What is that SMELL?

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Val

Val

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Posts
6,729
Loc
Carson City, Nevada
ACK! An original oil-on-canvas brought in yesterday to stretch and frame...purchased in S. America somewhere, removed from it's stretcher bars, rolled in kraft paper for transport. It stinks!! What is that?? I'm not kidding, it's stinkin' up my shop! I've put it in plastic until it's ready to frame, but whew! I can't describe it, just that it makes my nose curl up and it's awful! Not like the smell of a fresh giclee-on-canvas...chemical. This has more of an organic stink....I just can't place it.....but it's awful! What could that be?? And could it be harmful to those of us with already-challenged lungs?
 
Can you imagine what that will smell like in their house?

Maybe they can hang it in the bathroom or over the litter box.:faintthud:
 
Good post Val, it's been a question I have had rolling in the back of my head, I must frame 10-20 oil painting done in China per month, after all these recalls on kids toys made in China it got me thinking on what type of oil paints has these artists been using, some ways I would like to know if there maybe lead in them, but I'm also concerned of the loss of business if I turned all Chinese oil paintings away.
 
Jerry Ervin said:
It is urine.

Sorry Val, I know you didn't want to hear that.

You are smelling the combo of ammonia and urea.
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ACK!!! Ewwww! Now, I remember where I smelled that smell....fertilizer in my garden! But in my garden, it's a "good smell"...not in my frame shop! ACKACK!!!

What does that have to do with an oil painting?

I'm getting out the gloves and the mask and the HAZMAT kit....

ACK!!! GACK!!!
 
Lead in housepaint = not so good

Lead in oil artists paints = very good


Kids in housing projects in the 60s and 70s eating falling paint chips from walls got everyone all head up about lead in paint - it is not a one size fits all solution.

Lead in artists oils - specifically Flake white is pretty special. Lead is only toxic if you digest it or breathe large amounts of dust. Artists paintings are rarely licked or sanded and so are generally just fine if there is lead in the paints.

Val: I purchased two small Chinese oils at last year's Baltimore show and noted that they smelled horrible as well. What you can be certain of is that they use very cheap materials and I am guessing that the smell is coming not from the oils, but from offgassing of the "canvas" size that they use for these works, or possibly from whatever varnish they put over the top. Or a combo of the two.

I might run it through you washing machine once or twice...could only improve it right!? :)
 
Never open a thread about odors when eating sour cream and onion potato chips. I'm done now...thanks Jerry!
 
Over this side of the pond a well known slang expression for someone who is a bit too fond of the drink is a p*ss artist. Never knew there were real ones.:beer:
 
I was reading a very old booklet on the art of gold leafing and it mentioned to use urine to clean old leafed frames.

Never mentioned from which critter to obtain said urine.

Euuuuuuu...
 
Framar said:
I was reading a very old booklet on the art of gold leafing and it mentioned to use urine to clean old leafed frames.

Never mentioned from which critter to obtain said urine.
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Turtles - they are the best - especially the ones that have been sufficiently mocked.
 
anyone have a guess at how Looong that thing will stink??? like, could they hang it up OUTSIDE for a month ot 2 and it be ok????????
 
OK so if the customer brings it back in because their dog licks it to death, or pees on it to mark his territory will the framer be responsible?!
 
I often stretch paintings from far-flung places that look as though the 'canvas' came off someones's bed. Some have very suspicious stains on the back.:o
 
Hyde glue, used as sizing for canvases before priming, can have a rather strong odor as well. The stuff we have is fairly well refined...probably not so much so in other places. Urea-formaldehyde is also a common element found in wood finishing that can be pretty odoriferous. The third possibility is the stretcher bars. The wood is stacked to dry in most parts of the world and all kinds on little beasties live in the stacks. Rats, mice and the predators that pursue them (foxes, cats, ferrets, martins, weasels) through the wood piles all have very strong urine used in marking territory and victims.
 
When Candace Bergen visited the Masai people in Africa, they gave her a great welcome into the tribe. Their traditional diet consisted mainly of cows' blood and cows' milk. They wanted her drink to be very clean, so before they poured the milk into the large gourd bowl they made sure to wash it our very carefully with cow urine as well. She had a very hard time drinking that gift.
 
shayla said:
When Candace Bergen visited the Masai people in Africa, they gave her a great welcome into the tribe. Their traditional diet consisted mainly of cows' blood and cows' milk. They wanted her drink to be very clean, so before they poured the milk into the large gourd bowl they made sure to wash it our very carefully with cow urine as well. She had a very hard time drinking that gift.
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That's just taking the ..........
 
I have to agree with wpfay. It could be urea formaldehyde or another form of urea. The smell is it off gassing. Urea can be used as an adhesive, preservative, resins, it is also used as a humectant in dying. It keeps fabric moist while dye has time to react with fabric. To cut down on smell and off gassing I have heard of varnishing surface to seal the gasses in.
 
I started this thread last March, and quickly framed that nasty-smelling thing, but I swear, it's still stuck in my nose. I didn't seal anything (not my job), but got it outa my shop pronto.

I have one now to frame that was stored in a garage for a long time, that is definately cat-marked, it's sealed in a plastic bag and I can't for the life of me figure why someone would want to save that thing. I love my cats, but........whew!!!
 
