10
votes
How to remove the yellowish color from my old drawings?
I don't believe there is a way to remove the yellow staining but there are a lot of methods to keep it from getting any worse.
The reason your paper is turning yellow is because of the quality of ...
- 2,956
7
votes
Restoring a wooden box with metal inlay
Thought it would be useful to show what I did and the results. So, in the end I:
Cleaned the metal corrosion off using vinegar. Initially with a cotton bud but then I switched to gently rubbing using ...
- 253
6
votes
Accepted
How Do I Save This Shirt
It's unlikely that you'll be able to disguise the holes in any way that's not noticeable; instead, I would recommend looking into the Japanese process "sashiko," a mending process made deliberately ...
- 3,902
6
votes
Can I use epoxy to stabilize/restore 18th century giant pottery?
I'm not a conservator, so I cannot give you a definite answer. And the answer will depend on the value of the object. If this is a rare remnant of history, do not attempt any restoration and let a ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
5
votes
Accepted
Polishing a scratched Ruby
If the scratch is small enough but has discolored edges (like a scratched or chipped glass) then you could rub some vaseline or silicone oil over it to even out the light refraction.
If the scratch ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
5
votes
Restoring a poster print using watercolour
I don't have any pictures, but I once saw a "restored" print technique which amazed me. The damaged painting was valuable, so the owner didn't want to modify it directly. So he bought two ...
- 3,235
5
votes
Removing creases from an oil painting canvas
Stretching it properly on the right sized frame should be enough to remove the creases, no water required. Properly is:
Procuring a support of the right dimensions. The original frame on which the ...
- 3,159
5
votes
Covering for office chair
In theory it's not too hard to make your own custom chair cover.
First and foremost you'll need to measure your chair. Measure the seat and backrest separately and don't forget to measure the ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
4
votes
Restoring a poster print using watercolour
I don’t think you will ever be able to satisfactorily repair a watercolor painting with this kind of damage. Gluing paper is risky, because you will never be able to match the texture and grain ...
- 2,812
4
votes
How do I replace a rotten wood base to a plaster statue?
Looks like the original plaster covered the wooden base, which makes for excellent repair possibilities. Though removing the existing base may prove tricky.
As a result you may not want to remove it ...
- 447
4
votes
Accepted
Restoring a wooden box with metal inlay
Let me start with a disclaimer. If it was my box, I wouldn't try to restore it. There's a good chance of turning it into a mess. Right now, it shows the character of age. Trying to restore it ...
- 11.5k
4
votes
Covering for office chair
Honestly, you can use whatever fabric you think will be comfortable. Some may experience some additional wear, but you can patch or remake the piece as needed, so with comfort your main focus on the ...
- 3,902
4
votes
Repairing a leather and stainless steel bracelet
If the leather fits back in the clasp
It doesn't look like it in the picture, but if the leather can be inserted back in the clasp, I would use E6000 adhesive to glue it in. It bonds aggressively ...
- 11.5k
3
votes
Accepted
How do I clean dried brushes?
You need a Brush Cleaner and Restorer formulated for this task. There are a few of these available, only in art supply stores; you'll want to check with the ones around you to see what you can ...
- 3,902
3
votes
Mug fixing with Araldite
Per an email from Araldite customer service:
None of our Araldite® products carry food safety certifications (although there are several that would likely be safe for food contact).
Best ...
- 3,902
3
votes
Best way to restore my old vintage wooden cricket bat
This is what I would do if I had to do this:
Use fine sandpaper to remove the stickers and the lacquer.* You may want to sand down the scratches as well, but I can’t tell by the photos if that would ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
Photo of Ruins, how to Paint it as if it is in original Time period
I can tell you with certainty that architecture like this does exist, is still being built and is pretty common in Europe, for example in Halle or Leipzig, Germany. You can also see examples of it in ...
- 2,812
3
votes
Is there any way to uncrush an empty toilet paper tube so that it's circular again?
Unfortunately you won't be able to completely "uncrush" the tube again.
Remember that we are dealing with cardboard here, which is essentially a mass of compacted fibers. When you create a crease (or ...
- 1,166
3
votes
Correcting mold damage to paper
A rather superficial blog article on removing mold from books suggests a light bleach/water wipe, but a book conservator in the comments threads wrote:
Some notes from a book conservator, just hoping ...
- 2,615
3
votes
Remove duct tape adhesive residue from fabric
Goo Gone and similar products work quite well on hard surfaces for removing adhesive residue. You will find that the recommendations for such products also include testing on a hidden portion or ...
- 7,231
3
votes
Is it possible to restore the plastic on a pickguard without removing a signature on it?
Please do not soak the pickguard in peroxide! That's highly likely to remove or damage the permanent marker signatures since peroxide is a bleaching agent. You might be able to carefully clean around ...
- 366
3
votes
How to remove the yellowish color from my old drawings?
b_jonas is on the right path...
Take a high quality scan or photo of the discolored work. Then take that scan and in photo editing software correct out the yellowed tone. A decent app will have tools ...
- 3,159
3
votes
Accepted
Estimating the amount of wool stuffing needed for a project
It seems, from casting about online, that the use of wool stuffing for refurbishing furniture cushions is somewhat outmoded, even for a restoration project such as yours where authenticity is desired. ...
- 1,025
3
votes
How Do I Save This Shirt
You're asking a lot to repair that so it isn't noticeable (although if time or cost is no object it could probably be done; I've seen damaged art canvases invisibly repaired with a microscope, ...
- 11.5k
3
votes
How Do I Save This Shirt
A less noticable way to repair such a tear is to patch it from behind.
Cut a patch of matching fabric that covers the whole gap plus one inch in every dimension. Position the patch behind the tear ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
3
votes
Accepted
How to repair leather supports on a sling chair?
The solution I came up with was to leave the leather in place and cover it with something equally strong and durable to handle the stress and wear and tear. I used strong cotton webbing that is ...
- 11.5k
3
votes
How to restore a 30 year old plaited leather bracelet
There are several kinds of leather feeders, I see specialists on TV use them as the first step in restoring leather items.
I myself have only used colourless shoe polish on a natural leather bag and ...
- 2,926
3
votes
Accepted
Restoration/fixing of an antique chipped beer mug
First question: how "antique" is this mug?
I don't have the expertise to make an educated guess, but at least to me this doesn't look like a cheap mug made to look old.
Usually the older an ...
Elmy♦
- 12.6k
2
votes
How to remove the yellowish color from my old drawings?
Take high quality digital scans or photographs of it.
That won't undo the damage if some of the drawing is already lost, but digital editing may help make the parts of the art that are still there ...
- 121
2
votes
Correcting mold damage to paper
Not sure it's the best answer, but I found a research paper by Ciofini et. al. to remove ('bleach') mold and foxing from paper.
In it, they use
a QS Nd:YAG (532 nm) laser,
operating at an energy of ...
- 971
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible