Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Care for Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Treasures

184 Pages·2012·2.93 MB·English

by  Georgia Kemp Caraway

&
Tips, Tools,
Techniques
To Care for Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Treasures
Georgia Kemp Caraway
NUMBER 5: PRACTICAL GUIDE SERIES
University of North Texas Press, Denton, Texas
©2012 Georgia Kemp Caraway
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Permissions:
University of North Texas Press
1155 Union Circle #311336
Denton, TX 76203-5017
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of the American National
Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, z39.48.1984. Binding mate-
rials have been chosen for durability.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Caraway, Georgia Kemp, 1950–
Tips, tools, and techniques to care for antiques, collectibles, and other treasures /
Georgia Kemp Caraway.–1st ed.
p. cm.—(Practical guide series ; no. 5)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-57441-451-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-57441-462-2 (e-book)
1. Collectibles—Conservation and restoration—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Antiques—
Conservation and restoration—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title. II. Series: Practical guide
series (Denton, Tex.) ; v. 5.
NK1127.5.C36 2012
745.028'8—dc23
2011048889
Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Care for Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Treasures is Number 5 in
the Practical Guide Series
In memory of my husband
Bob Caraway
My antique lover for 32 years

Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Tools to Keep on Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Advertising Memorabilia: Metal . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Aluminum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Audio Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Bamboo Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Baskets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Brass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Bronze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Cast Iron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cedar Aroma Renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Christmas Ornaments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chrome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Coins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Colorfast Fabrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Dolls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Doorstops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Enamel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Fabrics and Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Obtaining a Vintage Look on Fabrics . . . . . . . . 53
Framing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Glassware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Glue: How to Choose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Ivory or Bone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Jewelry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Label Removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Lace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Lacquered Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Leather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Loupe: How to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Marble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Metals: Identifying with a Magnet . . . . . . . . . 91
Mildew Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Nickel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Paper Collectibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Pewter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Postage Stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Quilts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Rugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Hooked Rugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Rust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Upholstery, Rug, and Carpet Cleaning . . . . . . . 122
Vintage Clothing and Textiles . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Wicker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Appendices
A. Auction Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
B. Conducting a Successful Garage Sale . . . . . 131
C. Smart Shopping at Garage Sales . . . . . . . 133
D. Haggling at a Flea Market . . . . . . . . . . 134
E. Dates to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
British Registration Marks . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Chinese Dynasties and Emperors . . . . . . . . 140
Japanese Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
“Made in Japan” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Postal Zone Numbers and Zip Codes . . . . . . 142
Postal Rate Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Telephone Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
The Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
United States Invention Patents . . . . . . . . . 147
United States Design Patents . . . . . . . . . . 149
F. Roman Numeral Interpreter . . . . . . . . . 152
G. Insurance and Estate Protection . . . . . . . 154
H. Reproductions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
I. Pronunciation Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
J. Finding an Accredited Appraiser . . . . . . . 165
Works Consulted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Preface
TIPS FOR TAKING CARE OF YOUR ANTIQUES are not
necessarily hard to find. What is hard to find is a practical
list of tips with an easy-to-understand list of tools you may
need to achieve this. That is the goal of this guide.
Many antiques are not just for display; collectors fur-
nish their homes with these treasures and use them as part
of their everyday lives. In fact, this book was compiled
over several years because of my own need to care for
and preserve my own antiques. It became even more cru-
cial when I was charged as executive director of Denton
County Museums with the care and preservation of arti-
facts in the Museums.
Although collectors are very good at collecting, and
know that they must care for their collectibles, the practical
knowledge for such care and attention was least understood
due to the lack of some simple basic steps. The methods of
care for historical or valuable antique items have changed
over the years. No longer considered just functional, antique
items should not be cared for or repaired in the same man-
ner as modern home furnishings. While taking care of
pieces can be very simple, the endeavor frequently causes
damage or devalues the piece.
ix