Watercolour been stuck to card

[Ash the Framer]

Someone has bought in a watercolour painting that has been previously mounted and framed. Over the years the glass has been removed (I think it was broken) and the watercolour has been exposed to harsh storage conditions, damp loft / garage etc.

The front mount was not attached to the back mount so that one good thing, the bad news is that the watercolour has at some point been either stuck with double sided tape or glue to a bit of card, but only around the edge, about 5mm in from the edge.

As you can probably guess the watercolour paper has reacted to the harsh storage conditions and has rippled in the middle where it’s not stuck down and is flattish around the edge.

My question is basically are their any simple techniques to separate the watercolour painting from the crud card backing without damaging the painting?

Any help greatly received.

[prospero]

Hi and welcome Ash.

It's really a job for an experienced restorer. People do tend to assume that all framers are also restorers. It's true that they might know more about restoration than Mr.J.Public, but very few are experts. It's a highly skilled job in itself. That's why good restorers charge big bucks.

If you want to have a go yourself, discuss it with the customer first and acquaint them with the risks. You could easily tear a chunk out trying to remove it. If it is anything that might be of monetary value, don't touch it. A lot of time with these 'attic finds', the customer will be unwilling to spend a few 100 quid getting it restored and will just ask you to do what you can. Make it perfectly clear that you are not a restorer you will accept no responsibility for any negative outcome. If you don't know the customer it might be wise to get them to sign a disclaimer.

The first thing is to separate it from the backing. You can do this with an artist's pallete knife slipped under the edge and gently wiggled into the glue line. Once you have a gap, you can work your way around very gingerly twisting the knife. If it's old glue it may come off easily.

Flattening it out is also fraught with danger. You have a complication here as there will most likely be a residue of glue around the edge. Sandwiching it between two sheets of mountboard and putting it in a heated press for a few minutes works in a lot of cases. But you risk melting and glue residue and forcing it into the paper. You also risk putting a permanent crease in the paper if it is bumpy rather than wavy.

All in all it's a can of worms. These methods are not true restoration. They are simply a way of getting the thing into a more presentable state. To be blunt, it's bodgology. They may make any future restoration far more difficult. Depends if the customer is willing to let you attempt it or pay a hefty bill from a restorer. Bear in mind that things can go very bad very quickly if you don't know what you are doing.

[Steve Goodall]

If attempting this...

"Sandwiching it between two sheets of mountboard and putting it in a heated press for a few minutes works in a lot of cases. But you risk melting and glue residue and forcing it into the paper. You also risk putting a permanent crease in the paper if it is bumpy rather than wavy."

It would be better to substitute one of the boards with a sheet of silicone film - glue side facing the silicone of course - you wouldn't want to prize it off the card - just to re-stick it to the mountboard.

[prospero]

That's one of the complications Steve.

I'd still use two bits of mountboard as well as the release paper though.

The idea is to create a mini-sauna. The heat will drive what moisture is in the board into the watercolour and relax the fibres. (Hopefully). Hardbed presses are better than vacs for this job as you can turn the heat off and let let the whole thing cool gradually under pressure. Overnight is good.

Of course you may open it up the next day and find the glue has bled though to the top surface and left a nice gooey line all round. This would render it into a state where removing the glue residue is virtually impossible. That's another complication. A mount might cover this and the whole thing look perfect in the frame. But from a valuation point of view, it would be permanently mutilated.

[Jonny2morsos]

You could describe the technique Prospero suggests, loan them a pallete knive and let them do it themselves. That way you are not responsible for any damage.

[Not your average framer]

If you have to ask how to do this, then you don't enough to tackle this sort of job. Don't risk you reputation, by tackling anything which you cannot safely handle. Unexpected things can happen during such a job and you need to know what to do when things don't go the way you expected.

[Ash the Framer]

Thank you for all the replies, i will certainly let the customer know the risks etc.

Mark .. the watercolour is of her daughter, painted by a friend of the family about 40 years ago, there is no value to the painting and the customer won't spend any money on the restoration as its not worth it. I am not a restoration framer and would usually send the customer to a restorer, but this time its not worth it. But thank you for your advise.

Fingers crossed as i go at it with a pallet knife ... small steps.