Advice please!

[Comfyjumper]

I have been given a Victorian 'pastel' picture to frame, It seems to have the consistancy of a chalk drawing. Is there a way I can seal the picture before framing to stop the fine 'dust' coming off once sealed in a frame? From my days at school I seem to remember some sort of spray being used on the chalk drawings we did. Thanks all.

[iantheframer]

NO

There are certain things available that claim to do this and I have even heard of framers using hairspray

The all carry a risk and will at the very least alter the colours and texture of the piece

So it is not something to carry out on customers work

Pastels and chalk drawings are always a pain and much has been written about them on this forum I suggest a thread search will bring up loads of information to help you

[Nigel Nobody]

Comfy,
My advice is to do nothing to the pastel that you cannot reverse if it doesn't belong to you.
Mat the pastel with another piece of mat underneath, but set back from the opening so that it provides a place for the dust to fall into.

Framers should always remember, if you can't reverse it, don't do it!

[Bill Henry]

If it needs a fixative, let the artist do it! There are too many hazards that can jump up and bite you in the butt – dribbling and inconsistent spraying, color changes, and disturbing the surface of the art with the aerosol.

If you are concerned about shedding, and no one will fix it, either build a “sink” or “float” mat to elevate the display mount from the backing material so the dust won’t collect on the mat; or, if the shedding isn’t too pronounced, you might be able to get by with cutting a reverse bevel for the mount, so at least the bevel won’t get dusted.

[Not your average framer]

There's something very stricking about the surface appearance of soft pastel, chalk and charcoal drawing which is very appealing to look at. Unfortunately spraying that drawing with a fixative will greatly reduce some of the most appealing qualities which made that drawing so attractive.

I never have and never will encourage customers to even consider spraying such an item with a fixative. For a fixative to make much difference, you need sufficient coverage and volume of spray to adequately bind all the surface particules together. This can be a lot more than you might have in mind and when you start to realise what this has done or will do to the way light reacts with the surface of the media, you will realise why this is such a bad thing to do. Don't even think about it!

Just do the very best that you can with what you have been given to frame, educate the customer about the limitations of the media that they want framed and leave them feeling happy.

Really nice pastels are a chance to show that you can do the business. This kind of media without a fixative can look totally stunning behind museun glass and you should show your customer how it will look with a handy offcut during the design consultation. If they can afford museum glass, they definately will want it!

[Comfyjumper]

Thank you all, its a learning curve for me and I appreciate the advice!