Gilded frame

This frame belongs to a private client and is currently undergoing treatment. It is a wooden frame with gilded “compo” ornament.

The brief is to clean it preserving its aged appearance, consolidate moving composition, restore lost gilding, and tone the losses.

Challenge: The frame was previously cleaned and restored and some of the gilding was replaced with mica, which ideally should be removed.

The frame has been consolidated and lightly cleaned with tri-ammonium citrate. A silicone mould has been made to replace the lost ornament. Areas of loss have been cleaned and rust has been removed from an exposed nail with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.

Next steps will involve tests for replacing gilding with traditional water gilding and Plextol B500.