Selecting, modifying, and evaluating of water-based methods for the removal of dammar varnish from oil paint

This paper presents the process of modifying four water-based cleaning systems for the removal of dammar varnish from a brown earth oil paint, including alkaline solutions with affinity surfactants, xanthan gum-stabilised emulsions, surfactant-containing microemulsions from the Nanorestore Cleaning series, and surfactant-free microemulsions. These systems significantly lower the amounts of organic solvents required for varnish removal and were modified to effectively remove dammar varnish, while producing minimal pigment pickup, from artificially aged mock-up samples created in approximation of traditional oil painting techniques. Within these modification processes, different delivery
methods were also evaluated, including chemical hydrogels from the Nanorestore Gel series and the microfiber cloth Evolon. The compatibility of both types of microemulsions with the chemical hydrogels and Evolon, offered an advantage over the other water-based methods. In addition, the surfactant-free microemulsions provided a clearance-free option within water-based methods for varnish removal.