Restoration: 18th Century Table

I completed this restoration project last year but haven't had a chance to tell you about it. This table posed a bit of a challenge for me. The table top had suffered some severe water damage which had almost completely removed the gilded surface. The sides of the table had also become heavily chipped and scratched.

When approaching the treatment of this table I had to look at the tables construction, which was wood covered in a layer of gesso and the top gilded. I also had to bare in mind that the client only had a limited budget and needed the item ready in a short amount of time, as they were giving it to a friend.

After much consideration I chose to retouch the damaged areas to blend them in to the surface so that they did not stand out. This way would take less time than regilding the surface, the appearance of the table would look better and all treatment would be reversible if the new owner ever wanted to have the full treatment carried out.

Firstly the whole table needed cleaning. Whenever I have a new item to clean I always carry out cleaning test on the surface. For these particular surfaces distilled water was effective at removing any dirt but did not remove any of the paint layer. From these tests I concluded using rabbit skin glue and water colour paints to retouch the surface. They are both soluble in hot water, so if the treatment needed to be reversed, water could be used without removing any original paint. I started by sealing the areas of exposed gesso using rabbit skin glue. I then retouched the gesso areas using water colour paints mixed with more rabbit skin glue. When I retouch I try to paint the area with a neutral colour that blends into the background, this way your eye is not drawn to the retouched area but on close inspection you see it is not the original surface.

Thankfully I managed to complete the treatment in the given amount of time and I think the final result has a subtle effect, which is exactly right. The owner was pleased so it was a good job all round.

When retouching anything historical it is always good ethics to apply the '6 foot 6 inch' rule. From 6 feet away the object looks complete and undamaged, from 6 inches away you can see which areas are original and which have been retouched.
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Restoration: Polish Doll

This project came to me before Christmas but I haven't had chance to tell you about it. It was a lovely little restoration project just before the holiday period. This doll belonged to my client since her childhood. Although I do not know the exact history, a helpful sticker on the base of the foot proclaimed it to be polish. It was made entirely from wood, with painted features, and synthetic hair.

Before Treatment

The doll was actually in a fair condition. Due to an elastic band joint in the legs deteriorating, the legs of the doll had become detached from the main body. Some of the hair was lifting from the scalp and a plait unravelling where the ribbon was missing. Otherwise, the doll was in a clean condition with very little surface damage. I was commissioned to carry out repairs on the legs and hair.

It was decided that the joint would not be replaced with elastic, which may deteriorate again, but with a strip of leather. It was felt that the leather would with stand the movement of the legs for the longest period of time without fraying or splitting. So the first thing to do was remove the old elastic and one of the dowels in the side of the leg. The new leather was entered into the holes and secured with adhesive.

Leather strip visible at the side having been fed through the holes in the legs and body. The leather was then cut.

The hair was also plaited and secured with sympathetic coloured thread, and the hair adhered back to the scalp.

After treatment

I think that she ended up looking great, and hopefully will last for many more years to come.
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