Save Money - Cool Idea - Recycle Old Frames - 3 Great Tips

This fake is so good that its scarry! And I did it!!!!

Do It Your-Selfers: Don't Do This!!!!!

Some people get into reframing their old artwork. The enemy of this money saving effort is impatience. Doing the job right with patience is particularly important when you are reframing artwork on paper. There will be old tape and if you rip off the tape... the following WILL happen:
1. You will peel a surface layer of the paper off (see photo on right)
2. This will reduce the value of your artwork, if it is vintage and has value (this one does).
3. You will risk ripping the paper... which did not happen in the case of this photo.

This impatient do-it-your-selfer was "trying to be careful", felt she was "an experienced art handler" but couldn't stop herself! The result? A reduction of 20% in $3,500.00 value of the artwork when compared to a copy in pristine condition.

How to you avoid such a blunder? Dissolve the glue of the tape and lift off the tape CAREFULLY. Ask for guidance by a conservator or experienced framer. Be patient!

Antique Frame Dropped and Busted: Just Like Life... Pick Up The Pieces!

Did you know, that if you drop an old frame and pieces are busted off... you can put them in a baggie... staple the baggie to the back of the frame... and when you get around to it... the frame restorer can probably use the pieces again to put the frame back together?! And you might save yourself some money.

This frame hit the floor when the nail in the wall gave away. A nail actually, doesn't hold very well if its just put into plaster board (no wood behind the plaster). They make hangers especially for mounting framed items into plaster board. Do it right and you'll avoid expensive repair bills. Anyone live in earthquake or hurricane country? Yea, that's what I thought....

A Good Way to Ruin a Frame

Taking a bottle of gold paint may seem like a good way to fix a chipped or damaged old frame... but the gold paint doesn't age the same way as the original finish. It doesn't take much time for the paint to turn brown or dark green and be totally out of character. In the photo, the outside scoop and edge is darker than the inside gold edge. Once the gold paint has been on the frame awhile, then it becomes impossible to clean it off without having to refinish it completely.

Another tip... don't throw away old frames (even if they are badly damaged) before you know if they are worth something. A potential buyer might be an art gallery that sells old art. They have their ways of repairing, refinishing, cutting down etc. I love to collect old frames too. For tips on how to care for old frames go to www.saveyourstuff.com and download the chapter on "Frames." There are free downloads also.

A little "do-it-yourself" tip for Gold Leaf flaking!

Today in the lab we "consolidated" a frame whose GOLD LEAF was flaking off!  It was a crude heavy frame from a road side stand in Mexico.  The gold leaf was loose and unstable. This is a do-it-yourself-at-home-tip to stop it from completely flaking off until you can get it to a conservator.  With a small pointed brush and a small amount of acrylic varnish or even watered down wood glue (water soluable) "dropped" into a crack can stop the problem ...for now!  This is just a quick fix to stabilize the frame. But to do it right...get it to the Fine Art Conservation Lab!  email us @ best_artdoc@yahoo.com