Question for conservators, re drying time for oils

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Frances M.

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Apr 10, 2006
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Columbus, GA
I have a painting to frame that will be on display in a wildlife/educational facility/ The painting portrays a landscape with all the native animals tucked into the scene for the schoolchildren to be able to "find" and name. They have had the painting for a month. hoping it would dry before framing. I suspect that the artist used linseed or some similar thing rather than a quicker-drying medium and the painting is extremely tacky, though the paint is not so wet as to come off on your hand.

Because it is intended to be closely viewed by children, it has to be glazed and they are specifying Lexan; it will have a deep spacer between the canvas and glazing. My question is whether glazing something that is still tacky and looks to stay that way for a while is going to lead to problems. The artist suggested drilling air holes along the
top of the frame but they want to use a deep linen liner rather than vertical spacers and there's no way to drill that in a way that would allow air flow. I suppose it would be possible to drill a few holes in the glazing but is it necessary?

Thanks.
 
Drying time also depends on in addition to the medium used:

air flow
humidity
temperature
thickness of the paint layer

Some things just take time................................. don't rush it.
 
The longer you wait the better, but the only problem I foresee is that you may have to take it apart later and clean the glazing if there is any outgassing during the drying process... which there probably will be.
 
I framed a six month old oil painting that had a lot of paint on the surface, I think "impasto" is the word. The Acrylite-FF hazed up in just a few days! This was just about a week after the varnish had been applied, maybe that had something to do with it. Anyhoo, the plex was removed and the piece is now open faced.

I think what people mean by "breathing" is that it takes a long time for those things to dry. I recall hearing an "expert" on TV say it takes at least a decade for an oil to dry completely.
 
I'm no conservator, but I know the answer to your question. We have discussed it several times before, and you can review previous threads by searching the Grumble archives, if you wish.

Enclose the painting with spacers, glazing and a solid backing. No provisions for "breathing" are recommended. There are no technical disadvantages to fully enclosing a painting with glazing and solid backing. Among the advantages, enclosing the painting makes it cure more slowly, which is actually good for the paint.

The curing process will probably deposit a film on the inside of the glazing, so the frame will need to be opened for cleaning at least once or twice in the next couple of years. The deposited film will not harm the glazing, so clean it as usual and refit.

The offgassing of the curing paint is normal, and no cause for concern, since there is nothing coming out of the paint that will harm the painting or typical framing materials.
 
Thanks everyone. It's going to be a complicated fitting job due to the frame they chose but i guess I'll just have to face unfitting and cleaning it for them for awhile (on their dime!).
 
Frances M. said:
It's going to be a complicated fitting job due to the frame they chose...
Click to expand...

How so? There are several designs that make it easy to fit a stretched canvas with glazing and solid backing.

My favorite method is to mount the canvas's stretcher frame to a Nielsen matte black anodized aluminum floater frame, line the top (flat) edge of it with Volara foam tape, lay on the glass/acrylic, then install the decorative frame as a 'cap' on top of the glass. A solid backing board goes between the floater and the back of the stretcher frame, which closes the back completely. No part of the framing materials touch the painted surfaces of the canvas, and this design enables you to show the sides of it if you wish. One caveat: Be careful attaching the floater to the back of the stretcher frame. If you drill too deep or use screws too long, you could puncture the canvas

If the 'cap' frame is less than 2" deep (as usually they are), you can use Infinity hangers (bent 90 degrees) or small offsets to attach the 'cap' frame's back to the outsides of the floater frame. The 'cap' frame is usually wide enough to hide the attachment hardware.
 
Be sure to use the volara tape on the rabbet of the liner so the oil paint won't adhere to the fabric.
Another option is to staple strips of black mat board to the stretcher so that they protrude beyond the face of the painting just enough to keep it from contacting the rabbet shoulder.
Make sure that the liner is installed in a way (offsets perhaps) that allows you to remove it easily to clean the glazing. The volatiles outgassing from the oil paint may end up staining the linen, so you might want to plan for that eventuality.
 
wpfay said:
...
Another option is to staple strips of black mat board to the stretcher so that they protrude beyond the face of the painting just enough to keep it from contacting the rabbet shoulder.
...
Click to expand...

You so smart, Wally.

Neat solution. Never thought of this technique. Old Dog still can learn new tricks!
 
Slow oxidizing oils

This thread is a good source of advice, as one would exect of the G. One should be aware that oil paintings are not the only slow oxidizing oil media. Oil stick and some printing oils can take years to fully oxidize and may off gas when they are glazed, which means that they will require some care, but frames should be opened periodically and this can serve as a reminder.



Hugh
 
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