Do you ever...?

[Duer 157099]

Do you ever buy an old framed object (painting, print, mirror, etc) just so that you can take the back off and look for a hidden treasure? Even if that means tearing the fragile paper covering that can never be replaced?

Do you ever wonder what the last thing that big ole butcher knife you just bought at the thrift store was used for?

Do you ever worry about what possible viruses or other pathogens come home with you from the thrift store?

I do.

Edit to add another one:

Do you ever pull the plug off of that salt or pepper shaker hoping to find a wad of money inside, and at the same time hoping that there's not a big spider, or other bugs, in there waiting to surprise you?

[Kat45]

1. I worry about what germs may come home with me from yard sales

and flea markets too. I rarely will buy clothing because I won't put it on my body until I've washed it in the machine. Many items of clothing aren't washable.

And I've often thought about framed objects that way, though I've never purchased one as yet.

[zabet]

2. Oh yea...

forever in search of that 'hidden treasure'...the valuable piece purchased for a few bucks...guilty.

[grasswire]

3. ick

I never thought about the germs. I do wash or clean nearly everything.

The church demolition sale I went to on the weekend was kind of creepy in that respect. Here and there in the basement warren of rooms were HUGE rat traps, and even old opened boxes of rat poison. I stuck my hand in a cupboard and came up with sticky fingers from an old mimeograph type machine. There were a couple of places I could only have gone with a flashlight -- lots of boxes of stuff and rows of theater seats in there, but I just couldn't do it.

[Duer 157099]

4. Here's my latest item I did this to

I only bought it ($2) just because I wanted to see what was behind that paper on the back. Although, now that I'm looking at the photo of it, it's a kinda cool looking mirror, looks like a port hole window - I didn't notice that before. It's horribly cracked (not the mirror, the wood), looks like it was several pieces of wood joined and that probably water damage caused them to separate (hey maybe it really *was* a port hole?)

So, at first I tried to carefully look under the paper and finally just said the heck with it and tore it all up and guess what I found underneath?!?!?

Yep. A mirror!!

But it's an old cool mirror, and it's not broken.

[yy4me]

5. This is a circa 1880 walnut mirror.It seems to have its original

glass. I'd clean it up and hang it on the wall, cracks and all. If the cracks are really separations in the seams of the wood, you could re-glue carefully. The finish appears to be in fair shape but because the piece has no great value, I'd refinish it and enjoy by good buy.

If you do refinish it, remove the gold leaf gesso liner along with the glass. The gesso will be a little mottled but should not be touched or painted.

Great to find a round one, they are not common.

[Duer 157099]

7. Ah, thanks for the new keyword - gesso

There's a word I never knew before. But what is it? When you said gold leaf, I thought you were talking about the brass (?) ring.

I'm liking it the more I look at the photo of it. I like that it's completely plain, no ornate carvings. Seems pretty modern for 1880! Thanks for the info!

[yy4me]

13. Hi! Gesso is a material made to cover wood and then to be

molded and gold leafed. Gesso looks and acts like plaster and is usually used in frame liners. The material can be applied, dried and carved or molded and used to make many of the old ornate frames for artwork. It is fragile and should not be washed. Just a wipe with alcohol on a cotton ball is all that should be done. If your liner is brass, nice! Remove it, get out the Brasso, with a final hard polish with Wenol and it will look great. If I found it for 2 dollars it would be done and on my wall by now. Happy Hunting.

[Duer 157099]

14. Ahah! Now I know what gesso is

Yes, I have seen that many times, never really thought about what material it was, but I know now what you're talking about.

This is definitely metal of some sort though, likely brass.

You've inspired me to go clean it up now! I'm very tempted to just run water over the whole thing, to clean out all the nooks and crannys - who knows what's lurking in there...!

I'll post a pic of the finished product (but I don't intend to refinish or repair, just to clean it up)

:hi:

Edit to LOL at myself -- I just took a look at it and damn if it's not gesso and not metal! LOL man, that's some good faux metal-looking stuff, fooled me when I had it in my hands! Only after touching it did I just now realize that it's not.

Edit again to cry at myself -- oh boy -- no, it IS metal.

Just wait a few minutes, I might change it up again...

[yy4me]

15. OOps, no water, damp cloth, or cloth saturated with lemon oil

or similar. If the frame is shellac, it will turn white with water. Just a quick wipe and good use of Q-tip and soft toothbrush should do it.

[Duer 157099]

16. But look at this immense dark hiding place!

Who knows what might be lurking in there!

Now that I KNOW (know, know, know!) that it's not gesso, but in fact is metal, and so it's just metal and wood, can't I use water? I already tore all the paper off the back and removed the mirror and took the rusted wire off.

[yy4me]

18. If you use water, the wood will expand because the material

absorbs water. It will never clamp back into place. As I look at that crack, it it one of the seams? The oval and circular frames of this type were made in sections in order to make the curve using less wood.

Vacuum, dental pick (gently), brush, do anything you can to clean it out. If this shows a seam that has let go and is smooth, lie the mirror flat, use glue(not too much of it) and see if you can pull it together. If it is a real break in the wood, it would probably not glue properly. Always do a trial run-no glue- just to see if it will work. I'd just clean it up as best I could and enjoy. Not much posing any "ugg" problems will live in there. It is already in the house, isn't it?

