Featured Cleaning Jasperware, Before and After

Discussion in 'Pottery, Glass, and Porcelain' started by lauragarnet, Dec 2, 2015.

  1. Darkwing Manor

    Darkwing Manor Well-Known Member

     
  2. Darkwing Manor

    Darkwing Manor Well-Known Member

    That's how we handle ALL objects in the museum world. How many of you have ruined an item with well-intentioned cleaning? I suggest consulting a conservator before doing anything.
    Sorry, are we no longer using the term "molecular structure"?
     
  3. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    I've never ruined a single one of the objects I've cleaned, and I've been doing it for a very long time indeed. I've also owned many of them for decades. I use china almost every day that's close on a century old. I use damask tablecloths that are late 19th C, and my dining table was made in about 1780. And of course, these things were made to be used, and to be cleaned using very primitive methods.

    Like I said, if it's museum quality stuff, and fragile as some is, then conservator methods may make sense. But this isn't what we're looking at here. We're talking every day antiques.

    As to molecular structure. I presume you're talking about a chemical or physical reaction - or both - that results in outputs which are different from the starting point, and which may or may not involve a catalyst or reagent.

    Using the term molecular structure in the context of something like pottery is, imo, somewhat misleading. Pottery and china and glass don't consist of single molecular types but of compounds, depending on the underlying recipe. It's actually relatively difficult to alter the compounds, and very difficult to change the underlying molecular structure. They're pretty inert materials - even glass sickness, for example, is, as I'm sure you know, merely a surface degradation. And the accepted treatment for that, professionally, is the use of muriatic acid, which reacts with the surface salts and hopefully removes them. The reason they're so inert is partially the compounds involved, but also the processes used, such as firing and tempering.

    Metallic objects which are non compound are, of course, another matter.
     
  4. ola402

    ola402 Well-Known Member

    Molecular structure, that could apply to something I trashed, by accident. I was trying to get sticker gunk off of a celluloid tray. Never, ever use Goof Off on celluloid. It turns it a sickly white and partially melts it. It never even crossed my mind that Goof Off would hurt it. It was just "Oh, sticky stuff, hand me the Goof Off." And then, Uh Oh.
     
    kyratango likes this.
  5. gregsglass

    gregsglass Well-Known Member

    Hi,
    The best stuff to remove sticky areas on celluloid is plain old cooking oil. Goof Off has ruined more stuff than you can believe.
    greg
     
    kyratango likes this.
  6. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Ah, now that's a chemical reaction. Celluloid is unstable enough that it reacts with the atmosphere. ;) Acid plus aldehyde type compound isn't good!
     
    kyratango likes this.
  7. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    Will heat damage celluloid? I usually use heat/hair dryer to get stickers off.
     
  8. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    Yup, no heat on it. It's malleable at relatively low temperatures, being an early plastic and all that.
     
    kyratango likes this.
  9. Mill Cove Treasures

    Mill Cove Treasures Well-Known Member

    Thank you, good to know.
     
    kyratango likes this.
  10. Penny Sheppard

    Penny Sheppard Active Member

    Hi, - to clean a Wedgewood brooch set in GP is it okay to use a wet soft toothbrush to wipe away loose dirt in distilled water followed by an application of Bar Keepers Friend? After it’s applied, how long does it stay on and then do I just pour the distilled water over it using a toothbrush to remove the paste? If during the final rinse the paste touches the GP, will it come off or shine it up? Thank you in advance for responding to all of my questions!
     
  11. Ownedbybear

    Ownedbybear Well-Known Member

    I'd not worry about using distilled water. Cover the GP with a bit of masking tape or cling film, although if you're careful, you may not need to. Use a scrap of Magic Eraser to clean the jasper, then wipe it over with a damp soft cloth.
     
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