Caring for Antique Ceramics and Glass

For antique ceramics or glass, accidental breakage is probably the biggest risk factor when it comes to handling and cleaning. To be able to avoid this, you need to be careful.

Your hands should be dry and clean before handling the glass or ceramics. Don't wear cotton gloves while handling ceramics or glass, as cotton gloves have less traction and the antique glass or ceramics could slip from your hands. Also, grip or pick it up where it is safest and always support it at the base.

If antique ceramics or glass is displayed in a cabinet, then make sure that the cabinet is stable or else your valuable antique piece could fall off from.

Never immerse low fired earthenware such as delftware, faience or maiolica in water as they may have an unglazed foot rims or old cracks or chips which expose the porous surface beneath the glaze. It is much safer to wipe them with cotton wool moistened with some mild soapy water.

You may be able to shift tide marks from glass such as wine stains in a decanter with a solution of denture cleaner and warm water or with acetic acid or vinegar. Just leave your chosen mixture in the glass for 24hrs then rinse, drain and dry thoroughly.


Methylated spirits or pure alcohol can be tried for stains caused by alcohol based perfumes, but change the alcohol every hour or so until the stain has gone.

Ammonia or ordinary household bleach which contains chlorine will remove stains on most glass, as long as there is no gilding or other fragile decoration. NOTE: This is not suitable for ceramics as it may aggravate the stain or cause permanent discolouration.

For more stubborn stains wipe with a cloth moistened in warm water with a few drops of methylated spirits and some household detergent, then rinse with clean water using a well rung out chamois leather. Protect the frame with a piece of thin card.

Where grime has built up on stained or leaded windows brush it off gently with a soft bristled brush and as long as the surface is stable, clean with cotton wool moistened with the same methylated spirit and detergent solution used for mirrors.


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Caring for Antique Furniture | Tips on the Care and Repair of Antique Furniture.

A surface patina, even if it is marked and damaged, contributes to the character, authenticity and value of a piece of antique furniture and you should aim to preserve it.


If restoration is necessary, the original finish should be matched as closely as possible. French polishing or the tough synthetic varnishes of the 20th century should never be used to replace wax or shellac.

Oil or beeswax polishes are the most common finishes on 16th and 17th century furniture and on oak and country furniture up until the 19th century. These are more resistant to minor bruises and spills than varnish or lacquer.

Resin and shellac varnishes were used on fine furniture from the end of the 17th century and like lacquered and japanned finishes are spirit-based. They can be marked by solvents such as alcohol, as well as by heat, damp and abrasives.


French polishing, introduced in the early 1820s, involves a method of applying shellac that achieves a high-gloss finish with less effort; but it is less durable and prone to chip. Newly applied French polish is particularly vulnerable as it can take up to six months to harden completely.

Graining and ebonising, are where a surface is stained to resemble an exotic wood and you can wear this effect away with too much rubbing.

Veneered furniture is particularly vulnerable to dry or damp conditions, or if water or polish seeps beneath the surface skin and causes the veneer to buckle, lift or split.

Inlaid finishes such as marquetry and boulle are even more sensitive as the materials used can react to heat and humidity at different rates, resulting in uneven stress over the whole surface.

Waxing antique furniture

All sealed wooden surfaces can be waxed to bring out the colour and grain of the wood and to provide protection against staining, but over waxing will actually cause dullness.

Furniture that has been waxed and polished for years should only need buffing with a chamois leather or duster, and then waxing once every few months.

Solvents used in furniture polishes, especially the spray polishes, can leave a whitish bloom on some surfaces or gradually dissolve lacquered finishes. They should not be used on any lacquered surface and only sparingly on wax.

A microcrystalline wax is the best medium for giving a light, protective and burnishable coating to most surfaces, including ebonised wood, lacquer and French polish.

Apply the wax over an area about 1ft (30cm) square at a time, burnishing with a soft clean cloth as it dries. Use a soft-bristled brush for carved surfaces, making sure you leave no surplus polish in the crevices.

Brass mounts, such as handles and other fittings don't have to be ultra-bright on antique furniture; light burnishing as you dust is adequate, or buff with a long-term silver cloth. Metal cleaners should not be used as they can harm the wood around the mounts.


