The specialist guide to Asian antiques and exotic home decor from the far east.

If your piece has been lacquered
and is purely ornamental, don’t do anything with it other than

an occasional, gentle dusting. You don’t want to scratch the lacquer
coating.

If you want to remove the lacquer
coating on a piece of brass or copper, soak the article in

approximately two gallons of water in which one cup of washing soda
has been dissolved.

After  soaking the piece in this mixture for 20 minutes, the
coating should peel off.

vinegar solution, or by applying a solution of dilute hydrochloric
acid with a soft bristle brush

or by soaking in water into which bits of newspaper have been mixed.

Scratches can be removed by rubbing
with jeweler’s rouge with a chamois. (Antique glassware

with scratches on the bottom should not have these scratches removed,
however, as they are

a proof of age.)

Hot vinegar will remove paint
stains from glass.

Two glasses stuck together? Don’t
risk an accident pulling the apart. Instead put the bottom

one in warm water and pour cold water into the top one. They should
now separate easily.

Sometimes glass objects will
shatter for no apparent reason. The cause may be

“stress fractures,” which occur because of faults during
the manufacturing process. Although shattering can’t be prevented, you can reduce the likelihood by limiting
the extremes of temperature to which glass is subjected. Plunging a cold glass into
hot dishwater is one way to induce a stress fracture.

storage place where there is some, but not excessive, humidity. Finally,
although it should go

without saying, sunlight is ruinous. It will age a valuable doll or
bear years in just a few weeks.

Hard to
remove dirt on wooden floors can sometimes be gotten rid of by carefully
rubbing with fine steel wool (#0000) moistened with turpentine.

Varnished
surfaces can usually be cleaned nicely with a cloth dipped in cool, weak tea.

To remove
the “foggy” appearance frequently found on high polished furniture, rub with the

grain of the wood, using a clean, soft cloth that has been dampened
with liquid wax. Follow with polish.

To polish very old furniture use a mixture of two parts turpentine to one part
of linseed oil, or equal parts of turpentine, linseed oil and vinegar. Apply with a soft
cloth and rub. Polish with a dry cloth.

To make scratches “invisible” in mahogany and other dark wood, carefully
go over them applying iodine, or lightly rub the scratches with a piece of cut
walnut meat or Brazil nut meat.

To remove heat marks from a varnished or shellacked finish, dampen a cloth with
spirits of camphor or essence of peppermint; dab on spot. Let dry thoroughly.
Polish. If the surface is lacquered, rub with a paste of powdered pumice and linseed oil, in
direction of grain. Polish.

Wicker
furniture should be cleaned by scrubbing with a stiff brush moistened
with warm salt

water. Salt keeps the wicker from turning yellow.

Don’t
use force with sticky drawers, or you may ruin a good piece of furniture.
If possible, wait until dry weather makes it easy to open the drawer, then rub the surface
that is sticking with soap, paraffin or stick lubricants. If this doesn’t solve the problem,
the sticking edges may need to be sandpapered or slightly planed down.

A practical ounce of prevention that will keep painted furniture free of scratches
and color fading is a thin coat of furniture wax applied to the surface. Makes
cleaning easier too.

Dents
can sometimes be removed by applying a hot iron to a damp cloth covering
the dent.

Holes
in wood can be filled with plastic wood stained to match the piece
or with white,

all-purpose glue mixed with some sawdust from the piece.

Worms
in wood can be killed by applying a liquid insecticide into the wormholes,
but the wormholes themselves, unless they are dangerous to its strength, should
be left to enhance the value of the piece.

Loose
chair rungs can be a problem. If the chair dowels appear fairly tight
in their holes, glue alone may secure them. Before you glue, however, remove any traces
of old glue or you won’t

get a bond. Resin-base carpenter glues usually will hold the best.
Very loose rungs may require the expertise of a cabinetmaker. He will probably cut a slot
in the end of the dowel

and then partially insert a hardwood shim slightly shorter than the
slot. When the rung is tapped into the hole, the shim is driven into the slot, expanding
the end of the dowel.

Glue is then used, as well.

Blisters
in veneer can be repaired by splitting the blister with a razor blade,
applying white,

all-purpose glue inside, then laying a sheet of wax paper over the
blister and weighting it down

with a very heavy object.

Water
rings may be removed by rubbing them first with cigar ash, then with
olive oil, removing the oil with naphtha, then re-waxing.

