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5 Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Antiques
By Martin Swinton
You�ve bought a great antique. Now what? Here�s what you need to know to avoid damaging your newfound treasures.
1. Ignoring Effects of Relative Humidity
Today�s central heating wreaks havoc on antiques. It�s the fluctuations in relative humidity caused by central heating that results in real damage.
Wood responds to relative humidity by expanding and contracting as it tries to maintain a balance with its environment. It�s not the rapid changes during the course of a day that cause the most damage. It�s the long-term seasonal fluctuations, which cause the serious damage.
During the dry winter months when it is cold outside and warm inside, wood tends to shrink. During hot damp summers when it is warm outside and cooler inside, wood tends to expand. Long-term exposure to these conditions leads to cracking, warping and splitting.
To guard against the fluctuations in relative humidity in your home, use a humidifier during the dry winter and a dehumidifier in the damp summer. Think twice before putting quality furniture in the basement, attic, near heating vents or next to your fireplace. Keep fresh air circulating. Maintain a constant room temperature and turn it down at night.
2. Overlooking Impact of Sunlight
Just as sun damage to the skin is cumulative and permanent, its effects on wood are equally destructive. Diffused sunlight over a long period of time can be as harmful as direct sunlight over a short period of time. Sunlight can turn a clear finish yellow. The only good news about sun damage is that it�s easy to avoid. Draw the drapes, pull the blinds or have an UV-filtering film applied to your windows.
3. Thinking You Are an Accomplished Furniture Restorer
Unless you are an expert furniture restorer, don�t attempt to repair broken legs, burn marks or other damage. Inexperienced individuals can strip off patina causing irreversible damage. Leave restoration to professionals. In the long run, it is worth the investment.
4. Over Cleaning Antiques
Remember that less is more when cleaning antiques. Every couple of months, treat your wood furniture a good quality paste wax that can be found in any hardware store. Waxing too often can dull a finish and attract dust. Avoid aerosol spray polishes because they can contain silicone and other agents that can be harmful to your furniture.
For daily cleaning, use a clean cloth or a clean duster. For those who like to use something more, I recommend Orange Oil by Howard Products because it cleans and polishes wood finishes very well. Orange Oil is one of my favourites because it does not leave a wax build-up, and contains neither linseed nor silicone.
5. Rough-Handing Your Antiques
Some repairs to antique furniture can be avoided with more considerate care. Don�t lean back on antique chairs or pick them up from the back of the chair, rather lift front and back together. This type of handling coupled with the effects of relative humidity and a chair back may result in your chair back becoming unhinged, requiring repair. Avoid scratches and water damage by using coasters.
Martin Swinton owns Take-A-Boo Emporium, an antique shop located in Toronto, Canada. He does furniture restoration, caning and rushing repairs, custom reproductions, upholstery, teaches courses on antiques and does appraisals for estates and community events. He can be reached at 416-785-4555 or by visiting http://www.takeaboo.com
Hints On antique radios
Provenance. Provenance simply refers to the origin of the item. Usually antiques that can be traced to a particular maker or craftsman or whose original owner can be identified will be of greater value. If a piece of furniture, for instance, was made by a renowned regional craftsman for a family that held the piece for 100 years, that piece would have greater value than an anonymous piece because its exact history is known.
Buy antique jewelry trays today!
Collecting antique furniture, decorative items, or even antique hardware is an excellent hobby or even a profession, but buying and selling antiques, while rewarding, can be a complicated undertaking. To be a successful antiques collector you will have to educate yourself on the exact value of antiques in your area of interest
Buy an antique radios today!
Do not polish dark antique bronze or you will destroy the old patina and lower the value of the piece.
Buy antique desks today!
Clean andirons using liquid metal polish and 0000-grade steel wool to remove resin caused by smoke.
Buy antique dressers today!
The larger firms of auctioneers retain specialists in various fields, who are willing to give advice if it is sought, but the laws affecting the sale of goods by auction vary greatly from country to country and are often very vague. The salerooms do, however, provide splendid opportunities for examining furniture in detail by taking out drawers and turning things upside down in a cavalier fashion that would annoy any self-respecting dealer, if it were to be attempted in his gallery without prior permission.
Buy antique armoires today!
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Visions of Christmas Past: Santa History and Collectibles
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Silver Antiques - Sterling and Silverplate
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:14 -0600
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5 Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Antiques
By Martin Swinton
You�ve bought a great antique. Now what? Here�s what you need to know to avoid damaging your newfound treasures.
