Having found and dug up a nice relic , brought it home and rinsed off the dirt and cleaned it up using oxalic acid , the next step would be to preserve it and try to stop the object from rusting away.
In this little Step-by-Step I`ll show how I treat the relics I want to keep in my display. It is a relatively quick process and you `ll need a few things :
* a well ventilated area
* a small tub
* soft paintbrush or airbrush
* White Spirit/Odourless Mineral Spirit
* Renaissance Wax or other preservation wax
In this little Step-by-Step I`ll show how I treat the relics I want to keep in my display. It is a relatively quick process and you `ll need a few things :
* a well ventilated area
* a small tub
* soft paintbrush or airbrush
* White Spirit/Odourless Mineral Spirit
* Renaissance Wax or other preservation wax
The Renaissance Wax is a micro-crystalline wax polish used by museum curators , collectors and restoration spescialists. This stuff dries hard and matt and will protect the item from air exposure , finger marks etc. Usually it is applied with a soft cloth , but for some relics its easier to mix it with mineral spirit. You can also remove the wax from an object using minearal spirit should you ever need to.
I put a small blob of the wax into a glass followed by a swig of the mineral spirit. This must be mixed thoroughly as the wax needs to become completely dissolved . If not done well enough you will have small white specks of wax showing on the relic when the whole thing dries , and then you have to start working on it again. Best to try get it right the first time around by having patience with the mixing. We are looking for that milk - like consistency , and again making sure the wax is completely dissolved.
Now it is just to brush the wax on to the item making sure it reaches any nook and cranny and put it to dry.
I let this one dry for a day or so before I had to spend an hour removing a few of those white specks of wax , but when that was done I could put the helmet back onto its shelf , looking just as it did , well maybe the color looks slightly fresher than it did before.
To preserve other relics you might want to used the wax straight from the can. Then just apply it with a fine cloth or lens tissue and buff it gently.
We have recently made our own blend of preservation wax, check it out here: http://www.hobbyhistorica.com/the-workbench/hobbyhistoricas-preservation-wax
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