Does your piece of furniture really need refinishing? Before jumping into the
job, try wiping the piece with a damp rag. If it still appears to need refinishing, try
cleaning it up with a soft rag

and turpentine, removing all signs of the old wax. If the piece now
appears satisfactory, stop

here and apply a new coat of wax. If this fails to produce a satisfactory
result however, try rubbing the piece evenly with a soft cloth soaked in denatured alcohol.
If this doesn’t smooth out the finish, try rubbing with a soft cloth and lacquer thinner.
If one of these methods works,

rub the entire piece down using that method, then use fine steel wool
to smooth the surface

and apply a new coat of wax. Should all of these methods fail to make
the piece presentable it will be necessary to strip off the old finish.

You can replace a piece of bulging or missing veneer if you have better than
average woodworking skills…and considerable patience. Here is an overview
of how to do it. Purchase

a piece of veneer of the same wood as the missing piece and with an
approximately similar grain

pattern. You replace mahogany with mahogany, etc. A tight grain pattern
with a tight pattern,

etc. Wood specialty stores will help. Next lay the veneer over the
damaged section so that its

edges overlap the undamaged veneer. Cut through the replacement veneer
and the old veneer with a razor sharp knife. If you do this correctly the replacement
piece will perfectly fit the

outline you have cut in the undamaged portion of the old veneer. The
next step is tricky.

You need to remove every bit of veneer and old glue from the entire
area to be patched. Do

this carefully and thoroughly, with whatever scraping instrument seems
best suited. But the

surface must be “clean” before you glue down the replacement.
There are two ways to glue

down the replacement veneer. The first is with contact cement. It
is effective, but it leaves

no room for errors. You must place the patch perfectly. Alternatively,
use wood glue. Once the

patch is in place, you need to roll it down. You can buy a special
“veneer roller.” But a rolling

pin from the kitchen
works just as well. Then, for added adhesion, weight down the patch

overnight. Stacks of books, placed carefully on a sheet of waxed paper,
work very well.

(This step probably isn’t necessary if you use contact cement.) There
is one final step,

refinishing. Chances are you’ll have to refinish the entire piece.
Or maybe, after reading this,

you’ll let a “pro” do the whole job.

Damp
used tea bags or strong tea, left to stew after breakfast, and put
onto a soft cloth, are

great for darkening sun-damaged pieces of wooden furniture. It’s especially
good with oak

and mahogany. A few applications are necessary, and then varnish or
polish as normal.

This can also work with small scrapes and blemishes. Contributed by
Lainey

(paper towels recommended). Wipe with a light coating of mineral oil
or a solid cooking

shortening (some use salad oil). Bake in a low heat oven, 250 to 300
degrees F. for about 15

minutes; another group advocates oven-baking for an hour at up to
450 degrees F.; this latter

turning the iron even blacker. Finally, let cool, wipe carefully,
and the piece is ready to use.

Pieces only ornamentally intended,
or to be used outside food contact (tools, sadirons,

bookends, doorstops, etc), can be cleaned with steel wool or a fine
wire brush, followed by

a choice of: 1) wiping with mineral oil, 2) wiping with an antique-
care product containing a

good cleaning agent, or 3) spraying (not brushing) with a satin finish
clear lacquer-type

preservative.

Sandblasting is appropriate only
for very large iron objects. If steel wool is used, proceed

carefully, as bearing down too hard could cause scratches.

For very seriously pitted or
badly worn iron collectibles, sometimes painting is the only answer

to making them look presentable. On iron, a spray pint is more effective
than a brush.

Loosen a rusty screw by putting
a drop of ammonia on it.

Rust is the arch enemy of ironware.
Wrought iron resists rust better than cast iron. Soak

badly rusted articles in kerosene for 24 hours. Next, briskly rub
off the loosened rust with a

steel- wool pad. A brass-bristled brush will work more efficiently
on pieces with embossed or

raised designs or lettering. A steel- bristled brush may be used on
larger, heavy items. There

are modern commercial rust removers that do the job well. After the
rust has been removed,

scrub the item with a stiff brush, using hot sudsy water with a few
drops of disinfectant.

Towel dry and then air dry. When completely dry, coat lightly with
salad oil.

To preserve cooking pots and
to lessen future rusting, coat with vegetable oil, linseed oil, or

olive oil. Heat the coated article in a 250-degree oven for two hours.
The iron will absorb most

of the oil. Apply more oil as it becomes absorbed during the heating
process. When this

seasoning is completed, allow the utensil to cool and wipe off the
excess oil with paper towels.

The basic rules for the care of ironware are keep clean, dry thoroughly,
and keep oiled.

Grass stains can often be removed
by rubbing with cooking fat or oil and then washing in

hot water.

Ink stains can sometimes be removed
by soaking in cold water and then applying vinegar or

lemon juice. Bleach remaining stains and rinse well.