The gold finish on ormolu is very delicate and should never be polished, even with a dry cloth, and especially not with cleaning fluid.

Fingerprints, which are acidic, can damage the gilding.

In time the brass or bronze base corrodes, giving the finish a spotty, then black appearance. The mounts can be lacquered but even this will fail in time.

Other than dusting ormolu gently and regularly with a soft brush there is little else to do; never have it regilded if you want to retain the value.

Water-based gilding remains water soluble and should only ever be dusted, whereas oil gilding may be cleaned by gently dabbing with slightly damped cotton wool.

Water gilding is applied over layers of gesso and is a yellow or dark red. It may be burnished to a high shine, although some pieces may have areas that are meant to be left matt.

Oil gilding is sometimes applied directly onto wood and has a matt finish.

Chips in a gilded surface can be filled with fine surface filler and disguised with yellow ochre, watercolour paint. Avoid using gold metallic paint for areas of any size, as it clashes with the true gilding.

A professional guilders aim will be to match the original techniques and materials, and to retain as much of the original surface and patina as possible.

Upholstered antique furniture must be vacuumed regularly to guard against a build up of dust and pests, if necessary use a fine mesh net stocking over the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner to prevent any loose pieces being irretrievably sucked off.


However, on some seat furniture, upholstery can be re-webbed or re-stuffed, or the fabric replaced with a sympathetic alternative, without detracting from the value of the piece.

If re-upholstering drop in seats always make sure you return the seats to the original chairs and make sure the new covering isn't so tight that it strains the leg joints.


Adult furniture beetles and pinhole beetles lay eggs in crevices in wood. The eggs hatch into larvae (woodworm) which eat into the wood and leave tunnels some 1mm in diameter. They eventually emerge as beetles and fly away between May and August.


Treatment
Check and treat any new purchase before taking it into your home, and check any wooden objects twice a year for infestation – especially bare and softwood surfaces such as the inside of drawers or backboards.

Upholstered or particularly delicate furniture should be professionally fumigated, but on other items, a good quality, clear, low-odour woodworm fluid can be applied by yourself at home.

Remove any detachable upholstered parts and only treat the unfinished surfaces of the wood. The solvent in the fluid will damage waxed, polished, varnished, lacquered or painted surfaces.

Carefully inject the insecticide, using a hypodermic syringe and needle to reach deep into the holes. If unsure or not confident this should be left to an expert or consevation specialist.

After treating, fill the holes with a soft inert wax and blend in with the surrounding wood.

Unlike many other antiques, which can be devalued by restoration, a piece of furniture that has been sympathetically and honestly restored into usable condition, using traditional methods and materials, can be worth more than a damaged item.

Make sure, if you do make minor repairs yourself, to only ever use water-soluble glue Almost all furniture made before the mid-20th century depends on well-jointed solid timber for strength, so weakness in joints, pivots, moving parts, or on load-bearing surfaces, or signs of rot or woodworm, must be fixed before the piece is used again.

Use a professional furniture restorer to reinforce or replace rotten or wormed timber with sound wood, saturate it with resin or fill it with a mixture of animal glue and sawdust. Cure sticking doors or drawers by easing with a touch of candle wax. If they are misshapen, they need to be trimmed by an expert. Chipped or lifted veneer should be professionally repaired as soon as possible, but exposed edges can be temporarily protected with masking tape and detached pieces kept in a plastic bag. If stripping is necessary and will not remove a valuable patina, it should be done by a professional furniture restorerer. Acid stripping swells and rots wood fibres. Dry, cracked leather on desk tops can be revitalised with a lanolin and beeswax preparation such as Connolly’s Hide Food. Make sure you spot test the dressing on an inconspicuous area; if it leaves no stain, then apply it sparingly with a soft cloth. Then allow the dressing to absorb (for around 24 hours) before gently buffing with a clean duster.

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How To Care For, Preserve And Restore Antique Brass

For many people who own older turn-of-the-century type homes, it is often discovered that brass has been used extensively throughout the house, in light fittings and switches, staircase banisters and railings, and even in the curtain rods hanging in every room. Whilst many people prefer the appearance of polished brass, the antique metal actually becomes more valuable once it has developed a patina with age. If you have found antique brass somewhere in your home, this guide will help you to care for it, preserve it and restore it.

