Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Answering people’s questions (and worries) about preserving and saving family portraits of ancestors has always been a great pleasure of mine. I, myself, have done a lot of genealogy https://youtu.be/GVPlpw97ES0
Some people “get” that family history is important for lots of profound reasons and some of those reasons are multigenerational. The heirlooms and other family history items are the “triggers” that keep the stories being told and retold.
But how can something be priceless when its not worth anything? What is worth saving and protecting of our “stuff?” Frankie Boyer Talk Radio asks in an interview in Boston Mass https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/facl-in-the-media/frankie-boyer-talk-radio-interview-boston-mass/
Damaged in shipping, the example of the family portrait and keepsake is used as an educational example on packing and shipping heirlooms and items that are dear to you. Here’s another heartbreak situation of a truly gorgeous painting shaken to death in shipping. Take note, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” https://www.fineartconservationlab.com/in-lab/valuable-exquisite-150-year-old-painting-destroyed-by-careless-handling-and-shipping/
Practically ripped in half by packers, movers and storage guy who “knew-it-all.”
Art restoration questions? Let us come by and talk with you about your question. Give us a call at 805 564 3438 faclofficemanager@gmail.com Scott M. Haskins, Virginia Panizzon – Art Conservators
Items that seem unimportant and worthless to one person, can be the most precious property to someone else, perhaps in the next generation! I’ve heard of people being mad at someone else a whole lifetime for throwing out a treasured “memory trigger” of a loved family member! It doesn’t have anything to do with the financial value. Its all about the memories, your family heritage and the emotional attachments that would make loosing a keepsake heartbreaking. Its easy and economical to keep these items safe (DIY) with the authoritative advice from THE expert!!
On Amazon, get your guidebook to have complete instructions on preserving and saving your family history, heirlooms, and collectibles easily and economically.
This purchase of the most popular preservation manual for home use also includes continuing education preservation tips via email (requires separate registration but is free).https://www.SaveYourStuff.com
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Organizing Original Family History Items and Heirlooms
The first step towards saving your family history items and heirlooms is to organize them. It will also help you to remember what is important to you and your family. It is possible that what was important to you when you were just married, is different now that you are 20 years older.
High humidity, heat… or cold or storms can cause serious damage if they are stored wrong/badly (various material stick to each other). So, take great care to be aware of the light exposure, temperature fluxuations, dust, pests, humidity/potential for water, etc.,
Care and maintenance of antiques and collectibles can ensure a longer life… in fact, don’t you want them to last for generations?!
Sort the items: But remember, what is not very important to you, may be super valuable to children as they get older or to a sibling. That caution doesn’t translate into a suggestion to begin hording. Sort them into separate boxes and tag them… but don’t write on the item itself! You could cause big problems. They can be sorted/saved according to the type of material (ceramics or photos) or according to the event or person too.
Unprotected pastels and other sensitive or easily damaged art won’t make it to the next generation if you don’t take action to protect it.
Photos and papers: They need a lot of protection and care. Important newsprint or acidic paper documents can destroy your other paper or cloth valuables they come into contact with, so they should be copied and kept separate. Supplies to neutralize the acids and make them archival can also be purchased.
China and other collectibles: Must be wrapped as you box them. Newspapers (very acidic!) are the worse papers but if that is all you have for packing ceramics, glass and other non-porous items then its better than nothing. You can purchase archival packing tissue.
Art pieces: Art conservators recommend exposing valuable, important or sensitive art on paper (watercolors, woodblock prints, dyed items) for only six months at a time in as low of light as you can stand. Rotate them with other items to extend their life. You can also get UV filtering glass in the framing that will help. as it will offer a great exposure of light and dust to it. For the other six months, they can be put in storage for longer life.
Fabric: Wrap your fabric-made items in muslin and avoid contact with other materials and dyed items. Keep clean fabrics in use, such as wedding dresses or uniforms, hang them in an airy place after each use.
Military or scout meddles: Don’t showcase them in boxes with woolen back or base as they contain sulfur that can easily damage/tarnish them. Also, showcase in less light exposure places as ribbons fade. Signatures on certificates often fade if hung on the wall with a lot of light.
Emergency Preparedness Collectibles
Collectibles are loved for the monetary, cultural, artistic, and, most importantly, sentimental value. So, the need is to organize them and prepare them so that you can rescue them in case of an emergency is good energy. Having good photographic copies of your collectibles on the Internet cloud may help you to recoup after a disaster and also help you to file insurance claims.
But if you are well prepared for any emergency, you can save your precious most property more effectively.
Earthquake Preparedness for Collectibles
Placing your collectibles in a safe and secure box is a practical idea that can help in earthquakes and many other disasters. But don’t put your box of breakables on the top shelf from where it can fall.
Place them in a cabinet or safe where there is less chance of other objects falling on them like mirrors, planters, or glass doors. Will it fit and be safe under your bed?
An anchoring wax can do much to protect breakables and hanging framed items when everything begins to shake in an earthquake, hurricane or when the grandkids come over. Search for “Quake wax, Scott Haskins” on YouTube
Art restoration questions? Let us come by and talk with you about your questions. Give us a call at 805 564 3438 faclofficemanager@gmail.com Scott M. Haskins, Virginia Panizzon – Art Conservators
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Scott M. Haskins, Fine Art Conservation Laboratories, 805 564 3438 office, 805 570 4140 mobile, faclartdoc@gmail.com