Cleaning prints

[mojay]

I bought several framed prints in the early 70's - each is hand finished and has the appearance of being an original oil. They're not under glass and their appearance would probably benefit from cleaning. Can I tackle this or would I need professional help?

[Mosaic]

It all depends on the items - what they are made of, their potential value.
An original oil painting will consist of canvas - woven cloth - onto which the oil paint has been applied, either thinly or thickly.
So as a first off, you could carefully take the frames off the pictures, if this is possible, and assess what they are made of from the back.

[mojay]

I know that they are not oils on canvas - these are prints which were hand finished by a couple (unfortunately I've lost touch with them) and they sold to department stores etc as 'pretend' oils

[Mosaic]

If they are on paper, and haven't been under glass, you're looking at two things - the paper will have faded and so look 'dirty' where it has been exposed to light and air, and the paper will also have absorbed chemicals such as soot particles, nicotine and other pollutants from the air its been exposed to.
Fading can't be reversed. Removing the dirt can be attempted, but there's a danger you might also remove the pigment - the paint or print colour.

All told, unless you are completely attached to these paintings I'd save your efforts and buy some nice new art.

[mojay]

thanks and I appreciate your thoughts. I may not have explained myself very well but the prints have been hand finished with some kind of varnish - if you look closely they appear to have brush marks - as if hand painted - both clever and effective. This makes me feel I could tackle a corner - but what with?

White spirit discreetly ?

[Mosaic]

If the varnish has yellowed, it will never become transparent again. So the only way this could be solved would be to remove the varnish layer. This is normally done for oil paintings - works on paper are very tricky to deal with as the pigment is absorbed into the paper and the varnish is gripping the porous surface of the paper. So taking off the varnish may take off the pigment and some of the paper as well.
White spirit may attack the varnish. If you want to try a corner, try a weak solution of good quality detergent on a discreet corner - wipe on with lint-free cloth and then rinse off with lint-free cloth.

[mojay]

oooh many thanks - I hadn't thought of the detergent route - I'll try that on a small corner - thank you

[Mosaic]

Make sure you wipe off well with clean water - even mild detergent is slightly acidic and if left on the surface it will eat into the varnish over time.