PAIR OF CERAMIC LAMPS WITH BRASS FITTINGS

PAIR OF CERAMIC LAMPS WITH BRASS FITTINGS

Pair of hard paste porcelain vases standing 29 inches (75cms) with brass fixtures and 22 inches (56cms) the vase alone.  Both decorated using cobalt blue glaze.  Vase 1 has been broken and repaired using 21 rivets which was an old repair method.  I will have to remove the lighting fixtures and the brass fittings on the top rim and base of each lamp before doing any work.  They have been wired using a brown textile covered wiring which appears to be up to date and will be re-fitted when the vases have been repaired.  Now for the examination and dismantling!

Vase 1

Vase 1 - showing rivets

Vase 1 - again showing rivets

Vase 1 - more rivets

Vase 1 - more rivets!

Vase 1 - close up of rivets

Vase 1 - this vase is very dirty

Vase 1 - the base showing fixtures.  It has pads where it has been tightened onto the vase base.

Vase 1 - close up of rivets where the broken pieces meet

Vase 2 - not broken but dirty, which has some glaze popping which happened in the firing process

Vase 2 - showing glaze popping

Vase 2 - glaze popping near to the vase base

Vase 1 - Dismantling of the lighting fitting

Vase 1 - light fitting, pic to remind me how it's been wired up

Vase 1 - Little screw that tightened the base to the brass base (must NOT lose!)

Vase 1 - the top brass fitting that has loosened after I got the base off.

Vase 1 - I took the light fitting off and it lifted away from the main brass top.
I was left with the metal pole that goes through the entire vase with top brass fitting (see photo above) which I was then able to unscrew.  I was then able to dismantle by pulling the electric wire through the entire centre of the vase. 

Vase 1 - As you can see here there is what looks like an MDF/wood fibre shaped stopper
 which holds the rod vertically so that it doesn't move.  Am assuming it's like this on the other one.

Vase 1 - with the top off it has revealed a big chip from the rim, as well as all the dirt!!

Vase 1 - the base without the brass fitting, no markings on the base (mucky!)

NUMBERING THE DISMANTLED BITS

This is really important, and you must do this methodically.  Numbering of all the light fittings with Vase 1 or Vase 2.  Even though they present as a pair each vase is unique and there is a possibility that each fitting has been made bespokely (spelling??) for each vase and sizing could differ.  So to avoid problems later on make sure you do this.  I had to tape up the wires for the lamp switches to get them out through the hole.

Vase 1 - top and base numbered

Vase 1 - stopper and central post

Vase 1 - Four components on base electric fitting

TAKING OUT THE RIVETS

 There are certain things you need to do before lifting the rivets.  You have to take into account that there may/may not be adhesive after you've taken them out.  You also have to remember that there may be 'spring' tension in the ceramic body as the pieces come apart.  This is the tension that exists in the clay body of the vase when it was manufactured.  When it suffers impact damage this tension is released.  To minimize this it is best to tape the breaks with masking tape to hold the pieces together after the rivets are removed.

Vase 1 - Masking tape around the rivet, to prevent the file scratching the vase and to hold the pieces together.  Then using a triangular file or any fine file work through the metal.

Vase 1 - lever gently to try and lift

Vase 1 - you may need to break the rivet to get it off or it might come out with the pliers in one go.....

Vase 1 - you should end up with all the rivets out and masking tape holding the vase together, therefore time to be very careful on handling!!  I did leave ONE rivet in at the base of one of the hairline cracks as a precaution for when it dismantles.

Vase 1 - Tadaaaaa! now Vase 1 in three pieces after carefully taking off the masking tape bit by bit.........

 DISCOVERIES ALONG THE WAY!

Vase 2 - Broken rim stuck with a rather large amount of Evostick!!

Vase 2 - outer view of vase rim

Vase 2 - losses around the base which may have been them forcing the brass fitting on the piece, or just poor glaze adhesion to the clay body during the firing.

ANOTHER DAY....

After having soaked overnight I rinsed and steam cleaned all the pieces, whilst still damp I soaked some cotton wool in hydrogen peroxide to eliminate any remaining staining on the edges on Vase 1 only.  I left this overnight.  At the same time I put some DCM on the repaired broken rim on Vase 2 and covered with clingfilm.

Vase 1 - edges covered in cotton wool and hydrogen peroxide and covered in clingfilm

Vase 1 - Same as above

Vase 1 - Near the base at the base of a very long hairline crack I have decided to leave in the last rivet as a precaution to the crack perhaps carrying on.  When I consolidate the crack it will be more stable and I will take out the rivet when this has taken place.  To the right the handle of my steam cleaner.

Vase 1 - Steam cleaned after the hydrogen peroxide and with the plaster removed from the 42 rivet holes!

 It was a lovely sunny day (unusual for the UK!) and I left the pieces out to dry.  They're now ready to put together.

Vase 1 - colour matching with special epoxy and historic pigments

I put the vase together in two stages, the side piece and then the top sectionholding the pot together using masking tape whilst the epoxy cured. It is important to use nitrile gloves at this stage otherwise you find you've got finger prints all over the surface that you hadn't noticed before! I used masking tape as it is quite strong and the pieces were heavy.  After re-construction of the vase using special epoxy I mixed up some more to do the fills and the rivet holes that were left after removal.  

Tinted fills after vase was re-constructed

Fills with tinted special epoxy

After doing the fills and where the rivet holes were (42!) and glaze losses to the base, top rim and all the small glaze losses that I discovered in the body.  I then sanded down using micromesh to just below the level of the top glaze and to enable space for the colour tint.  Using Golden colours I tinted them to colour match the darker cobalt blue as I didn't need to colour down the base colour (paler blue) of the fills as they had been colour matched.  I then painted several coats of Golden colours to infill the pattern that was lost, the leaves, the cross-band pattern and the handles on the side.  I then sanded down the re-touching with micromesh to achieve a smooth finish, repeating the procedure until I was happy with the result.  Observational skills really come into play here and time taken to study your work usually shows somewhere that has been missed.  Best to leave it sometimes and go back to it with a fresher look.

Completed vases,  Vase 1 (rivets) is on the right

Finished with the brass fittings and wiring attached.

It took me a good hour and a half to get the brass fittings back on these vases, loads of fiddling about and trying to be careful at the same time!  I was able to put an additional thin circular padding of Plastazote™ underneath the top section as there was none there previously.  It would add more protection to the ceramic rim when the bases were screwed tightly.