| Ceramic items are generally made of cooked clay and are either pottery or porcelain, both of which can be quite fragile, so here are some pointers to help you look after your antique, vintage and collectible ceramic pieces.\n\n\nCleaning Antique and Vintage Collectable Ceramic Items.\n\n\n- Don't soak or put ceramic pieces in the dishwasher, as this can cause old repairs to become loose, and some pieces can absorb water that could result in damage, staining, cause stress to the piece and damage hand painted finishes and overglazes.\n\n- Wash the piece in warm water with a little, gentle washing-up liquid, brushing, very gently (don't scrub), to remove dirt from crevices, with a soft brush (a small childs tooth brush is ideal for this).\n\n- Rinse soap and residue away with clean warm water.\n\n- Put the piece aside in a safe place to dry naturally - don't dry them with a towel or cloth. \n\nNote: One should never use any kind of abrasive products, bathroom cleaners, dishwasher powders or bleach on ceramic items. Hydrogen peroxide and sterilising products are also sometimes suggested for cleaning ceramics but don't use them, their ingredients can react and cause damage, such as fading to overglaze and staining. \n\nPoint to remember: BE GENTLE!\n\n\n\nRepairing Antique and Vintage Ceramic Pieces.\n\n\n- There are many kinds of adhesives available, however, using them to repair valued ceramics is a task best left to the professionals. If you do use adhesive, to repair a ceramic piece, you'll probably find it seeps out. Glues can turn yellow, causing the repair to become unsightly and they can be hard to remove. \n\n\n- Don't paint over a damaged area, as you won't get an exact colour match (there are over 100 shades of white); colour matching takes a lot of skill and training.\n\n\n- If a ceramic piece has been repaired (even by a conservator), don't use it for serving food, it could be a health hazard. \n\n\n- Don't heat up cracked plates in the oven, this can increase the size of the crack, split the piece altogether or damage past repairs. \n\n\nPoint to Remeber: If you discover damage on a ceramic piece that is special to you, contact a qualified ceramics conservator for advice. A botched home repair will be more expensive to rectify than getting professional advice from the start. \n\n\nPreventing Accidental Damage To Your Antique and Vintage Ceramics.\n\n\nAlthough accidents cannot be totally avoided, you can take precautions to reduce the risk of damage to your antique and vintage ceramics:\n\n\n- When handling antique and vintage ceramic items, avoid holding them by their handles or other vulnerable areas, as age and hidden repairs may have weakened them. \n\n- When holding or transporting antique and vintage ceramics be aware of loose pieces, such as lids that could come off and remove them first. \n\n- Always carry pottery and porcelain pieces with both hands. \n\n- If you need to move heavy items, make sure that they are fully supported and get someone else to help with the carrying, lifting and opening doors. \n\n- It's usually safer to move antique and vintage ceramic pieces in a box or basket padded with tissue, bubble wrap or clean cloth. \n\n\nPoint To Remember: Handeling and moving antique and vintage pottery and porcelain items can put stress on them and cause acceidental damage, it can also cause existing damage and repairs to deteriorate, so avoid handleing and moving antique and vintage ceramic pieces.\n\n\nDisplaying Antique and Vintage Ceramics.\n\n\nA major part of the joy of collecting pottery and porcelain is being able to display and enjoy them in your home environment. However, when displaying antique and vintage ceramic items, care should be taken to ensure that you're not exposing them to the risk of damage. So here are some points that you may want to consider, when chosing a spot for your antique and vintage pottery and porcelain pieces:\n\n\n- Are your antique and vintage ceramic pieces placed somewhere that people or animals can knock them over? \n\n- Is your home prone to vibrations from trains, traffic or planes?\n\n- Are your antique and vintage ceramic pieces displayed in an area, where they may suffer from staining from nicotine, coal dust or other pollutants? \n\n\n- Display cabinets are usually a good place for displaying and storing delicate antique and vintage ceramics. However, whatever the loaction you select to display your antique and vintage pottery and porcelain, you should ensure that objects are set back from the edge and that there is enough space between each piece. \n\n- Plate stands are also an effective way to display your pottery and porcelain plates, but make sure they are stable and won't topple over. \n\n- If you want to display a plate on the wall, make sure the wire hanger is covered with plastic. If not, the plate hanger could scratch or chip the edge of the plate. \n\n- The plate hanger should be a good fit, if you find it difficult to fit the plate hanger on the plate, it may be too small and place unnecessary stress on the plate and cause damage to the rim.\n\n\nPoint To Remember: Never glue display accessories to your antique and vintage ceramic pieces.\n\n\nPlease note that this information has been obtained from a variety of sources, and it is to the best of our knowledge correct. However, Steptoes Dog does not accept responsibility regarding its accuracey, or any adverse occurances, damage or injury resulting from the use of this information. |
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