How to care for antique brass
Failing to clean antique brass properly can actually destroy it, so it is highly important to complete this process carefully if you want to retain the natural beauty of the metal. Whilst there are many products on the market that proclaim to keep antique brass in optimum condition, many of them don't actually work all that well.

The best way to care for brass is clean it without harsh chemicals. Take some warm, soapy water and a microfiber cloth, using them to remove any dust or grime that may have formed on the surface of your antique brass. Avoid using regular washcloths, brushes or even paper towels, as these are much too abrasive for the metal.

How to preserve antique brass
To lock in the patina that people so love about their antique brass items, you can apply an olive or linseed oil to the surface using a microfiber cloth. Avoid using the brass sealants that are available at hardware stores, as these are only effective for new metal and can actually destroy the antique finish that you are trying to preserve.

When applying olive or linseed oil to your antique brass, rub the items with circular motions until they are completely coated, then allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes. Use a dry microfiber cloth the remove any excess oil to avoid damage caused by contaminants sticking to the surface.

How to restore antique brass
If you are one of those people who hate the antique-y look that your brass develops over time, there is a way to potentially restore it to a more new appearance. First, you will need to ensure that your item is actually in a good enough condition to remove the patina without causing further damage by checking for cracks,flakes or black spots.

Use a specialized brass or metal cleaner, such as Brasso, to restore your antique items. Apply it to the metal's surface with a cloth and gently polish, being sure to remove any excess cleaner with a damp cloth. Remember that, by using a chemical cleaner on your brass, you are etching away at the brass itself, which considerably weakens the item.

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Antique Brass - Care, Preservation And Restoration Tips

Do you own an antique brass? How do you care and preserve it? Are you sure that what you are doing in caring for your antique brass is right? Maybe what you are doing could potentially damage your antique brass. So here are a few tips on how to care, preserve and restore an antique brass.

Antique brass is a beautiful material that is often left un-restored because it lends a deep, rich color and tone to old objects. The antiquing occurs when oxygen reacts with moisture and other elements in the air to tarnish the surface of the metal. While some prefer the look of polished metal, the patina and wear of antique brass is actually more valuable when it is intact because polishing literally rubs away layers of the original metal, which can potentially damage it and weaken it. Therefore, if you own any antiques, it is important to know how to care for old brass and keep it in the best condition possible.

In optimal conditions, brass will begin to patina within a few years of being finished, and will gracefully age for hundreds of years until the brass is antiqued. The optimal conditions for brass to properly age are mild temperatures and moderate humidity in non-coastal areas. The salt and humidity in the air in coastal cities can deteriorate brass as such a rapid rate that it can fall apart within just a few years. This is one of the reasons that antique brass items found in ancient cities near coastal regions are as fragile as dust balls, while brass that has aged properly in drier regions retains its structural integrity while still achieving the beautiful rich brown and red color that so many antique collectors have come to love and appreciate.


Caring For Antique Brass
Cleaning and conditioning antique brass improperly can destroy it, especially when you want to retain the natural beauty of this material. There are many chemical agents on the market which are specifically marketed to keep old brass in prime condition, but they really don't stand up to the challenge. Caring for antique brass is a simple and delicate process which doesn't require any harsh chemical additives or treatments.

To clean antique brass, you should only use warm, soapy water and a microfiber cloth to remove surface dust and grease. Elbow grease is not required, because even the slightest bit of friction between the fibers in the rag and the brass can scratch away surface patina, which will allow oxygenation to occur at deeper levels in the brass. Once tarnish is allowed to reach deeper in the brass, the antique can crumble away. Do not use regular wash cloths, brushes or paper towels, as they are too abrasive to gently remove surface grit.


Preserving Antique Brass
To lock in the patina and condition your antique brass items, you can gently apply olive oil or linseed oil to your brass with a microfiber rag. Brass sealants that are sold at hardware stores work great for new brass, but when you are dealing with brass that is more than a couple of decades old, it is important to use the most gentle methods possible or you will risk destroying the antique finish on the brass. Olive oil will penetrate microscopic pores in the brass, keeping oxygen and moisture from reaching inner layers of the material. Linseed oil works the same way, but is a bit more aggressive and expensive, and is often used to treat steel tools. Olive oil has been used for thousands of years, dating back to at least ancient Rome, to preserve brass from wear.