I would make a note of the smell on their invoice, or bring it to their attention, so they don't blame you when they pick it up. When items come in, we always protect ourselves by noting any damage on arrival. I guess odor would be included in "damage".
 
FYI

The paint Indian Yellow was originally made from the urine of WaterBuffelos feed mango leaves.
 
GUMBY said:
FYI

The paint Indian Yellow was originally made from the urine of WaterBuffelos feed mango leaves.
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WAS.....Thank gawd! I have the rather disturbing habit of repointing the paintbrush by putting it in my mouth,yeah...I know,ewww.That`s why I use acrylic,and watercolor....I won`t die,least as fast as with oil/turpentine! :vomit: L.
 
I hand a hanging jog early today, I dont know what it was about the place it smelled like a mouse nest. They had this humidifier running to....it was probably the source...ack.....
Some how not has bad as the job I didn't in the CAT WOMAN's home imagine, 95 degrees outside, no open windows, no AC and about 12 cats....gag...choke.....ack....
 
RParrish said:
I hand a hanging jog early today, I dont know what it was about the place it smelled like a mouse nest. They had this humidifier running to....it was probably the source...ack.....
Some how not has bad as the job I didn't in the CAT WOMAN's home imagine, 95 degrees outside, no open windows, no AC and about 12 cats....gag...choke.....ack....
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Now I`m picturing CAT WOMAN having you hang art in her lair,where`s Batman when you need him? L.
 
Beveled said:
I would make a note of the smell on their invoice, or bring it to their attention,
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Oh yes, it was definately discussed and noted on the work odor...I mean work order.

The worst one I ever had was a rare s/n Leroy Neiman print that had been stored in cardboard under a woman's bed for several years, and her male cat had claimed it as his own, all that time. She finally decided to have it framed, in honor of the wedding anniversary of her and her deceased husband who had given it to her. I gagged the entire time I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted, said the smell "wasn't that bad" (she was also a smoker) and that framing it would "seal in the smell" She argued that the urine crystals only showed on the white border and the mat would cover that up. She wanted a red suede mat and a bright purple metal frame to "match her sofa".

Her friend came in with her who wasn't a smoker and gagged along with me, and said if that cat was hers, it wouldn't be....well, you can imagine.

I framed the dang thing, gloves, goggles, eyes watering, gagging and all and added a huge extra charge, and told her why, and she agreed to it. Can you imagine what her house must've smelled like? Reminds me of the stories on Animal Planet's Animal Rescue.
 
Yes, cat owners seem to be very forgiving. Or else they're in permanent denial of the smells, the fur, the paw prints. One of our regular artists, a sweet little old lady, came in early one Saturday with a canvas we had framed. She wondered how fast we could "fix" it because she was on her way to hang it in a show. The fix involved covering about 1/4 of the image with a quick mat because her sweet little feline friend had "sprayed" the piece while it stood on the floor waiting to go to the art show. PHEW!! When I stuttered my condolences and wondered whether maybe she could show a different piece, she said, oh no one will ever know!

Note to self: always smell before buying at an art show.
 
Pee Be Gone!

Hi y'all,
I have been holding my breath while reading this thread--!! Phew! I have a very keen sense of smell and don't tolerate stinkyness at all. I probably couldn't even get a bad smelling canvas through the door without fainting. ha.

As a life-long cat owner, I have spent a lot of time in pursuit of something that will remove pet odors, as accidents do happen. I've tried 'em all. Mostly they are expensive and just leave the pee schmell masked by a cloying scent. Not good.

After much trial and error, I have at last found something that removes odors from fabric, gym shoes, carpet, any surface that can handle being dampened. This could possibly work on paper or canvas. Proceed with caution, though--I'm not advocating spaying valuable art work. But if it's already been peed upon, are you really risking much anyway?

I have dubbed this mixture "Pee Be Gone :smiley:" and it really works. Just this week my husband used it on a pair of his suede slippers that had become quite schmelly. A light misting inside, dry overnight, voila! no more foot odor.

Basic proportions are 1 cup hydrogen peroxide, a teaspoon baking soda and a couple drops of dish soap (your choice of brand/scent.) I put it in a spray bottle, shake it up and spray. Keeps for a few days, so don't mix too much at a time. This also works for any other "biological" substances and is great if kids wet the bed, etc. you can soak the mattress, blot and dry.

Not to mention it's made from simple, cheap ingredients. I've sprayed it on the back door where neighborhood boy cats left their (schmelly) marks, in basement floor drain, on carpet, clothing that was musty, to name a few. This really works and it leaves just a slight odor of soap behind. It can leave a slight white residue, so test before treating a big area.

My gift to you. So get out there and rid the world of those odors! Good luck. GM:smiley:
 
Hey I used that mix on my dog after she got into her first skunk! Works great, although the frothy mouth was a little unnerving ;)
 
Many of the papyrus (papyri...plural?) that I framed often smelled like cow dung. And not just one pile of fresh poo, but a whole field after it had been fertilized with the manure. It smelled like damp dirt and doo.

Thank goodness it didn't smell like horse poo. My mom used to fertilize her plants with that god-awful mess in the spring. Her front porch ran the length of about 120ft and so did her flower beds. Pee-YEW!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I might have another beer before dinner to wash that smell away ;-)
 
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