What I would worry must about are upholstered things and chests of drawers, desks and the like. Furniture has many hiding places.

PS, Spray inside a plastic bag with Raid and stick the frame in for a minute after the mist settles. Stick something in the middle to raise the plastic and keep the it from settling on the wood. A quick fumigation will take care of any concerns in that department. As to the grunge, clean as best you can, after all, a hundred years or more and we'd all have a few cracks and our finish would also be a little off.

[Duer 157099]

19. Ah I just had a brilliant idea!

Lately I've been using diatomaceous earth (food grade) for various purposes, and this is a perfect use for it. I will put some in a ziplock bag big enough to fit the frame, and then shake it all around to get it everywhere. Probblem with DE is you can't breathe it, so have to be careful handling it - although the food grade is not nearly as harmful as the swimming pool filter variety (which has been heated to change the silica structure, and which makes it really bad to breathe).

Those joint separations look to have been caused by water damage in the first place, which is why I was thinking water wouldn't be the worst thing I could do. There's no way they will go back to how they need to be, so since I'm going to have a funky shape, who cares if it's just a little bit more funky?

I looked around at home for some brass polish, but don't find anything specifically that says it's ok (I have silver polish galore) - I tried cleaning some of the rim and of course the beautiful patina is coming off - I can't even tell if it's really brass or just tin with a brass color coating. It's not magnetic though, so maybe aluminum? Did they have aluminum in the 1880s?

Well, at least I'm learning new things right?

I'm off soon for today's excursion to my local thrift stores - today is 50% off at one of them, the one I got that Eames tray at, so I always go back there thinking that they have the rest of that person's estate somewhere that they will trickle out... :D

If I find anything interesting, you know I'll be posting about it!

:hi:

[yy4me]

20. 99% sure it is brass. Sometimes they gold flashed the old brass

frames but most of that is worn off, leaving a patchy, dark,mottled surface. Any brass cleaner will do the job. It may have some residue of lacquer on it, in which case, I can give you another session. Brass, like silver was meant to shine.

The silver polish may work, or things like Noxon, Brasso, Wenol. Many metal polishes have a lot of the same ingredients.

[Vinca]

6. Whenever I go to a church bazaar or other big sale where stuff is cheap,

I immediately scoop up all the old, framed bits that have backs intact or make me think there's potential for something there. So far I've found a rare Currier & Ives print and a Wallace Nutting hidden behind a picture of a rose cut from a modern calendar. My only experience with serious grundge was a large David Davidson interior photo that was in a horrid frame that had mouse pee and droppings all over it. Bought it anyway, removed it from the frame and found another old one for it. I don't inspect salt and pepper shakers, but I'm always hopeful about old banks. Haven't found anything yet. I did find a gold pin with an amethyst in a bunch of old buttons once. I love the hunt!

Editing to add something I just remembered an older antique dealer telling me once. He said if you buy a Currier & Ives print in an old frame with the original backing, there's a good chance there will be other Currier & Ives prints behind it. He said they were sold in sets and people often kept them together when they were framed.

[Duer 157099]

8. That's a good tip about the Currier & Ives prints

It's fun to discover the hidden things people put behind their frames. Even just old newspapers are fun to find.

But I'm still looking for that original Constitution or Bill of Rights or something :D

[Vinca]

9. You never know. I think that's what hooks us.

Every Saturday when I go out to tag sales I never know if I'll come home with a great piece of Grueby pottery or something worth a dime. (Still looking for that Grueby. LOL.)

[yy4me]

21. I think we're looking for a lot of the same stuff. Greuby, SEG,

Marblehead, Newcomb College, Rookwood, Paul Revere, SEG, plus with a few minor art pottery names thrown in like Hampshire, Roseville, even some of the neat old McCoy stuff like the cookie jars.
Tomorrow is another "Hit the Sales" day. happy hunting.

[grasswire]

10. I'm reading a book about The Hunt.

It's written by those twins who are the experts on Antiques Roadshow -- Leslie and Leigh Reno. I got the book for a buck at the Eagles Twilight rummage sale, and I am living vicariously through it. These guys have been in on the most celebrated hunts for American Furniture treasures, and they are detailed in the book. The part I'm reading right now tells of an acquaintance stumbling on a small rented cottage wherein were absolute museum quality pieces. The owner of the cottage, when approached by the experts from Sotheby's, said she couldn't sell it because she needed to have that old cottage furnished for the old man who lived there! A million dollars worth of furniture at acquisition price.

I recommend the book for a fun, informative read. And the pictures of their acquisitions are gorgeous. It's called "Hidden Treasures."

[Duer 157099]

12. That does sound like a good read, thanks for the rec n/t

[Duer 157099]

11. Here's a new one for me:

Do you ever buy something at a thrift store, not knowing exactly what it is, and then when you find out, are afraid to list it on ebay?

This just happened to me today! It's this retro-looking insulated pitcher (coffee), avocado green, and on the bottom it said "Made in KSA" and I thought, hmmm, they don't even know how to spell USA!

Except, come to find out, KSA actually stands for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, LOL.

I don't want to keep this especially, and yet I'm afraid if I list it on ebay, I'll go onto some watch list -- and I don't mean somebody's ebay watch list.

[grasswire]

17. yes

I have a big glossy vintage publication of the Chrysler building. Schematic drawings, lots of detail. Nope, not going to list it.