When applying olive oil to your antiques, gently rub small amounts of oil in a circular motion until the brass is coated and slightly gleaming. Allow your brass to set for at least 10 minutes before using a dry microfiber cloth to remove excess oil. Although the shine from extra oil leaves your antique brass gleaming in direct light, dirt and contaminants will stick to the slow drying oil and eventually cause damage.


Restoring Antique Brass
If you really must remove the patina from your antiques, you will want to make sure that your brass is in good enough condition before attempting to get rid of the tarnish. Remember, when you polish brass, you are rubbing away layers of material. When you use chemicals to treat brass, you are etching away layers of material.

To ensure that your antique brass is in good enough condition to polish or restore, check your items for cracks, flakes, or black spots. If any of these defects are present, you will risk permantently damaging your antiques beyond repair if you try to restore them. If your brass is simply brown with a few scratches or surface imperfections, you should be able to safely restore the antiques to look brand new.

The most popular household chemical used to restore antique brass is Brasso. Brasso can be purchased in most hardware stores for just a few dollars. This substance contains ammonia and other additives to etch away tarnish when applied as directed. For tough areas, you can use a dremel tool with brasso and a nylon brush attachment to achieve optimal results; however, you will usually only need a toothbrush or cloth to properly use this substance.

Although Brasso might be the easiest way to remove tarnish from antiques, it is not the most optimal method for doing so. The best way to restore antique brass is to professionally polish it. There are no chemicals on the market that will make brass as shiny or perfect as a skilled operator behind a rotary buffer can. While you can purchase your own buffer (or grinder with buffing wheel attachments), using these machines is extremely dangerous - both to you, and your antique brass. Leave it to a professional, who can polish and refinish most small to medium brass objects for a reasonable price of between $50 and $250.

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Ways to Clean and Maintain Antique Salt Shakers

The antique salt shakers are older models that often become very attractive to collectors and shoppers. In fact, these are items for inheritance, passed down from a generation to another. In some homes, you will find a very old salt and peppershaker, which looks as good as new. If properly maintained, these items can last for years and years with zero scratches, marks or stains.

When considering antique, you are basically looking for Victorian Era products. These are the products that emerged first between 1860 and 1910. They were mainly made of high quality glass and are available until today. However, you should also expect to find several porcelain, crystal, and silver salt and peppershakers.

They are all very beautiful and have the potential to last longer only if one is willing to give them the attention they deserve. How should you clean and maintain the antique salt shakers? Although there are many different types available, the cleaning procedure is generally the same. Buy some baking soda because it will be necessary in your kitchen for other reasons.

Then, boil some water and put it in a bowl or another clean basin. Pour a few teaspoons of baking soda into the water and then soak your salt and peppershaker in the solution for a few minutes. Next, remove it, rinse with clean water and place it upside down on a clean, flat surface. As mentioned above, some of these old versions are very sensitive and require careful handling.

That is why you want to use a sharp item to remove dirt, such as a toothpick or clean stick. Before you can do that, remove the contents from the shaker and use the sharp object to scratch the clogged holes and sticky dirt. Any antique saltshaker made of metal, such as a silver shaker will develop rust stains. In order to remove these stains you want to soak the appliance in ammonia solution. Ensure that a room has good ventilation so as not to pollute for the ten minutes the shakers would remain in the solution.

Sometimes the rust stain will not come out because it might have grown to a permanent level and in such a case the shaker would require refinishing treat. If you do not have to redecorate your silver saltshaker, then look for professionals who are willing to do it for a fee. In order to protect these items so that you can use them in the long run, keep them empty especially if you do not have to use them.

By the way, you do not have to clean these appliances often. Twice every year wash will give them a constant sheen and beauty. If properly maintained, these antique salt shakers are little cute items that most people would love to collect. Are you a collector? If you are, the Internet is a good resource for you since it has information as well as products. Choose lovely products that you can soon or later put on sale online or offline.

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