How A 250-Year-Old French Plaster Frame Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished

[@Nota_Frogg]

Restoration videos are so interesting to watch. It shows how much dedication someone put into repairing and preserving old stuff

[@dannymartinez2165]

It truly resembles to me how the Lord delicately and patiently molds and restores our heart.

[@FirstNameLastName-wt5to]

Not really repairing and preserving. When an object needs more than cleaning, it now becomes a different artist’s work.

[@Suzzers]

Yeah, and how people spend so much attention to restore a piece of history that otherwise might have rusted away.

[@anthonygifford9494]

It always amazes me that when they start the project it looks like it cannot be fixed at all but towards the end it looks like it was never even broken. Great job, good work!

[@charcoalanderson8010]

I think you perfectly summed up why restoration/ refurbish videos are so satisfying. Powerwashing, rug cleaning, art restorations, and fixing designer handbags: they all look like there's no way they can fix it but then they do!

[@Pedro-tl7jg]

apparently, my love life is the only thing that can't be fixed

[@DMXIII]

As *Baumgartner Fine Art Restoration* fan , i can say that her Restoration is very good!

[@bboxkain]

indeed! not quite like the master itself but very good skills.

[@inuktittussen2164]

Yes

[@JR-nw4to]

🙄

[@Eric-sy1xu]

I shuddered a little when she said Polyurethane

[@nextlifeonearth]

Well, they removed some of the frame to restore it, which I think he would frown upon.

[@pastpianist]

Painting restorations like these are always just so satisfying

[@dona1305]

OMG ! Always astonished to read that kind of wrong information on the net, whether it be in the US or in Europe - This frame is not 250 years old, but hardly 150 (around 1880). With 250 years, it would be a Louis XV or XVI, Georgian, Adam … style frame, in full carved wood, and not a stucco-frame like this one. - You say at the beginning it is a « water gilded » frame and that one must use the same technic as originally. But eventually, you use the « oil size » gilding technic, indeed quicker and easier ... - Bone/nerves glue is better for solid wood than fish glue (for marquetry plating) - For aligning perfectly a frame, the best is to use a real band clamp. - This quick hard silicone can’t give a very precise mould of the ornaments ; one should better use a liquid soft silicone with a lower shore and higher precision. - A gilded wood artefact (frame or other) is never made of plaster. And plaster is forbidden in restoration ! It is and MUST be a compo made of chalk and rabbit skin glue. I know, it is longer and more difficult … The plaster corners will not last for more than a few years. - What is the grey plasticine you stuffed under the ornaments ? - No comment about this red « primer », instead of the several layers of bolus (red clay and rabbit skin glue) that reveals the true beauty of gold and allows burnishing of reliefs. - Gilding with oil size on a synthtic painting can only give a poor, mat, flat, bleak, artificial result. - Laying the leaf, including in the hollows, is apparently not your strongest point yet. - Last but not least, the « patina » with golden paint and shellac etc. is just a makeup in order to hide the defaults. Shellac is acceptable and mandatory on copper leaves or copper paint (against oxidation), but is certainly not recommended on gold. This is not what is called patina and reintegration. And by the way, the dirty and oxidised varnish you removed with ethanol gel at the beginning of the video was precisely shellac added during a previous « restoration » … Thanks. P.S. In case of doubt, I am a european professional gilder & gilding restorer, with additional academic background in both History and Art history.

[@1967250s]

Afraid I must agree with your points. I just cringed at some of the techniques used, especially when they pulled apart the frame. I am not a professional restorer, but the small amount I know about woodworking and plaster work make me look better. Do you have any links to better videos or supply stores so I can learn more? I am currently trying to restore an old frame from Hungary with lots of plaster(chalk and rabbit skin glue? ) that was in similiar shape to the one above. First I have to trim two corners, as they were not even at a 45° angle, and much of the figuring/molding needs replacing and repair. Any help is appreciated!

[@Heterandria4mosa]

Agree, it was hard to watch this passed off as a "master at work." It looked like frame shop level work if that.

