BEFORE AND AFTERS 1

TWO PLASTER RELIEF PLAQUES

Below is what they both looked like prior to treatment although the one shown was the only one that had a breakage.  Both backs had had marbled paper stuck to them which had deteriorated and split so I removed with moistened with de-ionised water.

I found some marbled paper which was similar to what I had removed.  I stuck this on the rabbit skin glue.  The brown stains were removed using a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide.  I then airbrushed with a fine coating of Primal B60A from Conservation Resources.  Primal (Rhoplex) B60A is a water based acrylic emulsion for consilidation of the plaster.

BROKEN BASE OF TERRACOTTA SCULPTURE

The base was broken into four pieces.  It is made of earthenware, so not fired to a high temperature.  There was also a crack across the back right which was stable but needed consolidating which was done by brushing Paraloid B72 5% in acetone.  I stood the sculpture upside-down in a plastic dustbin using wedges of Plastazote to protect the surfaces on the sides was done to fit the base onto the main sculpture.  After an initial coat of 5% Paraloid in acetone to consolidate the friable break edges. After allowing time to dry overnight I used a 20% Paraloid mix as an adhesive using magic tape to hold together.  Fills were done using Fine Polyfilla with historic pigments to match the fired clay body.  Touching in was done by painting using Golden acrylics (airbrush and heavy body colours).

I also touched in colour to match along the crack at the back and loss of patina on the nose where it looked like water had been dropped.  In some places the patina wash was showing signs of delaminating so I sprayed both the base and the uper sculpture with Paraloid B48N in Xylene, which is a harder resin than B72.

MURANO HANDLED VASE

This little murano hand blown glass vase, 5" high, had two handles that had broken off and another handle with a chip loss.  I cleaned using acetone and swabs and used clear special epoxy as adhesive to re-attach the two handles.  For the chip I used partially cured clear epoxy that I 'blobbed' onto the area.  Unfortunately I don't have a final picture as the client came to pick it up before I had a chance!

WEDGWOOD TEA SERVICE

Broken spout re-created and rivets removed from handle and filled with special epoxy and historic pigments to match colour.  Rivets were also removed from the jug handle and the plate.  Getting this colour drove me mad!! I needed to get it opaque like the wedgwood blue.  I used a pencil encircled with acetate which the epoxy doesn't stick to to get the shape of the spout end. 

Here is a photo of the complete tea service which I had previously not seen as I had only been given the bits to restore.  It's really lovely isn't it?

BALLERINA WITH MISSING FINGER

This is a piece that was only four inches in height with a broken finger on the proper right hand.  I made a rod of tinted special epoxy tinted with historic pigments and adhered it to the hand.  The first one was successful but whilst trying to polish it pinged off and was lost, so I had to do it again.

RED BELL WITH METAL FIXING

This was a bell that was part of a larger collection.  It had broken when the client's nephew was dusting!  He was very anxious to get it put back together.

It was high fired stoneware so therefore I could soak and steam clean.  The body fill was done to match the body of the bell.  When cured I did the fills using pigmented special epoxy to match the colour of the red/rust coloured body.

After that had cured it was rubbed down with micromesh and finally polished with Greygate Plastic Polish with a soft cloth.

Ta Daa! finished bell with metal bud fixed on the top.  It can now join the other bells in the lady's collection.

VICTORIAN OIL LAMP

The glass bowl had been broken on this oil lamp and there was a hole where the oil was pouring out.  I was unable to undo the screw that held it in place so had to repair the glass break with the base still attached. Using special clear epoxy I blocked the hole using mouldable wax sheets and acetate. Acetate film is easily removable from the epoxy when it has cured.  I was then able to pour special clear epoxy into the lamp using a pipette from the top opening.

After the bowl was now able to hold oil, I matched the colour of the lacquer coating that had

been on the original lamp.  Prior to spraying the colour on I masked the lower part of the lamp to protect from overspray.

TERRACOTTA BLACKAMOOR WITH BROKEN NOSE

Blackamoor 1

Blackamoor 2

Blackamoor 3

This blackamoor was bought at auction knowingly with the damage and dust.  I detached the bust from the wooden base and replaced the lower section with a black marble base which gave better stability.  She was very dirty and after having done solvent tests on the painted surface.  Best results were achieved with de-ionised water and vulpex (10%) using cotton swabs.  I then consolidated the exposed terracotta on the ridge of the bra top and the nose break edges with Paraloid B72 5% in acetone using a brush.  Using pigmented special epoxy I built up the ridge of the dress and the nose colouring with powder pigments.

