Museum wax on fine art prints?

[Colorwave]

I just got the new newsletter from Shades of Paper and saw that they were touting the idea of using museum wax (Renaissance micro-crystalline) on prints in lieu of another coating.  I've used this product on furniture and venetian plaster wall finishes, but find the thought of doing the same on a digital print rather shocking.  

I've never considered it, nor heard of others using it on prints, but thought I'd ask about it to see if I've been asleep at the wheel and missed the wax revolution.  

Have you tried it?  Can you describe your specific methodology?  While it is an archival material on top of another archival material, has anybody ever tested the combination for long term implications?

Thanks,
Ron H.

http://www.shadesofpaper.com/product_info....products_id=272

[peteh]

I just got the new newsletter from Shades of Paper and saw that they were touting the idea of using museum wax (Renaissance micro-crystalline) on prints in lieu of another coating.  I've used this product on furniture and venetian plaster wall finishes, but find the thought of doing the same on a digital print rather shocking. 

I've never considered it, nor heard of others using it on prints, but thought I'd ask about it to see if I've been asleep at the wheel and missed the wax revolution. 

Have you tried it?  Can you describe your specific methodology?  While it is an archival material on top of another archival material, has anybody ever tested the combination for long term implications?

Thanks,
Ron H.

http://www.shadesofpaper.com/product_info....products_id=272
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=200116\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Got the same newsletter this morning, thought is was strange to do that.Have used the same wax for woodworking and it seems to have a VERY small amount of grit in it.I would wait for at least 3 days for the ink to dry before trying it. And I would do it on a small test print first. It drys fast.

[William Morse]

I've never used it, but I know others have used it with success. You might try a search at the Epson Wide Format yahoo list.

Bill

I just got the new newsletter from Shades of Paper and saw that they were touting the idea of using museum wax (Renaissance micro-crystalline) on prints in lieu of another coating.  I've used this product on furniture and venetian plaster wall finishes, but find the thought of doing the same on a digital print rather shocking. 

I've never considered it, nor heard of others using it on prints, but thought I'd ask about it to see if I've been asleep at the wheel and missed the wax revolution. 

Have you tried it?  Can you describe your specific methodology?  While it is an archival material on top of another archival material, has anybody ever tested the combination for long term implications?

Thanks,
Ron H.

http://www.shadesofpaper.com/product_info....products_id=272
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=200116\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[peteh]

I've never used it, but I know others have used it with success. You might try a search at the Epson Wide Format yahoo list.

Bill
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=200132\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

White Scotch-Brite pads are the finest one's to buy.NOT green or Maroon  or gray.WHITE!, and harder to find!

[Thomas Krüger]

Hmm, it would be interesting to get some statements of these museums using the wax on fresh restaurated paintings.

Here is more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax

[EricWHiss]

I have used the Renaissance wax on glossy and luster type RC papers with the epson ultrachrome inks.  It does look okay but be aware that it can smear the inks.  If you rub this on lightly and burnish with a cotton rag, the rag will have some of the inks on it.   The wax does offer a slightly darker black and deeper colors and  to some extent mitigates the bronzing.  You need to make sure to not let this sit on the paper for too long before buffing off.

[Scho]

I have used Renaissance wax on Innova Hi Gloss canvas and Premier Art Gloss canvas with out issues and no ink lifting.  Recently I tried some BC Crystalline Gloss canvas and found that the printed surface is not compatible with Renaissance wax.  Wax completely removes the ink.

[pflower]

I've tried this out of interest on Ilford Gold Fibre Silk and Harmon Gloss Baryta.  Even with prints that have been sitting around for several days or weeks there is still some ink lifted when buffing the wax off - very little but still a bit disconcerting.  Possibly there is a tiny bit of intensification of dmax and contrast - very difficult to judge by eye alone . 

But however hard I tried I found that on these gloss papers there is usually a slight smearing on the surface when viewed at an angle.  This is probably my poor technique.  Nothing that shows when seen face on but if you hold the paper up to a strong light at about 45 degrees I could see what I can only describe as a very slight "smear" of the wax - i.e you can see the wax on the surface (again this may be my technique). You  have to look carefully for it in strong light and it doesn't actually interfere with the image.  Undoubtedly the wax provides a good barrier and protection against abrasions to the surface of the paper.  But since most of what I do is intended for matting and framing under glass, I decided not to continue with it.  If, however, I was regularly showing original prints on gloss paper to people who were handling them then I might well revisit and explore more fully.

