Antiques, their restoration and preservation / by A. Lucas.

  • Alfred Lucas
Date:
[1932]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Antiques, their restoration and preservation / by A. Lucas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the surface very glossy and is sometimes objected to on that account, but in most cases this was the original appearance. Baskets, Cordage and Matting Vegetable fibres, such as grasses, reeds, rushes and sedges have been employed from very early times for making baskets, boxes, brushes, cordage, matting, sandals and other objects. Such articles become very dry and brittle with lapse of time, but otherwise are generally in a fairly good state of preservation. If the condition of the object will allow, super¬ ficial dust and dirt may be removed by gentle blowing with a small pair of bellows or careful brushing with a small soft brush. In the case of very fragile objects, the careful application of petroleum spirit (benzine, petrol) or alcohol with a small camel-hair brush will be found helpful for cleaning, and a brush thus moistened may often be used when a dry brush would cause damage. Water, as a rule, should not be used. Objects of the kind under consideration may be strengthened and preserved by saturating them with melted paraffin wax. The material, being absorbent, takes the wax well, and if this is applied quickly and very hot no excess will be visible on the surface. The colour will be dark-
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