The magnificence and splendor of antique paintings is seen by the coming generations. This depends mostly on the manner in which the paintings are preserved, sustained and cared for. In reality there’s no absolute secure method to clean and make such paintings spotless.  Restoration of aged painting involves acute and extensive details, proficiency, expertise and much endurance.

 There’s a good collection of antique painting at my home. Earlier my parent and grand parents used to look after it. Today, the responsibility of maintaining and preserving these aged and classical painting has come onto me. My parents used to clean and protect them traditionally. These methods are long and time consuming.

In this busy and hectic life I didn’t get time to clean them. This made me guilty of not being able to clean and preserve my legacy. Amazingly the other day I happened to meet my old friend and luckily he is too an antique lovers. He helped me to a great extent and told me modern, less time consuming and better way of cleaning and sustaining such painting.   Here’s what he told me to do

1)      Believe only qualified painting restorer for cleaning antique painting.  Even a professional need to go through trial and error to conclude what the painting consists of, what type of water, oils, paints, liquids and vegetable color may be mixed in.  The target is to effectively get rid of dust and dirt without troubling the actual coloring of the painting.
 
2)      Confiscate the dark aged varnish and the dirt gathered over the time. This is a lot of difficult task, so better leave this to a practiced restorer. He will decide how to remove varnish, without upsetting the painting. Once more a small area will be examined using solvent prior to eliminating the varnish.
 
3)      Gently dad a clean cloth into a mixture of half turpentine and half alcohol and vigilantly clean good percentage of the painting. Maintain that perfect balance between the alcohol and turpentine before proceeding with cleaning.  With every dab check cloth and if the paint tint is coming off, try adding a bit more turpentine. Let it dry for quite a few days in cool and dry room avoiding direct sunlight.
 
4)      Now apply a fresh and brand new coat of mastic varnish to the painting.  Varnish being a solvent, is easily removable for any further extensive restoration. Allow the coat to absolutely dry accordingly but not less than a week before re framing.

Forewarning
Ø      Clean the painting patiently!
Ø      Choose a well ventilated room for using trpentine and cleansing agents.
Ø      Wash your hands carefully prior to using such painting and immediately afterward.

But for my friend, I wouldn’t have been able to clean, maintain, retain and sustain my valuable and precious paintings. The tips and tricks he gave are unfailingly the best and priceless.