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Infills and treatment of an archaeological copper alloy lamp

Infills and treatment of an archaeological copper alloy lamp

by C Del | Mar 31, 2021 | Uncategorised

During my final semester at West Dean College in 2020, studying conservation of metals, I was presented with this beautiful, simply made copper alloy lamp to work on. As you can see from the pictures it is an archaeological object, so I was excited to gain this...

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The mystery Roman objects are now conserved, all b The mystery Roman objects are now conserved, all boxed up and going back into storage, ready for a researcher to discover them. πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹πŸ‘‹ My favourite was this oblong 'thing' which the X-ray revealed had some hidden details. I had to be extremely cautious as the whole thing was corroded almost to powder, but it was worth it. 😳😳😳 A layer of silver inlay still survived! We think this is a Roman military doodah. If you have any more specific info please let me know! 🐴🐴🐴 #conservatoratwork #conservation #metalconservator #romanhistory #romanempire #ancienthistory #museumconservation #museumcollection
Today I spent a while working in the fume cupboard Today I spent a while working in the fume cupboard, lacquering Roman finds from a dig at @fishbournepalace in 1995. πŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈ We do this to slow down the corrosion, and so they can be handled and preserved for future research. πŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈ Happy Friday everyone! πŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈ #conservatoratwork #corrosion #conservator #romanhistory #archaeology #museumconservation
Still cleaning! Still cleaning!
Hellooooo πŸ‘‹ I want to show you the beautiful ob Hellooooo πŸ‘‹ I want to show you the beautiful objects I'm conserving this week. They are gold, assumed to be hair ornaments - we don't know 🀷 - and are late Bronze age (approx 3000 years ago)😳. βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ At this time the British Isles had a thriving metal mining and production industry, with trade reaching far into Europe, and talented craftspeople producing objects from jewellery to weapons. βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ These gold 'lock-rings' are part of a hoard belonging to the @noviummuseum who have kindly allowed me to conserve them. βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ This amazing work placement is at Fishbourne Roman Palace, and I'm extremely grateful to the @annaplowdentrust who have provided the opportunity for me to do this. βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ #conservatoratwork #conservator #conservation #metalconservator #museumconservation #bronzeage #britishhistory #history #hoard #gold #ancienthistory #museumwork
Some more of my mystery objects! You had questions Some more of my mystery objects! You had questions about how I clean them, and what they are, and I will endeavour to answer although I'm not an expert in Roman history, I'm a newly qualified conservator and just really interested in that weird fact that real people like you and me, used these things 2000 years ago, then lost or discarded them. πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ€” I also luuurve the quality of lab lighting πŸ˜‚ #conservatoratwork #conservator #conservstion #museumconservation #romanhistory #museumworkshop #fishbourneromanpalace
This is me at @fishbournepalace . I've been workin This is me at @fishbournepalace . I've been working my way through a box of copper alloy finds, cleaning and coating them. πŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈ Some of them are a total mystery! And some of them are extremely fragile, but each one gives us a bit more information about who lived here and what they did, 2000 years ago. πŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈπŸ–ŒοΈ #conservatoratwork #conservator #conservation #metalconservator #museumconservation #romanhistory #ironage #mysteryobject #museumlife
