I restore things for people regularly.

The guiding rule is *value* of the item:

1. if it is at all of value, look up a specialist and let them do it - you will be so glad you did! Get a guarantee that if, a few months later, damage from the restorative shows up, that your specialist will do it over or fix it.

Also *insure* -that way, if something happens you'll be covered.

2. if, however, the painting is one you paid 5 dollars for at a tag sale, and can afford to throw away, should restoration not work, then you can have fun trying a number of things to clean it.

It's all about studying the thing carefully and using your commonsense about cleaning.

*always less, not more*...

if a plain dry soft brush or cloth will do it, then do not use solvents of any kind, or get into complex cleaning procedures. You'd be surprised at what a plain buffing can achieve.

*test* - if you are not in a hurry - test your idea for cleaning in a small, inconspicuous area of the painting, and put it to one side, and wait to see if the cleaning method causes damage after a month or so. *Because*: Some restorations will look OK at first, but then later, show discoloration, buckling or cracking or gumming up.

*My story*: I have done this many times, with no problems afterward at all - a client likes covering the walls of one part of his business place with his tagsale art "finds", and several of them were large, very musty, dusty and filthy - I told him what I wanted to do and that it would either "make it, or break it" and yet, he thought it fine, since he paid almost nothing for the paintings, and was prepared to throw them away or salvage the frame and "Pitch the pitcher"... if my method was not successful.

*After study* of each of the paintings, at every point, I took each piece of the art outdoors, on a nice day, but *not* in direct sunlight.

Next was cleaning dry soft brush to remove large cobwebs, dust balls, and other identified matter.

Then, with a basin of the mild detergent and water and soft large brushes, *on all sides*, and garden hosed it gently till perfectly free of the cleaning solution.

I even used a tiny bit of clorox on one that was too musty to bear.

Keyword for this 'soap and water' approach - *quick*. Work fast and gently but firmly - courage!

Then the art must drip and almost dry, outdoors, out of the sunlight but in the breeze, and then I brought it indoors to complete the drying, carefully dabbing and soft-brushing it as needed, and smoothing it with my clean hand, like a "hand-press" iron or massage. This 'hand press will even restore an elegant sheen, where you want it.

The paintings were good enough when done to hang proudly, with only a careful spritz of clear acrylic on the frames (covered the art part to be sure the acrylic would not get on the art) to give a show-worthy look to them.

And fresh hanging hardware, of course!

*Experience, preparation, study, test* and *common sense* are key words - if you feel you may have the knack for such tasks, *don't* attempt any of it, if you are unsure - till you *think*, talk with friends who are into it, study online about the specifics of your project.

*And if the art has value at all, do not do it yourself. Give it to an expert.*

for the musty smell: try sealing the painting in a plastic bag along with a sheet of Bounce.

I have some oil paintings that were in an old house and have a very musty smell. The paintings are clean. They are not expensive but have sentimental value. Is there any way to get rid of the smell so that they can be displayed in my home?

Hi, I have a painting (I think it's oil) and the artist covered it at some stage with black paint to reuse the canvas (but never did, and it was covered in black paint). Someone has removed part of the black to expose a rather beautiful painting underneath, but unfortunately I don't know what they used. The black paint scrapes off with a fingernail or light file, but it is very uneven and I wondered if there was a gentle solvent or something I could use to reveal the underneath artwork. It's not an especially valuable piece but the artist was of some renown in NZ and passed away years ago, so it's quite special to me. Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted!

Thanks.

Dear Sir

I have done some paintings on canvas (Oil Colour) 6-7 years back, still some of the area wherever I used white colour is little sticky, I feel like it is not dried properly. How can I dry or remove the stickiness.

Please I need your help. Your sincerely, akbar

how do i get water streaks off our oil paintings. thanking you in advance

Oil paintings were cleaned in my country succsessfully of dirt with onion or potato cut in half and rubbed over the painting without damaging the color.

We have oil paintings from italy which were purchased in 1969. My dear husband decided they needed a good scrubbing so he used clear water and a wash cloth, which needless to say you can see where he wiped them. Is there anything that we can do to correct this?

thank you

js

I have an oil painting my father bought my mother in 1968. It has hung in a home with heavy smokers since then. the colors have become dull. It also got wet during a hurricane when the windows were blown out. Can it be restored?

JK,

If you have a steady hand, try using a sharp scalpel blade to open an edge between the painting and the emulsion blob. Then use your fingernail or a toothpick to prise the blob away. Oil and water paints will stick together but the bond is weak, so the emulsion may well peel away when you get underneath it.

I have an old oil painting from prior to the Napier earthquake in New Zealand. I would like to clean it. I would appreciate it if some one could advise me.

Thanks

I have an oil painting (approx 20 years old) which has, in some areas, been painted with very thick layers. A small 'blob' (5mm x 5mm )of white emulsion paint has, unfortunately, fallen onto a dark red area of this painting. How do I get rid of it please?

JK