[@rikuhell8076]

They re from center art studio in new york . Y can send this pro advice to them instend of art noobs in here

[@vflytrap7158]

As usual one can’t believe everything on the internet. Thank you for your expertise

[@manuandrade2484]

From someone who's not a professional (so unqualified to comment on technique), yet has an eye for detail and hours and hours watching Baumgartner and wood restauration videos. "For aligning perfectly a frame, the best is to use a real band clamp." Yup, I could easily see the gaps between the pieces after the glue dried 🙁 Also, I was impressed by how harshly they handled the piece, especially when dismantling. "This quick hard silicone can’t give a very precise mould of the ornaments; one should better use a liquid soft silicone with a lower shore and higher precision." It was pretty evident too that many of the details weren't cast, and the transition between mould and original material is rough and visible. "What is the grey plasticine you stuffed under the ornaments?" Saw that too. It was only positioned over part of the plaster, leaving a gap between the original frame and mould in other areas; I imagine how that could compromise stability. "No comment about this red « primer », instead of the several layers of bolus (red clay and rabbit skin glue) that reveals the true beauty of gold and allows burnishing of reliefs." The layer she applied was so thick that even more details got lost in the mould. "Laying the leaf, including in the hollows, is apparently not your strongest point yet." Nope. And if an amateur like me can notice these things, imagine a connoisseur or professional. The final result looks good from afar, but the flaws are clearly visible once the camera zooms a bit in, which is a shame; it's such a beautiful frame.

[@lois_a]

I am so thankful for those who put the energy and time to restore to the true original state. Not renovating and repurposing to reduce waste but restoring and preserving what can only come from the past. We can always create new but we cannot regain something of the past that was lost, that’s why intentional preservation is so important.

[@wildkynd7174]

I think I would really enjoy art restoration. I've been watching on and off for years. Different videos and channels. The fine detail and bringing something back to life is so amazing.

[@leejohnson3270]

Always watch the background to get a idea of the lighting 9:54 they used a lighter area in the after portion to portray a cleaner look (still fun to watch)

[@TheFiown]

I wouldn't have thought that it was worth it. I live in France and I often see frames like this, damaged in markets but would never give them a second chance. I tend to collect 18th century style carved and gilded frames in various sizes because I find them beautiful. I did hesitate recently to buy a huge carved and plaster frame in a market, it was about 50 euros and really gorgeous but eventually declined. It would have made a great mirror but again not my taste.

[@thombaz]

I was at a job interview where they make new and renovate old frames, a lot of people pay a lot of money for these. They are mostly not my style but I can imagine a fram like that fits nicely in som places.

[@goromajima7677]

I can imagine if someone is willing to get this restored to this level, then it would hold some personal significance

[@OngoGablogian185]

I absolutely love these styles of frame and am always on the lookout for one. They're so expensive in the UK, though. I think great artworks deserve to be decorated in something beautiful like this.

[@jchendrix]

It's beautiful to see old things being restored.

[@ericswain4177]

Nice job. I did a frame restoration like this with more extensive damage all over. It had all corner ornaments missing so after researching many similar frames I opted to use molds of ornament components from the frame subject to design the new corner elements in keeping with the design of the frame and it turned out great.

[@chandarussell]

Excellent job. My mother was an art conservator for over 40 years. She would have given you a bravo for this job well down.

[@janeday9148]

Why wouldn't you use composition which would have been the original material ?

[@IIIRobIII]

Getting the molded plaster pieces to perfectly fit in the corners must be extremely precise and i surely wouldnt have the patience to do it Good work

[@Todd_Kobell]

It’s called Mighty Putty and no one was more talented with its application than a guy named Billy Mays… he would’ve banged this job out in under 90 seconds

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

I wasn't even going to watch the whole video...then i did, absolutely fascinating! Was wondering: From start to finish how long did this restoration take? And how much did it cost to restore it?

[@titan1235813]

Merchant Ivory, it took eight years to restore it, to a cost of eleven million dollars 💸

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

@@titan1235813 you have a source?

