QTR-Quadtone RIP

Renaissance wax has been used on silver gelatin prints and oil  
paintings by museum conservators for years.  It produces a very hard,  
durable finish that protects the print surface from finger prints,  
dust, dirt, grease, etc..  It is obviously not sufficient for  
protection against rough handling and physical abuse that would cause  
scratching or gouging of the surface.  Most people that print on  
canvas feel obligated (long tradition that carries over from painters)  
to slap on thick coats of water based acrylic or solvent based  
varnishes for physical protection.  The new water resistant glossy  
canvas coatings with a thin finish coat of Renaissance wax will  
withstand light handling well and is all that I need for home display  
of gallery wrapped canvas prints.

Carl

On Sep 12, 2008, at 2:32 PM, magickPal wrote:

> As an antique conservator (furniture, decorative arts) I would  
> caution you not to ascribe too much confidence in any wax giving  
> significant protection to anything. This includes "Renaissance Wax"  
> which is, in reality, not much different than any of other the  
> proprietary waxes that are on the market, even though it seems,  
> unexplainably to me, to have been chosen by the public to contain  
> qualities, that are unavailable in the others. Waxes throughout  
> history have been primarily used for aesthetic reasons, and in my  
> experience have a rather minimal use as a protectant. I wonder if  
> there is any real data on its effect on paper. I have never heard of  
> a paper conservator using it and doubt it has been. What the  
> materials that are defined as "canvas" I have no knowledge of. Any  
> graphics conservators out there?
>
> David Pal
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Carl Schofield
>  To: QuadtoneRIP@yahoogroups.com
>  Sent: Friday, September 12, 2008 10:37 AM
>  Subject: Re: [QuadtoneRIP] renaissance wax and bronzing?
>
>
>  I'm currently testing Renaissance wax on water resistant glossy
>  canvas. Seems to work very well giving a nice soft sheen and good for
>  protecting from dirt, grime, water, etc. It did eliminate slight
>  gloss differential on some of my canvas prints. I have no bronzing
>  problems.
>
>  Carl
>
>  On Sep 12, 2008, at 1:27 PM, djon43 wrote:
>
>> Has anybody got experience with Renaissance wax?
>>
>> It surely protective and dealers claim it'll "reduce" bronzing...what
>> does "reduce" mean? Is it highly worthwhile for that purpose?
>>
>> I'd rather apply wax and rub it (did that with Johnson's paste on
>> darkroom prints in the 70s) than spray because I don't want to deal
>> with dust and fumes (want to do it indoors).