This is not wood

But for finishing it is technical. I just got in 3 old oil painting to clean and repair. Giving you the before look.

The frames are.

Look like they hung in a house with heavy smokers.
I wouldn't know where to start to clean something like that.
Lookin' forward to the 'after' shots.

Frank Fusco said:

I wouldn't know where to start to clean something like that.

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Are you cleaning the pictures too? or just the frames? Like Frank, I wouldn't know where to start with the painting!

I'm not sure what I will be doing to the frames yet. The paintings will be cleaned and whole repaired and touched up. I may gild the frames but them again I may just clean them and do the repairs to the plaster and match the patina.

What is your experience in cleaning oil paintings? I know that it is not difficult if it is only cleaning what is needed but one must use the right products or there is the danger of making a mess with them.

As some others said, I would get some info before attempting to do it.
Looking forward to see the results.

Toni I have been cleaning paintings and repairing them for 20 years. Depending on the kind of dirt on the painting will depend on the solution I make up to clean it.
By back ground is Art major and I learned Painting conservation from a professor in College who was the curator at the Hersorne ? Museum in DC

I'll be looking forward to seeing the "after" look. Should be an interesting transformation. I'll bet it's fun for you, bringing a painting back to life.

As an artist it is exciting to be able to study how an artist paints. The process is slow but sometimes I feel like I can get inside the mind of the artist and what he is seeing as he paints. Each brush stroke, I can tell the areas he enjoyed and the areas he had troubles with.

after 5 hours of cleaning little more then have way on the 1st painting. This one has about 8 holes that need to be mended then touched up.

One down , repairs have been made and I am happy with the results.

i think yu know what yur doing DAVE

Larry I'm figuring it out. Seems every picture is different and has special problems.
One thing I have found constant is the material for applying the patch work. 1 part Dammar Varnish and 4 parts Bee's Wax. Heated; set patches in the mixture and soak then apply with the use a a wood 1" dowel press out the excess and then brush mixture over the patch.
Color matching is different with each piece. It takes me a while 30 minutes or so to figure out the pallet of the artist after that it's smooth sailing. This painting was cleaned a little over 130 years ago and the cleaner used something that cause the painting to have dark pooling of color I think some sort of varnish. Most came off but the big pools 1/16th to 1/8th " I covered with color.

Wow, what a difference.

Remarkable work, Dave.

Wow, those clean up nicely! Good work Dave!

I do not know anything about restoration work on paintings or repairing the frames like you do. It is an interesting and im sure time consuming thing that you do with each painting and frame. I can see that each picture and frame can be a special project in and of itself. It would interesting to follow your work as you repair and restore each one. Keep us posted on how things are going it is interesting to read and follow along,,......Dan

Dave you going to post us a after picture? i would like to see the before and after next to each other for each picture sort of like a split screen on each. That would really show up your restoration work. Well done. You a brave man taking on that kind of work. I would be too scared to touch it regardless of how much i knew just in case something went wrong beyond my control. Do you make the client sign an indemnity agreement prior to the work commencing?

Rob people ask me how I can to do what I do. I tell them I work with and for my love of art. So I am doing what I love as a hobby and what was ment for me to do. Starting out as an artist, moving on to painting houses restoring homes, then Faux and mural painting then painting furniture and from there refinishing and restoring. The Conservation work was all way there, reading and picking up bits and pieces over the years a project here and a project there in conjunction with adult classes at the Smithsonian and other pro shop classes around the county I studied and grew in my trade. O and a lot of prayer for guidance. So a natural progression took place. I did not set out to be an artist I wanted to work with dogs, training them. But doors were shut and other doors were open, doors which seemed very easy to walk through and on the other side I found I had the talent to do what laid inside. So there is nothing scary about this for me just challenges to understand and learn new technical ways of approaching each project.

Thanks for taking an internist and following what I do.

Not to preach but this is a great passage to keep in mind: 1Chroniacls 4:[9] And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
[10] And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

I am thankful every day for what I can do and I Know I can learn more. This is the life of a craftsman, all ways growing and developing new talents, learning from their mistakes and concurring their inabilities.