Mold not Molding question

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wereiartm

wereiartm

True Grumbler
Joined
Nov 4, 2006
Posts
65
Loc
Minneapolis,MN
Hello to all , got a question for ya,

About 1 year ago we re-matted (2 mats on each) and re-glazed (tru vue CC) 2 etchings everything was fine. Just the other day the customer comes in and asks about a brown mold that has developed on the etchings in spots. He said they are not hung on an exterior wall nor is in contact with sunlight to develop condensation. We took them apart and as far as everything we can see inside the package, there is no moisture at all,no foxing on the glazing, just the mold on the etchings themselves. They have had these etchings for quite a while and never had this problem until we upgraded them to consevation level (took off the paper mats,put on UV glazing etc). Does anyone know what couldbe causing this and how would I get rid of the mold so it doesnt come back??????

Thanks so much

The grumble is now my first place to go!

Mike CPF
Artistic Indulgence
Minneapolis
 
Dave said:
Mike ...not sure of why this would occur now. Maybe Hugh or Rebecca will chime in, but it sounds like foxing.

Here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxing
Click to expand...

Dave and all,

Just another side note....looked at the "foxing" link....and to clearify a little....its a mold that is laying on top of the paper...its not in the paper...it can be just rubbed off very easily.

thanks
mike cpf
artistic indulgence
mpls
 
The etchings will have to be treated by a conservator to neutralize the mold and possibly clean up the discoloration. The rest of the paper goods in the frame should be replaced after the pieces are treated.
Many things can trigger mold growth...the spores were probably embedded in the paper all along and some environmental issue caused them to bloom. The usual triggers are temperature and humidity.

This is purely specultive on my part, but since I have witnessed the same occurance (mold bloom after reframe), I wonder if removing the etching from the slightly acidic environment of the original framing and putting it into a neutral or slightly basic environment of the new framing had any effect on the mold spores.

Edit: After reading your second post: Once removed from the frame keep the pieces out of the frame until they can be treated for mold spore (Thymol Chamber). Since the mold hasn't caused discoloration the treatment should be fairly simple.
 
The blooms are probably not caused by the reframing. Wally asks an interesting question about the effects of changing the frame's interior from an acidic to an alkaline environment. It would be great to hear from Hugh or Rebecca on this.

As Wally said, some environment factor is more likely the cause, perhaps just the change of display location. Or, exposure might have been only temporary. For instance, if the frames were placed in a garage, basement, or other storage area without climate control for just a day or two, the spores might have been activated by ambient conditions favorable to their growth, such as high humidity, high temperature, or both. Once activated, they can grow in conditions that would not have activated them. The blooms might not grow large enough to be noticeable until months later.
 
What an interesting question, and one that I have never thought about in terms of art.

I have thought about it in terms of food, especially as there was a CBC radio item in the last year or so, where a food scientist spoke about why some things seem to last for years in fridge - low pH condiment type things. The thing to come out of that program was that once the pH is below a certain point, spoilage is greatly retarded.

Here is something on the food topic that I googled http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/1999-10/941241450.Mi.r.html

Re the art, I would think that it would have more to do with humidity levels than pH, though who knows. There can be unnoticed humidity spikes in the household. That's why most museums/galleries have an ever running drum hygrothermograph, to record changes over time. Lots of times there can be significant variations that would go unnoticed if the gadget weren't there to pick it up.

The real solution is to clean up the loose mold, and make sure all keeps below 65% RH. I don't live in Wally's climate, so standards may be different there, but here in Canada, including Pacific NW, thymol is not recommended as it can yellow paper, and is not good for humans (though Listerine users, myself included, swish it in their mouths...).

It's all about Relative Humidity.

Rebecca
 
I haven't been doing this long enough to know anything about this, but I do know that mold needs 3 things to grow 1. a moist enviornment; 2. darkness; and 3. very little air circulation. You noted in your post the customer said the etchings didn't hang in a place where there's direct sunlight. I would suspect the lack of sunlight, and the warming effect it has on air circulation, contributed to the new growth of the mold. Possibly the new framing job was sealed a little more tightly than the old one so the air didn't circulate as well. Plus the UV properties of the glass may not have allowed enough of the uv light to enter the package to inhibit the growth of the mold. Just a wag.
 
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