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Antiques - Caring for Your Wooden Pieces

By Michael Russell

Caring for your antique wood pieces is critical to keep their value. Even though the pieces are very old, don't neglect proper care for them. Wooden pieces such as antique chairs, tables, dressers, etc have different requirements than other types of antiques.

Every day care. If your antiques are part of your daily life (which great pieces are!), then make sure they are treated with care. The value of an antique goes down if the original finish is removed, so you want to avoid this type of restoration work. Always use coasters under cups and glasses, even just a cup of coffee. Wooden surfaces can be damaged by heat as well as moisture. If the piece is a dining room table, make sure that you have a trivet or other heat protective mat to place food on. Don't push anything across the surface of the piece. That means do not slide plates, decorative pieces or anything else over the top of the table or desk. Doing this can result in scratches on the surface. While you may be able to buff away very small surface scratches, anything deep will need to be repaired by a professional. Clean up spills right away. To protect the finish on your piece, clean up all liquid and solid spills immediately. If the liquid is some sort of solvent (such as polish remover), blot the liquid rather than wiping so you don't risk removing more finish by smearing the solvent over a wider area. Dust your wood antiques with a clean dry cloth. You don't need to be using a spray cleaner on your antiques.

Long term care. How you treat your antiques over the long run will determine how well they keep their value. Controlling the humidity is one important factor. Depending on where you live, you may have damp conditions all the time, or dry winters and moist summers. With wood antiques, you want the humidity to be as stable as possible. This means don't store your pieces in a damp basement, or in a stuffy attic. Seasonal changes will have the biggest impact on your pieces. Consider installing a humidifier on your furnace to raise the humidity levels in winter and run a dehumidifier during the summer months. Keep your pieces out of direct sunlight. While that end table may look great in front of the south facing window, the sunlight that shines on the table can yellow the finish. And it will discolor unevenly. Wax your pieces three or four times a year. Using a paste wax, apply a small amount in a circular motion, then buff dry with a new cloth. This waxing will give you a depth of color and finish and will remove any tiny surface scratches. Do not use spray polish, as this can actually remove the finish from your piece. The only time you want to use a spray polish is when you have a waxy buildup that has dulled the finish on your antique.

Following these tips will give your wooden antiques a long life, keep their value and allow you to pass on heirloom pieces to your family.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Antiques

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Is It Solid? Test the solidity of the piece. Sit on a chair, then push your weight forward and back; if the chair wobbles and moves with you, it�s loose and needs to be reglued. Check for wobbling on a table or bureau by placing your hand on a corner and shaking the piece.
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The process of hand blowing glass is thought to have originated in the first century BC. It is attributed to the Romans, who blew a molten substance into molds and then shaped it into vessels. Centuries later, the Babylonians developed the technique of using a long metal tube to blow molten substances used in glass-making and create bottles or drinking glasses.
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Antiques is their primary business. As in any exchange, dealing with someone who plans to be in the business on a continuing basis is much better for the customer. The reason for this is that those who have an ongoing antique business live or die by reputation. If they treat someone badly or cheat them, word of mouth will kill their business rather quickly. Therefore, they are motivated, if they wish to make a living selling antiques, to be honest.
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Antiques Poll of the Week

If your answer is "Yes, I Own One!," please post a comment and tell us about it. Curious antiquers await!


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Chinese Antiques - Calligraphy

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:44 -0600
Chinese Cabinets, Chests, Tables, Statues and Carvings - Ancient Chinese Vases, jewelry of Brass, Bronze and Wooden Art - and an Introduction to Calligraphy.

Antiques Poll of the Week

If your answer is "Yes, I Own One!," please post a comment and tell us about it. Curious antiquers await!


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Is There A Difference Between Vintage And Antique?

By Herbert Sanchez

Antiques, simply put, are old items, things left over from a bygone world, markers of eras past. The Titanic wreck is an antique, although we don't think of it as such. The only difference between this and what we normally consider antiques is that the Titanic, though having value, can't be bought or auctioned off.

