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<p>[QUOTE="Darkwing Manor, post: 98053, member: 738"]<font size="4"><b>As a professional museum curator I must cry cease and desist! Your piece may look better now, but what changes to the molecular structure have been caused by the addition of harsh and abrasive chemicals?</b></font></p><p><font size="4"><br /></font></p><p><b><font size="4">For general guidelines for proper artifact care, <b><font size="4">the Canadian Conservation Institute</font></b> offers a complete on-line reference library of briefs.</font></b></p><p><b><font size="4"><br /></font></b></p><p><b><font size="4">Eg: Excerpt from Care of Ceramics and Glass:</font></b></p><p><font size="4"><b><a href="http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925170205" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925170205" rel="nofollow">http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925170205</a></b></font></p><p><font size="4"><b>Cleaning and Repair</b></font></p><p>Ceramic and glass objects in good condition can be safely cleaned to remove surface dirt. Remove loose dirt with a soft bristle brush; a cloth may snag on fragile surfaces. Washing with tap water is acceptable, but distilled or deionized water is preferable. Water temperature should be lukewarm or cooler. Do not use detergents. Glass and ceramics should be air-dried very slowly. Never use heat to reduce drying time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Washing glazed pottery is usually a straightforward procedure. Before washing a piece, however, make sure that the glaze is not flaking off and that any painted, gilded, or printed designs are not coming off and are not soluble in water. Unglazed, or soft, crumbly, unevenly fired ceramics can be destroyed by washing. Low-fired ceramics should not be washed because the soft clay will turn to mud when exposed to water.</p><p><br /></p><p>Undecorated glass, if not deteriorated (i.e. not weeping, crizzled, or flaking), can also be washed with clean, lukewarm water. A small amount of ethanol (about 5 % by volume) can be added to act as a wetting agent. It will not damage glass or ceramics in good condition.</p><p><br /></p><p>If an object is badly stained or has concretions on it that cannot be removed by washing, do not try to clean it with the bleach or acid formulations often recommended in many "how-to" manuals. If cleaning an object is important, consult a conservator. A stain on a piece of pottery may be disfiguring, but not harmful. Trying to dissolve the stain may dissolve parts of the artifact. Professional ceramics conservators will not try to remove stains at the risk of damaging the pottery, and can give advice on whether a piece should be cleaned for cosmetic reasons.</p><p><br /></p><p>Repairing ceramics is a specialized skill, combining practical experience and knowledge of the chemistry and working properties of the adhesives and fillers that are safe to use. Amateur repairs done with unstable adhesives, such as five-minute epoxies, and the use of repair kits can irreparably damage ceramics. More pottery is damaged by careless handling and inexpert repair than by any other single cause.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>If you don't believe them, see what the National Park Services's Conserv O Grams have to say. Another excellent resource!</b></p><p><b><a href="http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html</a></b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Darkwing Manor, post: 98053, member: 738"][SIZE=4][B]As a professional museum curator I must cry cease and desist! Your piece may look better now, but what changes to the molecular structure have been caused by the addition of harsh and abrasive chemicals?[/B] [B] [/B][/SIZE] [B][SIZE=4]For general guidelines for proper artifact care, [B][SIZE=4]the Canadian Conservation Institute[/SIZE][/B] offers a complete on-line reference library of briefs. Eg: Excerpt from Care of Ceramics and Glass:[/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=4][B][URL]http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925170205[/URL][/B] [B]Cleaning and Repair[/B][/SIZE] Ceramic and glass objects in good condition can be safely cleaned to remove surface dirt. Remove loose dirt with a soft bristle brush; a cloth may snag on fragile surfaces. Washing with tap water is acceptable, but distilled or deionized water is preferable. Water temperature should be lukewarm or cooler. Do not use detergents. Glass and ceramics should be air-dried very slowly. Never use heat to reduce drying time. Washing glazed pottery is usually a straightforward procedure. Before washing a piece, however, make sure that the glaze is not flaking off and that any painted, gilded, or printed designs are not coming off and are not soluble in water. Unglazed, or soft, crumbly, unevenly fired ceramics can be destroyed by washing. Low-fired ceramics should not be washed because the soft clay will turn to mud when exposed to water. Undecorated glass, if not deteriorated (i.e. not weeping, crizzled, or flaking), can also be washed with clean, lukewarm water. A small amount of ethanol (about 5 % by volume) can be added to act as a wetting agent. It will not damage glass or ceramics in good condition. If an object is badly stained or has concretions on it that cannot be removed by washing, do not try to clean it with the bleach or acid formulations often recommended in many "how-to" manuals. If cleaning an object is important, consult a conservator. A stain on a piece of pottery may be disfiguring, but not harmful. Trying to dissolve the stain may dissolve parts of the artifact. Professional ceramics conservators will not try to remove stains at the risk of damaging the pottery, and can give advice on whether a piece should be cleaned for cosmetic reasons. Repairing ceramics is a specialized skill, combining practical experience and knowledge of the chemistry and working properties of the adhesives and fillers that are safe to use. Amateur repairs done with unstable adhesives, such as five-minute epoxies, and the use of repair kits can irreparably damage ceramics. More pottery is damaged by careless handling and inexpert repair than by any other single cause. [B]If you don't believe them, see what the National Park Services's Conserv O Grams have to say. Another excellent resource! [URL]http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html[/URL][/B][/QUOTE]
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