Old Frames

[GeoSpectrum]

I've just taken in a couple of jobs for re glazing and tidying up of old frames. Some of the frames have beveled mounts cut from thin wood about the same thickness as today's mount board. I haven't seen these before. I haven't opened the frames yet but I was just wondering if the are any potential issues that might encounter?

Another much larger frame is also being kept so its a clean up job. The frame has gold leaf slip which needs cleaning, what is the best way to go about simple cleaning of gold leaf? Also the frame has had a hard life and needs some work. Its a veneered reverse profile moulding, possible burr walnut or maple (fairly light gold in colour) which has got wet at some point (it was in a cow shed apparently). Its fully dry now but the veneer is coming off the back in places and the corners have opened a little. In reality its a write off but the customer is adamant they want to keep it and are prepared to pay for a reasonable amount of work. Is is possible to rub down and re-polish the surface or should I just go for a wipe down and wax? Also is it possible to fill the mitres and get a reasonable match with a stain?

I probably should try and sell a new frame but I'm a sucker for these old ones and they are a good customer so I said I'd see what can be done!

[prospero]

Various courses of action.

You could go for a full restoration, recut the mitres and get any missing bits of verneer replaced and then re-polish the whole shebang. Re-gild the edge. But if you do this you will spoil the character of the frame. Might as well make a new one. Not to mention the hideous expense.

I would tend toward working with what you got. Gappy mitres on old frames don't necessarily look bad. You might be able to reduce the gap with a bit of a gentle tap with a hammer. There are probably some big square-cut nails in the joints, so it won't fall apart. To make it a bit more rigid you could force some no-more-nails type glue in the joints (the none-solvent kind) and fix L-plate to each corner. When it's dry, work some dark wax in the join so it looks like years of accumulated muck.
Any lifting verneer could be glued down. I wouldn't worry about any missing bits. Just give the whole thing a good waxing with 0000 steel wool and buff it up. This will stain any bare wood and clean off any surface grime. A dusting of rottenstone followed by a brisk buffing will make it look right.
I wouldn't try cleaning the leaf too much. Quick rub with a waxy duster. Anything more aggressive and you risk destroying the finish for ever.

[prospero]

I've seen mounts cut from thin oak sheets. They don't wear well, not to mention the acidity. Some are verneers laid on card.

[Not your average framer]

I think that the golden rule here is not to do anymore to the frames than neccessary. The more that you try to do, they more risks you create for something going wrong and furthter intervention to correct something of you own doing. Try to remember that you can't be blamed for not fixing something which was already messed up, but you can be blamed if you make things worse, so be realistic about what is worth doing and what is just asking for trouble.

As Prospero has already said loose mitres can often be given a careful tap with a hammer to tighten things up. After this, I often find that there space between the original nails to sneak in a wedge on the underpinner. It's quick, it's easy and it will generally hold the joint together. I used to do more of this sort of thing at one time, but it's hard to charge enough to cover the time that this it takes, without customers questioning why it costs so much.

It is important to quote a realistic price for the job before you agree to do anything. It will almost always take longer than you were expecting, so be careful. Also, there is always more profit and less risk if you replace it with a new frame.

If the frame really justifies trimming the mitres to clean up the mitre faces and rejoining them, you need to know what you are doing and have the experience to be sure what you can fix and what you can't. I am fortunate to have an old type Stanley framers vice, which happens to the the least damaging way of pulling the mitres apart on a nailed together frame.

[vintage frames]

You can clean goldleaf and I presume a watergilded slip within the frame. Use clean cold water and cotton wool and very gently wipe one side at a time.Always be careful not to rub through to the goldleaf. These slips usually had a thin size coating and it's this coating which has become dirty. Cold water used carefully should not disturb it. You must of course use your judgement to decide the degree of patina to leave.
Watergilded slips should have a dry, slightly chalky finish, so I would avoid any wax.
With the good advice given on waxing the repaired frame, the contrast of a dry, dusty slip should look rather splendid.
Would be interesting to see some photos.