[@titan1235813]

@@MerchantIvoryfilms Yes, my source is a figment of my imagination🤷‍♂😬

[@melindaostergren8115]

😂😂😂

[@Neil-Aspinall]

Well done, one can only image how much would have cost??? In Bavaria Germany you can find very good condition baroque frames as good as this in design or much much better for well under 100 Euros at markets. I would not have spent the restoration money on this unless the client was crazy rich?

[@TheSlowness1]

Marktwert (gerade bei Massenproduktionen) ist noch mal was ganz anderes, als historischer und ideeller Wert.

[@Sarah-ic4yu]

Given that the US is quite young, antiques like this are hard to find in the US. Usually antique dealers will travel to Europe to acquire pieces like this and ship them back, or you could order them directly from a European dealer online. Getting frames like this safely from Europe to the US usually requires ridiculous shipping costs due to the fragility and size of the package, not to mention the distance traveled. It’s really unfortunate for those of us Americans who want frames like this but are subject to the outrageous upcharges and shipping fees. I’m an artist and my work fits best in antique frame styles, but it’s cost prohibitive to acquire antique frames and there just isn’t any good manufacturer for new frames made in antique styles.

[@Neil-Aspinall]

@@Sarah-ic4yu Yes I didn't think of that. As I lived in Munich for a few years I went to a lot markets and historical annual markets and I now have many mainly Baroque frames in my inventory that I have used for Pop art and photography. I knew at the time that I had a unique opportunity.

[@felrosss]

While the frame itself is not probably worth a huge amount it’s probably being restored as it frames an expensive paintings because you ideally you want to keep the original frame for a painting

[@ronvalley1973]

@@Sarah-ic4yu hi sarah, i have this one painting my mother painted 40 years ago. i dislike the frame. it looks close to something like this frame in this video but is just a reproduction and not very costy at all. i personally like modern chrome frames like the ones used around photos, i would like to sell or even give the frame away to an artist who would appreciate using it as i cannot stand how detailed and ugly it is. the frame in this window, eh, i could care less. ha, i love restoring antique furniture which i have done professionally as a business for the last 43 years. i love art and photos as it is all art. this frame may in some of my videos on my youtube channel.....ron valley. let me know if you want the frame, thanks..!

[@worldwide_cruising]

Wishing everyone the best sleep of their life after having seen this relaxing video!* 🥰🥰🥰

[@straycat1674]

Honestly, it doesn’t look like the same piece! Amazing.

[@nancybarnett7984]

Your work is amazing. It makes me think our 100 year mirror could be fixed. I live in Seattle area. Is there a restorer near me? Is it possible for you to do a restoration if we are missing a bird head that used to be at the top of the mirror? Wood, plaster and gold leaf.

[@ronvalley1973]

i have many times made a missing piece for an antique from wood or plaster. I've had folks in arizona, 30 years ago, mail me a small piece they wanted copied on a lathe and hand chiseled and shaped. i mailed it back and they paid first although before shipping, before the internet photos were here, yeah, and they wrote back their upholsterer said i was a genius, ok, and i have copied items in plaster too. but, no free lunch this time, too far to go to arizona, from illinois.

[@christopherborsellino2268]

Thank you for sharing. You all truly love what you are doing. The frame looks fantastic!

[@Figueiredoartconservation]

Beautiful work, I just love the final result, but all the steps you speak about, in this video, are just amazing, Thank you

[@WonderfullyMade_Lex]

Wow - Beautiful labor of love. I love that you let it keep some of the aging.

[@bibbobbeep]

Leaving some of the dirt behind to not remove the built up "petina" isn't what I believe should be done in restorations. Art pieces and old furniture or jewlery is restored so that you can see it the way the artist/creator intended. They did not know that the frame or artwork would have missing pieces, yellowed varnish, or any other damage, when they crafted it. The artist/maker wanted it to be seen how it was made.

[@rsmith6366]

Sometimes getting 'all' of the dirt off of things like frames isn't possible dye to the detailing. Or it may do more harm than good.

[@softbatch1]

Beautiful work! What a talented team! This is not easy and it takes time. Well done!

[@scorpleeon]

No one tells you about these jobs in high school! Amazing!