Thats another distinction regarding antiques: They have a market value. Although in an economic sense this is true, in the true definition of the word and concept of antiques, its irrelevant. Antiques are known for their age and, quite often, their rare and/or unusual design. Hey, even the Titanic has a particular design which represents it as an icon of a certain era, with a history all its own.

Of course, when it comes to antiques, its important to distinguish between antiques, collectibles, and vintage:

Antiques: Items of the past, usually identifying a particular era, with some value--economic, personal, cultural, artistic, but always intrinsic. Think: 1915 one-piece bathing suit, a 'Model A' automobile, an authentic revolutionary tricorn hat, and, of course, the Titanic.

Collectable: Items produced to be collected and can comprise a series, such as baseball cards. Of course some arent produced for this reason, such as butterflies or coins, but, like antiques, they can form interesting collections and are each of a particular type which distinguishes them from the rest in the series. Think: a 1912 penny or a 1956 Buffalo nickel. These are distinctively different but are both unique coins, therefore they are collectable. They are also antiques! Collectables usually have some monetary value, but they are always sought for their personal value.

Vintage: This is synonymous with 'antique,' but there is a difference. Vintage wine, for example, is that which is made primarily of grapes harvested within a specific year. Its not too unreasonable to presume, then, that vintage items are not only identifiers of a particular historical era, but also a particular year, such as the 1912 penny, or the 1956 Buffalo nickel--or the Titanic!

Antiques cannot be discussed without mentioning road shows. Begun in England during the 1950s, road shows are collectives of antique enthusiasts (dealers, collectors, specialists) who travel around a particular country (sometimes internationally) appraising the monetary value of old items for those who are interested. Sometimes auctions take place where interested owners can sell their antiques (or collectables) to others who are interested in buying them. Nowadays, both road shows and auctions take place online as well as in some physical place.

Modern antiques, a seeming contradiction, are those items that are either technologically obsolete, such as computer hardware no longer being made, or items that are more recent yet still old enough to be considered antiques. Customs laws and dealers vary on the stipulation of age, but the commonly accepted age range for modern antiques is anything made within the previous 100 years. The 1956 Buffalo nickel, a Beatles album, and, yes, even the Titanic fit into this category.

Historically, however, antiques hold a particular reference. Those relics from Old Greek and Roman civilizations--called the 'Age of Antiquity'--are particularly considered antiques, but this is only applied in certain contexts, not in the true sense of definition.

Antiques are all around us! They describe our world and who we are as a people, and measure where weve been and where we are now. Antiques are an ongoing commodity of human civilization and will always hold significance to us. Without antiques, we can never know ourselves.


About The Author

Find more Antique resources at www.all-antique-collectibles.info, and other great topics here www.information-checkstop.info.

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White powder forming on glass or pottery with a lead glaze is poisonous. Remove the item!
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Where to purchase antiques? For most people the only way to get involved in collecting is simple to collect. Get a good set of antique books, price guide information, and dive in by shopping for antique furniture, antique hardware, or other collectibles. Antique dealers can spot "newbies" so be careful not to get in over your head. Start slow.
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When negotiating the price of an object at a flea market or garage sale, sometimes it can be effective to take a wad of bills out of your pocket. That�s a sign that you�re ready to pay, you�re paying in cash and are prepared to close the deal.
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Chinese Paintings and Scrolls, Calligraphy on Antique Chinese Art Forms

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:38 -0600
Antique Chinese paintings and scrolls, calligraphy on wall panels, Chinese ancestor paintings, vintage art on reverse glass, porcelain and more.

Wood Antiques and The Basics About Wood

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:22:06 -0600
Find primitive wooden crafts, old wood boxes, frames, magazine racks, rocking chairs, vintage signs and decorative art. Oak, mahogany, walnut, pine, rosewood, maple, elm - different uses were made of these throughout the centuries. Learn the basics about the different kinds of wood that are regularly seen in antique furniture and some common wooden decorative treatments.


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