Cleaning Museum Glass

BMcIvor

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Oct 11, 2018
Posts
2
Location
Richmond, BC
Just got a call from a customer who somehow got candle wax on his Museum Glass and wants advice on cleaning it. . . Any advice on cleaning, other than "replace the glass?"
 
Hi! Welcome to the Grumble. :)

Is it just on the glass, or on the frame, too? How about dripping wax from a votive candle onto a scrap of museum glass and letting it dry, then trying? It might just chip right off with a little bit of help. Or maybe getting that spot cold would help? Is it a lot of wax, or just a dab?
 
Hi! Welcome to the Grumble. :)

Is it just on the glass, or on the frame, too? How about dripping wax from a votive candle onto a scrap of museum glass and letting it dry, then trying? It might just chip right off with a little bit of help. Or maybe getting that spot cold would help? Is it a lot of wax, or just a dab?

Thanks Shayla! Good idea about doing a test spot. The customer is going to bring it in after all, but it sounds like he's already smeared it around and tried to clean it himself, so I'm not optimistic about his chances :confused:
 
Just got a call from a customer who somehow got candle wax on his Museum Glass and wants advice on cleaning it. . . Any advice on cleaning, other than "replace the glass?"
There is a product called "Adhesive Release", which is the same as "Bestine" which might release and dissolve and clean the wax off of the glass.
You can use that and then come back with regular glass cleaner for a final cleaning.
Depending on the size it might be better to just replace the glass.
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Welcome to the Grumble, B.
My employer of 14 years at a previous job (before she retired) is from B.C. and grew up in Ft. McMurray AB where there is a main street named after her family.
 
Take a Bernzomatic torch and lightly wave the flame over the wax till it melts off.
Then use pretty much any petrolium product to remove the balance.

All this should be done on a scrap piece first, tho.

Will be interested in hearing what finally worked.
 
My family ran a florist for 62 years and when we did weddings and air blew across the candles and the wax hit the carpet we used a wash cloth and a iron, it would wick up the wax with no problem, Not sure if the heat would hurt the art or frame, Joe's suggestion would work too I bet just heat up the wash cloth with dryer. And other way I think would just push the wax around and leave a bad mess.

Sam
 
What medium is the artwork? Do you know how far it is from the glass?
 
Do not attempt to clean it while it is still in the frame!

Open it up and THEN clean the glass away from the art...Murphy's law and all that.
 
Along those same lines...

On new pieces of museum glass (at least on the Tru-Vue we use), there's a stamp along the edge that tells which side is supposed to be toward the artwork. Once that stamp area has been cut / used, how does one know which side is which?
 
When the stamped text area is not present, the simplest way to determine which side faces the artwork is to take a fine, sharp object (such as the tip of a razer knife) and lightly scrape it against the glass near an outer edge. If it glides harmlessly, that's the front. If it starts to scratch, then you have found the side that faces the artwork.
 
Along those same lines...

On new pieces of museum glass (at least on the Tru-Vue we use), there's a stamp along the edge that tells which side is supposed to be toward the artwork. Once that stamp area has been cut / used, how does one know which side is which?
Whenever I cut Museum glass or Conservation Clear glass, and I do this every day, I always try to cut off the side that has the lettering.
Often the lettering also has some black specks beyond the lettering so I like to just cut that off so the lettering and any black specs will not be visible.

When the stamped text area is not present, the simplest way to determine which side faces the artwork is to take a fine, sharp object (such as the tip of a razer knife) and lightly scrape it against the glass near an outer edge. If it glides harmlessly, that's the front. If it starts to scratch, then you have found the side that faces the artwork.
Yes, as DSR7 mentioned, a little scratch on the edge will tell you which side has the UV coating and should be facing the artwork.
I always do this on every piece of Museum or Conservation Clear glass when I'm fitting.
It only takes about 2 seconds, not a big deal to make sure.

I have taken apart framing from other shops and have found Conservation Clear glass that was installed backwards ( I won't mention the chain franchise that did the framing...:rolleyes:)
 
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I often clean stubborn stains off glass with lighter fluid and fine steel wool. Haven't scratched any yet. You usually
don't have to press too hard. Given that the wax is on the uncoated side I can't see why this wouldn't work.
The general rule is to start with something mild (mineral spirits on a wad of cotton wool?) and if that doesn't
do it then you can escalate. Acetone will shift most things. Might take a few applications to remove it all.
 
As to which side is which, whenever I cut a piece and have some left over, I mark the art side with an erasable marker.

I also do that when I am cutting more than one piece and might forget which side is which on the 6th piece as well as which piece of glass goes with which piece of art..
 
I can actually feel the difference between the coated and uncoated sides of Museum Class and Conservation Clear. The coated side feels slightly "softer" or more slippery... that is, less "frictiony".
:cool: Rick
 
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