[@ltcajh]

Thanks for the video. I've worked with scalpels quite a bit, and I've been sliced accidentally too. Blades can pop off under pressure too. I'd go with a sharp chisel, or a wood scraper on that back.

[@edusszfx]

wow! Great Job! Makes me want to see the restoration of the actual painting as well!

[@derekstocker6661]

Fabulous work Folks. So very well done on this lovely frame and I am sure the owner will be delighted with it. Thanks for this and keep up the great work.

[@semblanteelmerg.5956]

2:00 The background music is so good. Does anyone know the title of the piece?

[@judyvispi]

A frame is as important as the piece of art. The frame compliments the work of art. Love the frame! God Bless!😇🙏

[@judyvispi]

I understand one may not notice the frame or who it was crafted by, and no it does not replace the work of art, but my opinion , I admire a beautifully crafted frame, to enhance that piece of art. So maybe we notice some of the frames,holding those precious works of Art. After all, it may have been those famous artist that had chosen the frame, to hold there work. We need to respect all aspects of the piece. God Bless!😇🙏

[@sparkplug964]

Amazing to think you can bring a frame like that back to life, great work.

[@vickylau3631]

Congrats to all the people who give life to something that is Unique and extraordinary👍👌👏👏👏👏👏👏 that's a work of art!

[@karengerber8390]

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Do you keep & reuse the silicone cast for plaster? 22:49, Saturday, 26 March, 2022

[@lschiz-photography1765]

Thank you this is encouraging. I have a frame for my fist time cleaning. It’s water guided I am told. You mentioned using a cleaning solution, would you please recommend what product or mixture of products for cleaning water guilder? Thank you Scott

[@AlessandroVMzz]

The silicone they used to replicate the fractured corners is also for dental use. Good job!!!!

[@michaelflint4159]

Do you use a remove agent before pressing the silicon mould onto the frame?

[@elngilbert377]

How do you fill the small remaining cracks between the moulds you've made and original plaster? Just mix some more plaster and fill in and shape with tools when dry? What type of primer is the Venetian red- an acrylic or oil base?

[@LoireValleyChateaux]

Sprinkle a fine layer of talcum powder over the frame filagree before forming your silicone mold. This will help prevent pieces of the filigree from sticking to the silicone mold as you see happening here. 🙏❤️

[@ΚάποιοςΑγνωστος-χ1ξ]

As an artist i feel that you need the advice of a sculptor to show you how to cast properly for the missing pieces and also fill in the details on the sides of the plaster add-ons that you left out. If you have ever seen how prosthetics for visual effects in movies are done, that's how you would add the missing pieces and make them fit exactly to your object, by making a mold of the frame without the plaster first. Or imagine how a dental cast would be used to make new teeth that fit on top of your existing teeth. I hope this helps 🙂

[@tommyboybr]

This is fantastic work!!!!!! Love watching restoration videos.

[@jewels64628]

This was EXCELLENT ! Some people can achieve miracles. It’s stunning ! Thank you !

[@XZOTIKPOIZON]

I love this so much!! Amazing restoration!

[@gregoryodle940]

I believe the gold leaf brush, or gilders tip brush is badger or squirrel hair and not horse hair.

[@michaelflint4159]

You are correct. There are several anomalies in this video that lead me to question the credentials of this person as a restorer

[@JR-nw4to]

@@michaelflint4159 🙄

[@lynnrose7562]

Wow! That turned out beautiful.

[@carolynni3949]

I have two frames from the 1800s I would like to restore myself. What is the best silicone/clay for making the mold? What is the best gel cleaner?

[@nope2075]

That’s incredible. It’s like it was never damaged.

[@marielucier7982]

Thank you for sharing this process. I would love to do this.

[@Neil-Aspinall]

Does anyone know if there is a good doco on Master baroque frame makers of old and their history, there appears to be very little history on the subject?

[@mimihops]

They used Polyurethane?! Oh no not again *Baumgartner flashbacks incoming*

[@M0odyBlue]

Absolute fascinating!! Looks very rewarding!

