Historically, a frame commissioned for an individual work of art might cost as much, or more, than the piece itself. Over the years, many antique frames have been damaged by improper cleaning and repair, painting over gold leaf, stressful environmental conditions, poor storage, and rough handling. Today, especially, the collectible worth of a quality frame can easily be taken for granted. With a little self educating, and fore-thought to frame care, let's not repeat the frame care mistakes of the past.

The first thing to consider with frames, as with your prints, is the environmental condition of your display, or storage, areas. Avoid hanging or storing your picture where it will experience dramatic temperature and humidity changes, such as near a stove or fireplace, in a bathroom, on a concrete floor, or on an outside wall. Condensation facilitates mold growth, and wood buckling.

Cleaning ~ You may choose to hand clean your frames but, depending on a frames value, or fragility, you might seriously consider professional cleaning by a restoration expert.

For copper, brass or silver plated frames, we suggest the use of ketchup as a cleaning and polishing agent. Ketchup has the anti-oxidizing properties of commercial metal polish, but without the abrasiveness. To use, simply coat the frame surface with a generous layer of ketchup - let set for ten minutes - then buff out with a soft cloth.

When handling gilt or varnished frames, be sure to wear cotton or rubber gloves (preferably cotton.) The acids from your hands can cause a surprising amount of surface damage. Using a wet cloth is also inadvisable, because water may saturate the gold leaf or varnish, and cause it to become flaky. Instead, use a soft camel-hair brush or dry cotton cloth to remove dust and grime.
If you feel you have no choice but to use a liquid to clean a gilt or varnished frame, you may try a solution of vinegar diluted with water. Spray, or lightly moisten, a soft cloth with your solution, and test on an inconspicuous area. Unless you first remove the print and allow a frame to dry completely, never spray solution directly onto a frame, as liquid will find it's way to your print or mat - and never, under any circumstances, use ammonia!


Touch-ups ~ When trying do-it-yourself touch-ups, avoid using liquid gold or silver paint on metallic frames as they will only blacken with age. A restoration expert would use gold or silver leaf, which is produced in sheets. If you'd like to attempt this yourself, there are commercially available gold and silver leaf tablets, which can be applied with a moistened brush for spot touch ups.

For frames with minor chipping that are constructed of fibrous materials, such as wood, you might try brushing on watercolor paints, hand mixed to match. Don't bother with touch-up crayons, such as those made for hiding scratches on furniture. Crayons, and other wax-based materials, never dry completely, making it impossible for applied finishes to adhere properly.

Minor repairs ~ Frame breakage will usually be obvious enough, but its important to occasionally check frames to be sure the corners are not seperating, which can cause a picture to fall from the frame and sustain serious damage. Generally, separations are easily fixed with L-shaped metal mending plates installed into the frame with screws. Of course, in the case of a very valuable frame, it's best to let a frame repair specialist handle things.


Hanging hardware ~ We strongly suggest the use of "D" rings that attach to the side rails of a frame. For best effectiveness, there should be at least two top rings (one on each side) and each should be strong enough to support the weight of the total work, should the other fail.
For large or heavy frames, four or more "D" rings can be applied down the side rails to help distribute the weight on the wall. An insufficient number of rings may result in portions of the wall being torn away by the weight of the frame.
When choosing "D" rings, try to obtain the type that have the upward bend. Although, they are designed to help you find the nail more easily, the bend also tends to make them support more weight without breaking. It's also a wise idea to reinforce the areas of a heavy wooden frame, where "D" rings will be attached, with a strong epoxy capable of penetrating the cellular structure of the wood and consolidating it into a strong plastic resin.

If you want to use wire to hang a frame, be sure to use a quality braided wire intended only for picture hanging.

It's always a good idea to apply cork or felt adhesive bump-guards "feet" to the back of your frames to allow air to circulate, which will prevent mold and mildew. This will also keep a frame from marring the wall, and vice versa.