Tiny wins in metal conservation! I'm scalpel clea Tiny wins in metal conservation! I'm scalpel cleaning this copper alloy scabbard piece, the green corrosion is flicking off nicely and revealing some beautiful details, then suddenly I spot..... A mineral preserved thread! πŸ‘οΈπŸ˜³πŸ‘οΈπŸ˜³πŸ‘οΈπŸ˜³ Under magnification it's perfectly preserved, and after checking, there are traces of the same thing on another piece in the hoard, meaning it's probably part of the fabric it was buried with, more than 3000 years ago. πŸ”πŸ”πŸ”πŸ”πŸ” A mineral preserved organic, is (in this case) when a copper artefact is buried in contact with an organic object, and reacts with it. Eventually the copper corrosion makes a perfect cast of the organic, (it becomes mineralised) which lasts longer than the organic object itself. SCIENCE FACTS!! πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ”¬ I'm currently interning at @fishbournepalace , and this piece is part of an assemblage I'm working on for the @noviummuseum in Chichester. βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ #metalconservator #dailyconservation #conservatoratwork #conservator #metalconservation #bronzeage #ancienthistory #museumconservation #museumworkers #corrosion #iic
My desk has already become a pile of tools πŸ˜ƒ, a My desk has already become a pile of tools πŸ˜ƒ, and thorns are my favourite tool for cleaning delicate metalwork. 🌹🌹🌹 This is a bronze age chape (part of a blade sheath) which means it's around 3000 years old, and cast in copper alloy by talented craftspeople - that's 3000 years ago! 😳😳😳 βš”οΈβš”οΈβš”οΈ Its part of a hoard I'm treating for the @noviummuseum. As you can guess I'm very excited, as it's in beautiful condition, and cleaning has revealed these circle details. More hoard items coming soon! βšͺβšͺβšͺ #conservator #conservatoratwork #metalconservator #metalwork #bronzeage #ancienthistory #museumwork #museumconservation #armour
The JOY of spending a day regenerating the silica The JOY of spending a day regenerating the silica gel 😁. It's estimated that museums only display around 10-15% of their objects at any time. πŸ‘οΈπŸ‘„πŸ‘οΈ So the items in storage are kept in environmentally controlled rooms, and many things are kept in sealed boxes with a bag of silica gel which absorbs any humidity. πŸ‘οΈπŸ‘„πŸ‘οΈ When the orange beads turn to green, it has absorbed as much moisture as it can and needs to be baked in batches (hence the little ovens) to regenerate it. Then it goes back in bags and starts over again! All necessary tasks for conserving our cultural heritage for future research and display. πŸ‘οΈπŸ‘„πŸ‘οΈ #conservation #conservator #museums #conservatoratwork #heritage #museumstore #museumweek #museumlife #museumworkers
First full week of placement @fishbournepalace and First full week of placement @fishbournepalace and I have a #conservationconundrum 😁 my first box of items to assess and treat are organics (anything which was once alive - new to me as a metals person!) These were last treated in 1969 shortly after they were excavated. 52 years ago?πŸ€” ⛏️⛏️⛏️ This is a turned wooden bowl, and would have been beautiful once, probably maple or walnut burr. It is extremely fragile and has been heavily consolidated (soaked) with a type of wax used to stop organic objects from crumbling as they dry out. Also, it has been reassembled with (probably) araldite. 😬 And losses filled with wax. ⛏️⛏️⛏️ The challenge has been to remove degraded wax and dirt from the surface, but I noticed that the surface of the wood is also dissolving slightly along with the wax....... and revealing hairline cracks. Question for the community!: What would you use to consolidate the bigger cracks and very fragile edges? They are very waxy..... πŸ™πŸ™πŸ™πŸ˜Š #conservator #conservatoratwork #conservation #archaelogy #romanempire #ancienthistory #objectconservation #askaconservator
Today was my first day at Fishbourne Roman Palace, Today was my first day at Fishbourne Roman Palace, which had been put on hold for a year! I have a desk with a microscope, my own lab coat and things to treat! πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬ These pieces of leather from a nearby site were producing a white bloom while on display, and after digging out the old records we discovered that they were last treated in 1969 😬 and had been consolidated with PEG, a waxy substance, which had begun to degrade on the surface. πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬ The other item is a turned wooden bowl which is also in need of some TLC. Time for swabs! I'll be here for 2 months and I think I will very much enjoy it πŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’š . . . #conservation #conservator #conservatoratwork #dailyconservation @fishbournepalace @sussexpast
