How to Repair an Antique
Glad you read the headline for this post and glad you decided to read the post because this post may save you thousands of dollars.
Every antique dealer and appraiser in the country has horror stories about clients who decided to repair their own antiques. I remember talking to an antique dealer in the great state of Vermont who told me a story of a lady who decided to strip down the old paint off of an antique table before it was seen by an expert.
Unfortunately, she cried after being told that she had devalued the piece by half after stripping off the old paint.
Before doing any repair work on a piece no matter how small the work may seem, allow a qualified expert or a knowledgeable dealer to see the piece. Most reputable dealers can advise you and also provide names of qualified repair people who are experienced in dealing with antiques. Also, museums are excellent sources to find qualified antique experts. However, let an expert or a qualified antique dealer see the piece before any repairs are done.
Do no repair antiques yourself and do not do any amount of repair work until a qualified antique dealer has advised you on how a repair will affect the value of the piece.
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August 12th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
This information I needed. Thanks for adding to the blog. I appreciate it a lot.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
I’ve found an excellent and reasonably priced restorer at Tarrytown Woodworks, a few miles north of NYC. His work is painstaking and he takes real pride in his craftsmanship.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:19 am
This is very good advice. I’m the 5th generation of antique restorers and we have people bring in antiques that they have “started” and given up - either from fear of doing further damage or because they just don’t know what to do next. If anyone has any questions or needs advice, don’t hesitate to let us know.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
We have had many of these horror stories ourselves. Great advice.
December 27th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
We have had many customers take their metal items to reputible ‘jewelers’ who are not knowledgeable about soldering temperatures related to vintage metal items. A candelabra is not a ring. If you don’t want your metal items MELTED, please only trust an experienced Silversmith.