[@babayagaartworks7357]

I think some of the processes involved could be little bit refined, like the application and removal of plaster, hammering out the plaster can cause damage to the frame, also a grinder will do it much efficiently and precisely, and the primer looks way too thick, maybe taping off the sides and using a paint gun can solve it, but again these are some of my thoughts. You guys did great.

[@rexroganblat2690]

Thank you. Enjoyed the video and the charming vocal fry.

[@benhassan11]

Absolutely beautiful and awe inspiring!

[@cjpeters914]

Amaaazing! Beautiful work!

[@terrencerooney6926]

You should seal the gesso with shellac. That is the traditional way to get good adhesion.

[@raekc4839]

So interesting. Thanks for posting. What silicon product are you using?

[@rizzijulia7304]

Hmmm. In Germany they do it likewise up until the gilding, aber that they don't paint over the gold, they brush it with soft metal brushes so the paint underneath shows. Their patina looks better, I think.

[@JoseJuarez-nd1tr]

On antique or vintage frames does the gilded gold leaf get painted on the outer edge of the frame

[@zenkakuji3776]

Amazing. Superb restoration efforts.

[@boddouce]

Wow, no gloves to mix epoxy and no mask to paint on shellac? That’s a little shocking with what we know these days.

[@philrabe910]

You'd scream at my 'similar' experience... Large picture frames for a stage show, very ornate, very beat up the last time I was forced to 'spruce them up for a show' in the theatre, the day of the show. The 12' x 14' frames were upstage and there was an orchestra pit, so I had the distance to pull off some visual blending. All I had to repair the corner gaps was red, yellow, white, and black stage gaffing tape! Black 'under coat' with thin strips of red and yellow on top, then little tears of white tape for the missing 'highlights'. From 40' away in stage lighting, it was darn near OK. I might have used some colored sharpie too.

[@mariaelenasainzgonzalez124]

Which solvents did you use to clean up the frame. I´m a mexican art conservator and like to know different theories. Thank you

[@hafizudinrozman2018]

Hye , i wanna ask about frame, is it safe for frame if i spray the color of gold for frame compare using gold leaf? Hope u can give me the answer, i am the new for conservation painting and frame, but my museum does not have the proper conservator teach us,

[@alexandrsherbakov9878]

Прекрасная работа! Браво и респект мастерам.

[@kpopgirl1992]

I need a collab between her and Baumgartner 🥰🥰🥰

[@jeromefeig4209]

As a gilder with over 35 years of experience and trained by many credentialed individuals, I can only say "Oh My". This is not the way to do things. While the basic concepts are standard, their execution is far from being in the best interest of the frame. I heard one thing that caused my ears to raise up. That was the use of fish glue rather that alternatives such as rabbit skin glue. Using bronze or mica powder paint(gold color) as touch up was also a tell tale sign.

[@erinwatkinson6473]

I am in the early stages of learning and have a question. Why plaster and not compo? Thanks!

[@jennyneon]

This is incredible.

[@Plumbump]

For all the work put into restoring it, seeing her pry at the corners with a flathead screwdriver almost gave me a heart attack!

[@JohnHausser]

Experts like that in Toronto or Montreal 🇨🇦 ? I received framed paintings from the 1800s.

[@KpxUrz5745]

I would be curious to know what the client paid for this work. I have done this exact sort of work on frames, including casting molds of various details, but never received any payment. The labor is so involved that I can imagine very few clients can afford such restoration. Incidentally, here's a little story. I heard about a lady who paid good money (maybe $1300?) for a damaged but original gesso very old frame at a major antiques venue. In such damaged condition, the frame's real beauty was in its extremely old wood, all the age textures, and lovely patinas. In other words, use it "as is" and accept its original and antique beauty. So what did the buyer do? She decided to remove some of the hundreds of years of "dirt" by soaking it in the bathtub overnight!!! Well, by morning ALL the original gesso had soaked off, all of the beauty was gone, and the only thing left was 4 sticks of old wood that would look like nothing if reassembled! It was a total loss. So much for ignorance!!!

