Somehow I morphed from putting thousands of pictures I snapped on a wall to putting up only those others have snapped.
One of my 3 photo walls currently
@Mathias You fixed up all the frames?
@BillieBun Cleaned (inside and out) and minor touch ups.
I try not to mess with the front too much. People prefer them when they look old/original.
But I am learning how to re-cast and replace missing bits.
@Mathias What do you use to clean them with?
@BillieBun Damp scrubby sponge for the back removes decades of grime and often smoke residue. and odors.
Damp sponge & sometimes q-Tips on the front to just clean the surface dirt without letting water soak into the compo decoration.
@BillieBun Mine are mostly cheap. I have messed up small spots on 2 or 3 trying different things. Now it's mostly water.
It's a money losing hobby. You never earn much for the time you put in.
But, I like to imagine that I am keeping them alive for another decade or two.
@Mathias Most hobbies are money losing I should think 😉. So you use just water to clean grime off? Like water and a soft toothbrush? Do you restain or paint them? When I was playing around with that I was living in a late 1800s Victorian house where old pictures seemed to fit. I don't have that place anymore but it might be fun to do again, if I can remember how.
@BillieBun Just water to clean
Scrub the unfinished backs well
Barely damp tools on the front (sponge, toothbrush Q-tips)
Trying not to let water get into the cracks
Occasionally
Colored touch-up markers (or black paint) on small edge dings and chips
On frames with no compo decoration, Restor-A-Finish & Feed-N-Wax
Seldom re-paint because that would be more money spent
@Mathias Years back I used to go to antique stores and buy old frames with the idea of restoring them (just for something to do). It was fun, but I wasn't too successful at it. Not sure if I used the wrong stuff to clean, or that I got frames that were in really bad shape.