Wash items with mildew stains
in hot suds, moisten with lemon juice and salt, and dry in the

sun. If stain is old, bleach and rinse well.

Scorch marks on old linens can
sometimes be removed by simply moistening them and

exposing hem to sunlight although it may need to be repeated several
times. Normally bleach

can reduce the sight of scorch marks, but again treatment may need
to be repeated.

Sheer curtains hang better and
resist dust if lightly starched.

Old “Candlewick” bedspreads
will not be “de-tufted” if placed in a large sack or pillowcase
when

laundered in the washer.

For several generations it was
common practice to hand wash lace linens and doilies with water

and bleach and to place them outside in the hot summer sun to dry.
Experts are changing their

mind on this topic. Now they are beginning to caution that hot sun
can damage the fine fibers

in lace. And they are beginning to endorse the notion that the fine
yellow patina that unbleached

lace develops is perfectly acceptable. Now, experts say, lace can
be washed with a very mild

detergent only. Excess water should be “patted” out of the
fabric. The lace then should be

allowed to dry on a towel.

On marble, any kind of acid removes the shine. Oxalic acid is used
by pro’s in conjunction

with putty to re-polish marble. Used alone it DISSOLVES the surface.
Vinegar is used to clean

non-shiny marble. Please do everyone a favor and remove the acids
advice. The best care for

stone of any kind is keep it clean and buff it up. Use a mild detergent,
then rinse well and buff.

Beeswax is fine if you like sticky yellow marble. Carnauba wax over
clean stone is best. You

can bleach yellowed statuary with liquid bleach, since it is not acid.
You may have to leave

the bleach and water mix in for several days. OK! Jan the Marble Expert                                   

This
information was sent to us by e-mail on 4/13/03.

We are not experts so the information is presented here as received.                                         

If
fine marble statuary is cleaned with ’soap and water’ it will be ruined.
Not only do certain

soaps actually eat the surface of the stone, making it even more difficult
to clean next time,

the water will mix with the dust on the piece and create: mud. So,
you will end up with an

odd looking piece - dingy, with dark creases where the mud mix could
not be removed.

Maybe if you used a garden hose? (that was a joke I’m not a marble
expert - just an

archeologist. And I saw every statue at the Troy public library ruined
with soap and water.

It was amazing - I have *no* idea what the cleaning staff was doing.
Dirt was literally ground

into the pores of the stone - I have no idea what would have safely
removed the muck at that

point. Matte finish (Parian) marbles are the worst - leave them to
the professionals!

non-abrasive cleaning agent handled by art supply stores. To clean
a document, put on your

cotton gloves, sprinkle the Opaline on the soiled document, rub erasures
lightly in a circular

motion, and brush away soiled particles with a soft-bristled artist’s
brush. Use a bone folder

(also available at art supply stores) to unfold creased documents.
Begin in the center of your

document and press the bone folder lightly, along the back of
the crease in an outward

direction and toward the edge of the paper. When your document is
flat and clean, you’re

ready to frame it.

Never glue or tape your paper
collectibles in an album or scrapbook. Adhesives leave permanent

stains on paper and cause your collectibles to tear and break upon
removal.

If framing paper collectibles,
use an acid-free mat. Mats prevent prints, photographs, documents

and other items from contacting the frame’s glass. The precaution
will reduce stress on the

paper and provide extra protection against deterioration.

If your find paper items infested
with silverfish, crickets, etc. seal them in plastic bags and store

them in the freezer for 72 hours. This will kill the vermin that eat
and destroy paper.

Keep all paper collectibles away
from direct light and store them in acid-free materials. Acid-free

folders and boxes–also known as archival materials–have a neutral
pH of 7 and are sold by a

number of companies.

silver bags for flatware. Silver that is stored when not in use is
easy to maintain, due to the fact

that tarnish develops from exposure to sulfides (found in the air).

If you choose to display special
silver or brass pieces in a china cabinet, you will find that a

few well-placed camphor blocks and anti-tarnishing strips will lengthen
the life of the shine!

Never store silver salt &
pepper shakers for a long period of time with the salt and pepper

remaining in the shakers. Salt is very corrosive and if left in shakers
will cause pitting. Remove

the salt and wash before storing.

until just melted in a tin can set in a pan of boiling water. Use
caution, as wax is flammable.

Carefully pour the melted wax over the article so as to coat it completely
and evenly with a

thin layer of the protective wax.

To remove the odors of onions,
garlic, etc. from your wooden shredders, bowls, or mortars,

wash them quickly in baking soda dissolved in warm water.