@jbrucehay admiring his plants in the morning suns @jbrucehay admiring his plants in the morning sunshine 🌞🌞🌞
I have a niece, Nahla. 😍 Shes got tiny fingers I have a niece, Nahla. 😍 Shes got tiny fingers and toes! β€οΈπŸ§‘πŸ’›πŸ’šπŸ’™πŸ’œ
This morning at the Chattri, on the south downs. T This morning at the Chattri, on the south downs. The birdsong was absolutely amazing 🐦🐦🐦
When you've had a particularly challenging week. A When you've had a particularly challenging week. And breathe 🧘
Well I'm feeling quite proud of myself for unexpec Well I'm feeling quite proud of myself for unexpectedly winning 2 awards! Thank you so much to my tutors at @westdeancollege, the British Antique Dealer's Association, and the Sydney Sanders Charitable trust for supporting And believing in me 🍾🍾🍾. 🀩🀩🀩 " The Student who has made the most progress and best performing student." 😊😊😊 And currently I'm working hard to be able to return in September for my Master's. 🀞🀞🀞 #conservatoratwork #conservators #conservation #metalconservator #restoration #museumlover #history #ancienthistory #heritage #heritageconservation @bada1918
When the @artdepthun s have worked all bank holida When the @artdepthun s have worked all bank holiday weekend to complete a job and the boss texts you to ask for a picture πŸ˜œπŸ˜‚πŸ˜œπŸ˜‚πŸ˜πŸ˜πŸ˜ oh did you mean of the job? πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ #props #propmakers #setsandscenery
Porcupine quills! Excellent tools for cleaning and Porcupine quills! Excellent tools for cleaning and poking things in conservation, as they are softer than a scalpel and a bit more resilient than a pointy bamboo skewer. πŸ¦”πŸ¦”πŸ¦”πŸ¦” Following on from @cuconservation 's posts on conservation tools, I've included this picture in my most recent blog post about the infills I created for an archaeologically recovered copper lamp. πŸͺ”πŸͺ”πŸͺ”πŸͺ” You can get to my website and student conservation blog by following the link in my bio. Or just Google my name! Sometimes it's great having a totally unique name 😁😁😁 πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬πŸ”¬πŸ‘©β€πŸ”¬ #conservation #metalconservator #tools #conservatoratwork #conservator #archaeological #romanlamp #emergingconservator #conservationblog
Twinkling underground tree roots cavern? I'm using Twinkling underground tree roots cavern? I'm using the wire roots to visually tie together the top and bottom parts of this piece. πŸ”¨πŸ“πŸ‘€πŸ˜ There's obviously quite a ways to go before it's finished, but I feel it's getting there. πŸ”¨πŸ“πŸ‘€πŸ˜ This is a private commission. If you would like to know more about my work, click the link in my bio. πŸ”¨πŸ“πŸ‘€πŸ˜ #pewter #metalsculpture #natureinspired #treesculptire #uniquegift #teapot #teapotsculpture #reliquary #familytree
Here is some work I did on a 4 day repousse and ch Here is some work I did on a 4 day repousse and chasing course, a couple of years ago with @miriamhanid . πŸ”¨πŸ”¨πŸ”¨ I wanted to learn how I could add extra texture to my work, and it's also helped to understand metallurgy. For instance under a microscope, you can identify the processes which have been applied to an object during its fabrication, by how the metal grains look. πŸ”¨πŸ”¨πŸ”¨ I would highly recommend Miriam's course if you want to learn this technique. πŸ”¨πŸ”¨πŸ”¨ #metalwork #repousse #conservatoratwork #conservator #metalconservator
Conservators look away again! πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ I need to m Conservators look away again! πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ I need to make a dish for the inside of my latest commission, and so I cut the base off a very bashed up pewter teapot, flared out the rim and gold leafed it. πŸ™ˆπŸ™‰πŸ™Š I love working with pewter because it's so malleable. I reshaped the rim without needing to heat the metal - just with a burnishing tool. Pewter is an alloy of predominantly tin, and antique pewter can include any or all of copper, lead, antimony and Bismuth. πŸ‘€πŸ”¨πŸ‘€ The very low melting temperature of tin (231Β°)means that it's extremely reactive to the torch and if you apply the heat for just a millisecond too long, you end up with a big hole in your work. πŸ•³οΈπŸ•³οΈπŸ‘€πŸ‘€πŸ‘€ #metalconservator #conservation #teapot #pewter #metalwork #conservator
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