1. Ignoring Effects of Relative Humidity
Today�s central heating wreaks havoc on antiques. It�s the fluctuations in relative humidity caused by central heating that results in real damage.
Wood responds to relative humidity by expanding and contracting as it tries to maintain a balance with its environment. It�s not the rapid changes during the course of a day that cause the most damage. It�s the long-term seasonal fluctuations, which cause the serious damage.
During the dry winter months when it is cold outside and warm inside, wood tends to shrink. During hot damp summers when it is warm outside and cooler inside, wood tends to expand. Long-term exposure to these conditions leads to cracking, warping and splitting.
To guard against the fluctuations in relative humidity in your home, use a humidifier during the dry winter and a dehumidifier in the damp summer. Think twice before putting quality furniture in the basement, attic, near heating vents or next to your fireplace. Keep fresh air circulating. Maintain a constant room temperature and turn it down at night.
2. Overlooking Impact of Sunlight
Just as sun damage to the skin is cumulative and permanent, its effects on wood are equally destructive. Diffused sunlight over a long period of time can be as harmful as direct sunlight over a short period of time. Sunlight can turn a clear finish yellow. The only good news about sun damage is that it�s easy to avoid. Draw the drapes, pull the blinds or have an UV-filtering film applied to your windows.
3. Thinking You Are an Accomplished Furniture Restorer
Unless you are an expert furniture restorer, don�t attempt to repair broken legs, burn marks or other damage. Inexperienced individuals can strip off patina causing irreversible damage. Leave restoration to professionals. In the long run, it is worth the investment.
4. Over Cleaning Antiques
Remember that less is more when cleaning antiques. Every couple of months, treat your wood furniture a good quality paste wax that can be found in any hardware store. Waxing too often can dull a finish and attract dust. Avoid aerosol spray polishes because they can contain silicone and other agents that can be harmful to your furniture.
For daily cleaning, use a clean cloth or a clean duster. For those who like to use something more, I recommend Orange Oil by Howard Products because it cleans and polishes wood finishes very well. Orange Oil is one of my favourites because it does not leave a wax build-up, and contains neither linseed nor silicone.
5. Rough-Handing Your Antiques
Some repairs to antique furniture can be avoided with more considerate care. Don�t lean back on antique chairs or pick them up from the back of the chair, rather lift front and back together. This type of handling coupled with the effects of relative humidity and a chair back may result in your chair back becoming unhinged, requiring repair. Avoid scratches and water damage by using coasters.
Martin Swinton owns Take-A-Boo Emporium, an antique shop located in Toronto, Canada. He does furniture restoration, caning and rushing repairs, custom reproductions, upholstery, teaches courses on antiques and does appraisals for estates and community events. He can be reached at 416-785-4555 or by visiting http://www.takeaboo.com
Hints On antique radios
Provenance. Provenance simply refers to the origin of the item. Usually antiques that can be traced to a particular maker or craftsman or whose original owner can be identified will be of greater value. If a piece of furniture, for instance, was made by a renowned regional craftsman for a family that held the piece for 100 years, that piece would have greater value than an anonymous piece because its exact history is known.
Buy antique jewelry trays today!
Collecting antique furniture, decorative items, or even antique hardware is an excellent hobby or even a profession, but buying and selling antiques, while rewarding, can be a complicated undertaking. To be a successful antiques collector you will have to educate yourself on the exact value of antiques in your area of interest
Buy an antique radios today!
Do not polish dark antique bronze or you will destroy the old patina and lower the value of the piece.
Buy antique desks today!
Clean andirons using liquid metal polish and 0000-grade steel wool to remove resin caused by smoke.
Buy antique dressers today!
The larger firms of auctioneers retain specialists in various fields, who are willing to give advice if it is sought, but the laws affecting the sale of goods by auction vary greatly from country to country and are often very vague. The salerooms do, however, provide splendid opportunities for examining furniture in detail by taking out drawers and turning things upside down in a cavalier fashion that would annoy any self-respecting dealer, if it were to be attempted in his gallery without prior permission.
Buy antique armoires today!
antique radios Stories
Visions of Christmas Past: Santa History and Collectibles
The Santa we know and love today is more of modern notion than most people realize. When you look at many of the collectible Santa items dating back to...
Silver Antiques - Sterling and Silverplate
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:14 -0600
Vintage sterling and silverplate, antique silver frames, and decorative silver art forms. Periodically, silver enjoys great popularity in jewelry and now is one of those times..
fine antique jewelry | antique brass jewelry
posted by Antique Professional | 4:53 PM
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