[@someoneelse2472]

I didnt think bout keeping part of the patina to retain old age look on it but makes totally sense :)

[@eighthgate1420]

I think a Dremel instead of pounding on that frame would be a better idea.

[@reggieramos9052]

Scary scalpel! 😱 Instead of standing, why not sit so you’re closer and have more control? Or use a magnifying glass to really see the tiny details?

[@mooman2495]

Me and my mate worked fitting building in France and I regret to say we threw and away onto a bonfire numerous paintings like this some far older , it was many years ago , but really shocking loooking back I have a genuine fear that we accidentally burnt almost hundreds of these , it was a wealthy old lady’s house some of the paintings were stunning there were hunting dogs which I liked and many others with crowds of figures sometimes very small painting I was told they were rubbish and so I just listened , I still remember stomping down the frames and the canvas to cram more in , I don’t know how old they were , but they looked seriously aged quite a few were murky and dark looking , literally bee destroyed thousands of hours of work in an afternoon. I was just doing what I was told , but looking back some of those painting were beautiful one in particular was a woman with soothing a dying horse , but it’s eyes looked calm and her eyes were caring

[@1967250s]

That is so sad.

[@princesslisamarie7860]

That hurts my heart

[@alfrtz7603]

Amazing work!!!👏👏👏

[@walli6388]

Thing is, I repaired two of these at home. Just used a Flex© for the nailes and the polyurethane.

[@walli6388]

@UCMhyp5Cps4XGhPsO4KGTy4w I know, I was just making a joke.

[@stevenroche9874]

Amazing results 😯!

[@jjforcebreaker]

Thank God for art and artisans.

[@huskytail]

Kremer pigments spotted of course. Simply the best 👍

[@PPYTAO]

The audio on this is excruciating, great story otherwise.

[@ehlir]

Vocal fry...

[@bigMmarshall]

This is so interesting, I love watching the whole process

[@LogicException]

Didn't anyone in production notice how hard the lady overdrives and re-level accordingly? That makes your ears hurt.

[@VN88ph]

I hope there's available training here in the Philippines of what they're doing.. 🇵🇭

[@Dskyx]

lots of work but Superb!! 👍👍

[@Yusuf-ke5iu]

It makes me shiver to hear about trial and error process and the fact she accidentally damaged the frae ever so slightly in the beginning while taking off the resin. Still, good work.

[@asdjtv]

When the script writer puts a load of "question Mark" at every after the sentence

[@lkmayhew9390]

Beautiful restoration 👌

[@h.huffen-puff4105]

My question is this: What happened to get the frame so encrusted with dirt? Was it in a cellar for years? A barn? Buried? What?

[@lyntaylor4148]

Are you using gold leaf or gold toned metallic leaf?

[@OddJobFix]

Fantastic video. Glad there were captions enabled because the juvenile up talking was annoying.

[@twinturbo9113]

Wow. This is incredible. Good job

[@jude999]

What is the silicone mold???

[@treatb09]

Ive always thought of frames to be tacky. But after the monet exhibit in denver. They had some frames were just as beautiful as his painting and only wondered just how valuable they were. Clearly irreplaceably so

[@Shepardofman]

I really thought this was going to be a pun about gold leafing.

[@treatb09]

@@Shepardofman oh. Cause tacky means sticky n gold leaf is stuck on?

[@Wrendys]

I’m deeply disturbed by the number of animal products used in this restoration. It’s so unnecessary that it affected my enjoyment of the video.

[@jacobingram-dodd4108]

No matter how expensive the job. An old screwdriver is still the vital tool…

[@Choccoco]

I really wish there was an asmr version

[@RuthTappinGilder]

A bit disappointed. Red paint! Not bole? Oil gilding a water gilded frame, net even water gilded highlights. Then gold paint on the sides. Was there a budget issue?

[@gretateague6115]

How do you tell a frame is gilded?

[@tarlimadrid8646]

250 old? Are you serious? This is a XIX century frame

[@hongyimo]

Ah!!!!! I am 40 years old, is it too late to get into art restoration?

[@ronvalley1973]

not at all. go for it. specialize though.