A pot on Amazon is cheap and worthwhile an experiment if you are concerned with protecting the surface of your original prints.  Personally I can't see it worthwhile if you are looking for enhancement of the image itself.  but others might disagree

[artobest]

I tried it after reading about it here. I used it on Hahnemuhle PR Baryta. I applied the wax with a very soft cloth. My printer is an HP, so there is an overgloss layer, but even so, a tiny bit of colour came off, perhaps less if the print was left longer before applying.

I loved it. It gives a great depth to the print, as though it is encapsulated in the wax. Application and buffing is fairly slow, and if you get it wrong there is a danger of waxy 'blooming' on the surface. It smells too, but I kind of like that.

[gigdagefg]

I tried using Museum Wax that I purchased on Amazon on Canson Platine. The print depicts a night scene where black is the predominant color; I was interested in increasing the Dmax in the dark areas.
As you might expect, the wax added luster to the surface and maybe some deepening of the black, but my overall evaluation is the effort is hardly worthwhile.
Lots of buffing necessary and a minute amount of color was lifted from the print which I created a week earlier
Stanley

[KevinVitali]

Back in the darkroom days my fine art prints b&w were always waxed.  I would use it on firbre paper.  The wax actually enhanced the details in the blacks and created a dimensional look.  I have not used it on a digital print, but I have wondered if waxing would help bring out darker detail.

[John Nollendorfs]

Waxing  would probably be a good alternate form of sealing the microporous inkjet receiver layer to protect ink from atmospheric contaminants.

[stockjock]

Because of the resurgence of this thread I bought a can of the Renaissance Museum wax and tested it on a couple of different papers.  It may or may not be good for "sealing" the inks but in general I didn't find it worth the trouble.  It was very bad on matte papers diminishing the overall saturation and sharpness of the image.  On a luster surface its main benefit was decreasing gloss differential.  I found the wax hard to apply without creasing the paper and because it drys so quickly it is difficult to get an even surface.  Multiple coats were required.  I'm sure my technique would improve with experience but I simply didn't see the benefit to continue trying.  Also, it smells quite strongly for several hours.

[Volatile_Proximity]

I have used it with mixed results. It does increase the Dmax a bit, and yes some ink will come off when you are removing excess wax...but it's such a small amount as to be irrelevant, IMO.

Where I have run into problems are with prints that have large areas of white. In those areas, where there isn't a lot of ink laid down, it becomes more difficult to apply and remove. As soon as I hit those areas, i can feel the cloth catching...both when applying and removing. Get that wax on a low-ink area, and you're going to scratch that paper big time...at least with baryta papers. I have ruined prints because of this and have stopped using it.

It's been used for years on traditional darkroom prints.

[donbga]

I have used it with mixed results. It does increase the Dmax a bit, and yes some ink will come off when you are removing excess wax...but it's such a small amount as to be irrelevant, IMO.

Where I have run into problems are with prints that have large areas of white. In those areas, where there isn't a lot of ink laid down, it becomes more difficult to apply and remove. As soon as I hit those areas, i can feel the cloth catching...both when applying and removing. Get that wax on a low-ink area, and you're going to scratch that paper big time...at least with baryta papers. I have ruined prints because of this and have stopped using it.

It's been used for years on traditional darkroom prints.

I've used the Renaissance Museum wax applied to palladium and other alternative process prints in the past as well but have yet to try it on ink jet prints. After applying the wax I recommend using a soft bristle brush like those used to polish shoes, one that is entirely dedicated to this use.

Using the brush does require some elbow grease and results in a print that has increased depth of appearance in darker tones. YMMV.

For ink jet prints I would apply a fixative such as Premier Art Print Shield or other similar products prior to using the wax. It maybe effective for reducing the gloss differential but could be very labor intensive. Probably only worth the effort for prints you have sold or intend to frame.