely to be most appropriate.

Very often Vulpex liquid soap mixed with mineral spirit (white spirit), can be effective, but sometimes adding a small amount of household ammonia can help to remove heavy soiling. Ammonia and white spirit does mix together and putting more Vulpex liquid soap into the mixture is not a particularly cost effective way of getting the ammonia and the mineral spirit to mix together. So sometimes I just add about 10% househould ammonia to some mineral spirit and add enough washing liquid to emulsify the mineral spirit, so that the ammonia will mix together with it. Any residual remaining after cleaning will need to be washed away with some clean mineral spirit. After the item has dried it can be waxed with Black Bison neutral wax if required.

[prospero]

I have had good results with old oak frames my simply applying dark wax with fine wire wool.
You shouldn't "Over restore" them. Typically they have been in a shed or outbuilding for umpteen
years and have got dusty/dirty/dull and covered in fly-doings. The solvent in the wax will dissolve the muck
but not take it off so much as spread it about. Don't rub too hard. Let the wax dry and then give it a good polish
with a yellow duster. The effect can be amazing and any dents/scratches will add the look rather than detract.

Sometimes there are big gaps in the mitre due to shrinkage but as long as it's structurally sound don't try to close them.
If the joints are wobbly then a steel 'L' plate fixed across the corner will sort that.

[Not your average framer]

I've heard tales about antique dealers cleaning up old furniture with WD40. I'm not all that sure how good a job it does, but I'm guessing that it is likely to disolve any old wax underneath any surface dirt and grubbness. I've never had the slightest temptation to try it myself, particularly as it would worry me, not knowing what WD40 may, or may not contain. My assumption is that since WD40 was originally created for the US army in 1940 as a water displacing agent (that why is was called WD40), it probably contains silicone if it is a water displcer and silicone might not be a great thing to allow to get into the wood of the frame.

[prospero]

I've heard lots of tales about antique dealers.


btw. The 40 in WD40 denotes that the chap who invented it got the formulation right at the 40th attempt.
If he had succeeded sooner we might all have been using WD39.

btw2. WD40 brings black up plastic car bumpers and trim a treat.

[Justintime]

What Dermot said! Cleaning the frame is just part and parcel of replacing the glass for us. Once we point out the atrocity that is the old materials inside the frame, a simple reglaze usually turns into a full remount. Then it's just a case of working out how to refit the lovely new package into the old 6mm deep frame...
While we're on WD40, don't forget PTFE silicone spray, which is basically what "Back to Black" bumper spray is. It's great for cleaning down morso blades, removing any sticky pine residue, now that everything seems to be finished onto finger jointed pine.

[Not your average framer]

Well yes, but the OP was just asking about a frame which the customer wanted to be cleaned. Doing anythings else was not mentioned, so it was just the initial question that everyone was answerig, but yes if the frame was having the glass replaced, then cleaning the frame might be appropriate as well.

Just as a matter of interest, I use lighter fluid (naptha) to remove sticky label residues, is naptha a potential suitable cleaning agent for cleaning frames, I've never tried it as such and to be honest, I've don't really know what naptha contains.

[Justintime]

Thanks Mark, I'll take note not to ramble off topic in future.
Sometimes one just needs a little reminder!

[Not your average framer]

Hi Justin,

I did not mean it like that, I was just pointig out that the rest of us were just answering the question, maybe we weren't thinking any further than that. I don't think that there was anything wrong with your response at all. You thoughts on the subject were well reasoned and a worthwhile contribution to the subject. Being a moderator is not always as easy as you might think, because every now and then you find that something which you say in going to be taken in ways, which were not intended. If I was not a moderator, reactions might have been different. We are not all that heavy handed on this forum any way.

[rhiannon framing]

Thanks every one for all the advice. I am doing just as Justin said, new mount, new glass in a beautiful old frame will transform the old picture.

[JFeig]

There is one VERY IMPORTANT step that was not mentioned by my fellow well seasoned picture framers such as me.
Test the surface of the frame in as in conspicuous as possible before going over the entire surface.
Yes, Volpex soap is possibly the least aggressive cleaner followed by a weak solution of ammonia and water.