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The Science of Patina: When to Clean and When to Leave It Alone

patina on antiques

Every collector eventually faces the same gut-check moment. You stumble across a piece that looks… let’s call it, sultry in its age. And if you’ve ever read the descriptions from some of my favorite historical artifact dealers, you know they could moonlight as trashy romance novel authors. They wax poetic about patina in ways that could make your grandmother blush: “a satisfying deep, dark, chocolate, forest brown patina” or “an irresistible swirl of lustrous olive-gold toning that dances across the surface.”

Sounds like Fabio should be on the dust jacket, right? But flowery words aside, the question comes fast and hard: Leave it, or clean it?

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Environmental Monitoring: Museums & Private Collections

Environmental Monitoring

Museums are not just repositories of art, history, and culture; they are also custodians of fragile and irreplaceable treasures. To protect these priceless artifacts, museums employ environmental monitoring systems. These systems play a crucial role in ensuring that the conditions within the museum are optimal for the preservation of artworks and historical objects. In this article, we will delve into what environmental monitoring for museums is, how it works, why it’s important, and how to implement it effectively. Read more

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Foxing Splotches, Spots, and Specks

Foxing

Named after the reddish-brown color of its blemishes, foxing is a form of deterioration that marks paper documents and photographs with rust colored splotches, spots, and specks. While foxing can negatively impact the value of collectible paper documents, it doesn’t directly affect the integrity of the paper.

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Cleaning Cloudy Antique Glass

Cleaning-Cloudy-Antique-Glass

Cloudy glass, otherwise known as sick glass, can sometimes be cleared. Sick glass occurs when hard water seeps into the glass through micro fractures. The calcium, lime, and other minerals in the water cause a light, foggy appearance to occur. And as antique glass collectors know, eliminating “cloudy glass” can be a formidable challenge.  

Over the years, the aforementioned collectors have devised a number of remedies to treat―and sometimes cure―sick glass. Using only household items, here are 5 methods for cleaning cloudy antique glass.  

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3 Ways to Remove Rust from Iron

Iron Rust Removal

Rust. One of the most formidable enemies of antique collectors the world over. Not only is rust visually unappealing, it’s a bona fide antique killer!

Given enough time, oxygen, and water (moisture), an iron object will inevitably transform to rust and disintegrate. The longer rust is allowed to persist, the more it devours its host.

Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of rust removal techniques; everything from good ole’ fashion elbow grease to harsh chemicals. Having restored hundreds of iron objects, I’ve settled on three inexpensive, non-toxic methods that have produced the best results. Read more

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Jerry Cans Helped Win World War 2

In June of 1941, the famed General George S. Patton arrived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee along with 11,000 troops and 2,000 vehicles. In short order, as many as 77,000 troops had converged on Middle Tennessee and were soon divided into opposing Red and Blue Armies that would clash in simulated, but realistic, battles that would continue through 1944. When operations ended in ‘44, more than 800,000 troops had occupied more than 2.25 million acres and 22 counties in Middle Tennessee. Read more

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Paying It Forward Keeps A Hobby Alive

Paying It Forward

When attending a Civil War or Native American artifact show, I’ve grown accustom to being one of the youngest people in attendance. At nearly 40-years of age, my dark head of hair contrasts sharply against the sea of “silver foxes” and “cotton-tops” shuffling through the aisles of any given show. And to the eyes of today’s adolescent or teenager, such a scene might be enough to dissuade them from exploring no further than a quick glance up from their device! In my experience however, the welcoming generosity of others has helped usher in a new and younger demographic of collectors into this wonderful hobby. Read more

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Brazil National Museum Fire: A Preventable Tragedy

Brazil National Museum Fire

One of the world’s most expansive anthropology and natural history collections was almost completely destroyed by a raging inferno this past Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Museu Nacional (National Museum) housed nearly 20 million artifacts; including mummified remains, indigenous art and artifacts, frescoes from Pompeii, fossil records, dinosaur bones, and a scientific library. Read more

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Choosing Fabric for Display Cases

Choosing Fabric for Display Cases

Wondering what type of fabric is safest for your displayed objects? Of all the factors to consider when selecting a fabric for your display case, fiber content is the most important. Certain fibers, such as silk, are naturally acidic and should never come in direct contact with objects. Other fibers may emit harmful volatiles, such as sulfur compounds. Wool fabrics and felts are an example. Wool is also a food source for pests like clothes moths, carpet beetles, silverfish, and crickets to name just a few. Such fabrics should be avoided altogether. Read more

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DIY Antique Hatchet Restoration

DIY Antique Hatchet Restoration

On a recent metal detecting getaway in Augusta, Georgia, I stumbled across a pretty neat plumb hatchet. Okay, I’ll come clean. I wasn’t the first person to find it, as another detectorist had previously unearthed it and tossed it aside as junk. But hey, I have no shame – one man’s junk is another man’s treasure! Based on what I know about the site and the age of objects recovered throughout the day, I suspect the hatchet dates anywhere between 1860 to the early 1900s. Regardless of its age or history, I thought it had a cool look and decided to take it home for a future weekend restoration project. Read more

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