A gold leaf ornate frame came in from a home fire having 
a surface film of smoke residue. Using a Q-tip with simple “saliva” will nicely remove the residue.
There are two types of gold; one has an even color and is often brassy looking (will not dissolve with water) and two, is a gold finish that is very polished with over-lap lines and often shows red or brown colors through it. (will dissolve with water….and even saliva!).
So, do a test to see if the gold comes off before you start wiping down a frame. Be careful too of the antiquing (finish) on many frames… it will come off with water/saliva. We brushed a dilute varnish on the exposed wood of the back of the frame (not visible or shiny afterward) to seal in the smell.
Great info, again! Thanks. Can you tell me how to get the smell of smoke out of books?
Thanks for checking in again Joan. As my book details, carbon is a smell absorbing material and you can set up a little “chamber” or container to take the smell of nicotine, fireplaces or full on house fires out of your books, without getting into a major efforts of organization and “tooling up.” Its really easy to do. In fact, in industry they use carbon filters in vapor masks for solvents and smells and also in large filters for filtering the smell in rooms. Ozone filters are also used to take out the smell in a room including the contents.
I enjoyed reading your blog and found it both informative and interesting. I bookmarked it and will be back often. Thanks for the free downloads on the Products page. Good info.
Thanks
Bernice Franklin
I really like reading your piece, I have also bookmarked your blog for the future and added it to my RSS feeds. Thanks!
Hi, great post. I look forward to your next topic. Thanks, Saskia
Thanks, that is a very good article. I found it via Yahoo and immediately incorporated into my RSS feedreader. I am pleased to soon be back here to read again! Greetings
I overcooked a bagel in my microwave and got smoke everywhere. You saved my day again.
Are there additional information available on this subject that I’m able to purchase?
There is more information about dealing with smoke damage in my book. You can also check out articles that I’ve published at http://www.preservationcoach.com. Do you have specific questions? I noticed you have a smoke abatement company. Perhaps I could help you write a flyer or pamphlet for your customers… as public outreach. Let me know.
Hi, it looks like your site deals with interesting info for preparing for disasters and emergencies. Very useful blog! I’ll sign up for the tips.
Carolyn,
Yes, this site and blog is, actually, not about disasters and emergencies. Its about protecting and saving or caring for your valuable personal property. In other words, the info here is very applicable even if you don’t have a disaster waiting to “get” you.
This post is very different news for me because I have never heard or observed anything like gold can be dissolve with water and saliva?
Abraham,
Well, actually, its not the GOLD that is dissolved with water (or saliva) but the adhesive in the clay or bole that is softened then lets go of the gold. So, on a cleaning rag, if you are using a water based cleaning product, you would get a brownish “dust-grime” off that you might think is dirt. In the process of your cleaning, you would see the red, yellow or black undercolor of the clay start to show up more prominently. That’s because you are wiping off the gold. Look through the blog for damage done by cleaning ladies and you’ll see what I mean.
Great tips. A house near us had a bad fire a couple of months ago and it was an old lady living there who had a lot of antiques and valuables. I don’t know if she, or her family, knows she can get some of them restored. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t at all prepared for saving her stuff. Too bad. It seems that the older a person gets, the more the family history there is to loose. Maybe her kids should have been more interested in what to do to prepare for or in case of a disaster. Our firm helps people in these situations from a legal point of view. But its expensive and a long process to fight about it after the fact. Its better to be prepared.
I’ll surely do this tips…
This is good information! As a company that does smoke damage abatement professionally, we heartily endorse what Mr. Haskins has said. I would also like to say that when we do clean up, we do not treat works of art and their frames. Specialized, meaningful, expensive items lie that go to a professional for cleaning.
The aftermath of fire damage is usually awful. It smells to high heaven. I’m glad there are people like you that know how to make gorgeous again fragile items like frames. In out water damage treatment company, we don’t handle valuable things like this but try to find professionals who can help… and who know how to work with the insurance companies.
These are such great tips! I never knew saliva could be so useful! Our company works with fire damage as our specialty and your info is right on.
Thanks for leaving a comment Gary. We have worked with Belfor for many years doing art conservation services and evaluations (consultations) between Belfor and insurance carriers. You guys run a class operation.
We brushed a dilute varnish on the exposed wood of the back of the frame (not visible or shiny afterward) to seal in the smell.
Because you are doing it on porous wood, you can use a varnish at full strength without worrying about gloss and you will get a better result.