Finished bust

FOUR FIGURINES

FOUR FIGURINES

Here are 4 figurines that have recently arrived in the studio.  Previous restoration is evident on all of them with losses and discolouration of varying degrees.  First thing I need to do is to get rid of the old gunk! So DCM, soak, rinse, steam cleaned.  You have to be careful cleaning the tiny pieces as the pressure of the steam can cause small fragments to shoot off in any direction.  One way of stopping this is to use a fine metal gauze placed over the piece that needs to be cleaned.

THE LADY ON PEDESTAL

The above lady's head was partially joined to the body.  On further inspection a matchstalk had been lodged into some grey putty in the head hollow.  The bow on the hat has losses and the rim of the bonnet has a slither lost.

Finished figure

THE VIOLIN PLAYER

This elegant violin player has suffered breakages and losses.  The leg looks to be a clean break but the small hand has missing fingers and the violin has lost the carved scroll machine head.  The broken leg was relatively easy to attach using special epoxy which I propped up using sculptors plasticine.

Mould of scroll made of sculptors plasticine ready for silicone, very tiny piece!

Tiny end piece made and attaching to the violin and hand. I also had to
extend the missing finger and thumb that was playing the strings.

COMPLETED FIGURINE

BOY IN BLUE TROUSERS

This one is more problematic in that there are several losses not obvious until I get it out under some good lighting and magnifying specs. Some pieces remain so this will be a good jigsaw! After having cleaned the pieces individually I can see that the discoloured piece beneath the body is not ceramic but some kind of old fill, looks like plaster.  It has been badly repaired and I'm not sure which angle the head will go? There seems to be a loss on his right cheek which may suggest that the hand touched there.  The head was totally askew when it arrived so I have to think about this one.

       

LOSSES

• Base losses on each side of the feet to base
• Loss on the join of proper right knee
• Loss on joint of proper left knee
• Loss from top of wood stump that joins to the blue trousers (proper right)
• Large loss on proper left ankle and foot
• Loss on inside proper right jacket (yellow)
• Front chip off white blouse and part of the 'v' neck of blouse (front)
• Chip on basket (dark maroon)
• Loss underneath proper right arm around to the back of the jacket (pink enamel)
• Loss to proper right hand which pushes against the pink jacket which has to be created
• Losses of gold borders in many places
• Loss of proper left thumb that's holding the basket

FILLS

I mixed up 3 grams of special epoxy, bulked it up with fumed silica and let it rest for half and hour.  I then mixed some Titanium Oxide white into a small amount of epoxy, to achieve the colour of the white body. Blending the white mix gradually into the rest of the mix to get the correct opacity, looking and holding it against the white body and to the daylight.

Fill on the back shoulder propped up with sculpting plasticine.
Below the fill to one side of the base

Next fill at other side base and fills at the knees held at an angle whilst curing

Fill at neck and part of right hand

What was I thinking!! I've been looking at how I put the head on and it's just not right at all.  This is tricky and I have come to the conclusion that I have to dismantle and re-do.  The head and shoulder took a good couple of days to come apart again, right ready to go again ........

OK this looks better!!

I used sculptors plasticine to prop up the head and shoulder so I could see exactly how it might fit into the proper position.  I then used part of the epoxy mix to fill only part of the neck.  The next day it was still soft enough so that if I wasn't happy I would be able to move if necessary.  It was ok, so I left it to cure another day. 

• A.  Top of the shoulder filled up to where the collar of the jacket is to be created
• B.  Loss on the top of the cuff
• C.  Fill of the frill on the blouse
• D.  Fill where there were chips on the neck

• E.  Join where the forefinger meets the cheek
• F.  Cut off piece of pipette to keep the shoulder in position which will be removed

I am now going to allow this to cure, put the rest of the epoxy mix in the freezer and come back to it again to create the collar of the jacket.

Now we've got to get the legs and base back on......  when I took the boy apart again I didn't remove the fills that I had previously done on each side of the base.  so I have to refill the knee joints and the large loss on the proper left foot.

AT LAST DONE!

LADY WITH FLOWER

This lady carrying a basket of flowers looked only to be a clean break at the waist but is actually in three pieces with a slither.   She also looks as though she was holding a flower which are missing and also that her little finger looks as though it was extended these have to be re-modelled.  I also re-modelled a leaf and flower petal that had been missing in her basket.

Recreation of flower and extended finger

The finished lady with her missing finger and flower remodelled and tinted.

The final pictures..