Maintenance method 1: How to prevent the watchcase from collapsing?
There is a long, thick and heavy box called bookcase box, also called several boxes. Its case surface and legs are not integrated, but detachable. Commonly known as "a piece of jade" in the north and "stalk board" in the south, it was popular in the late Qing Dynasty, and people generally used it to place heavy chimes or rock bonsai.
Because the items on the case are heavy, there is a lot of pressure on the case. Because both ends of the box are supported by box legs, it is not difficult, but the middle of the box is suspended, which is in danger of collapse after a long time. In order to avoid this phenomenon, the case surface should be turned over every one year or half a year, so that the slightly curved case surface will be restored to its original state by changing the direction of force.
Maintenance method 2: painting
Due to the humid climate in the south, in order to prevent moisture, the surface of Soviet-made furniture is basically covered with a thin layer of raw lacquer. If the paint is brushed thin, it will be very transparent, which can prevent the invasion of moisture without covering up the beauty of the wood itself. Su Zuo furniture is characterized by internal and external painting and internal and external protection. Widely used furniture is also painted. Painting is difficult for ordinary people, so you can ask professionals to do it. Beijing hardwood furniture is not painted, but only a layer of wax is burned on the surface. Because the climate in the north is dry, there is no need to paint, and after waxing, the wax on the surface of furniture will penetrate into the wood after long-term repeated friction and oxidation to produce patina. Patina, also called "wood rust", is a term borrowed from bronzes. It is very valuable in ancient furniture, which is both beautiful and generous, and can protect furniture. The surface of furniture with patina can't be scalded by boiling water, nor can it be stained with highly soluble liquid, such as gasoline, otherwise it will destroy patina.
Maintenance method 3: Conform to wood property
People's health care should conform to human nature, and furniture maintenance should also conform to wood nature, that is, the "temper" of furniture;
Every household in the north has heating in winter, so it is comfortable for people to be close to the heating, but the furniture should be far away from the heating to avoid excessive shrinkage and cracking of wood due to excessive temperature.
When summer comes, it often rains, so furniture should be avoided by the window to avoid getting wet in rainy days and damaging the surface and mortise.
Many furniture is also afraid of the wind, especially furniture with surfaces such as tables, boxes and cabinets. Due to the influence of "dry shrinkage and wet expansion", it is easy to crack and warp when it is blown at the tuyere for a long time.
Furniture is no better than a camp bed, so you can toss it around. Therefore, furniture should not be moved violently, so it must be handled with care, not too often, otherwise it will easily fall apart.
Furniture can't be kept in one place all the time. As the saying goes, "running water doesn't rot, and the walls of the family don't rot." With the change of seasons, the placement of furniture should be adjusted appropriately. If you keep it in one place, it will rot easily. I often see such ancient furniture: the front and side are exquisite, and the side against the wall is terrible, just like a stunning beauty burned half of her face, which makes people feel infinite regret. ...
In short, for people, the temper of furniture is "diligent and easy to disperse, long quiet and easy to rot"; For the weather, the temper of furniture is "only gradual change, no sudden change". Collectors must suit their own interests and conform to the nature of wood, and exquisite ancient furniture can last for a long time.
"Shun Mu" is the purpose and concept of furniture maintenance. Here are some specific maintenance techniques.
Maintenance method 4: How to maintain the desktop?
There is an old saying: "You can't make hot tea on a cold table." This sentence can be said to conform to the nature of wood, because the ambient temperature for storing furniture cannot be quenched and heated. Such as stone furniture (such as tables, screens, etc. ) It should not be placed outdoors in winter or exposed to the sun in summer to avoid cracking.
Dining tables used by ancient people are often very well protected. Why? Because the ancients didn't eat and drink tea like people do now, the leftovers were piled up on the table and stained. They eat and drink tea on trays to protect the desktop. If a servant girl or page accidentally spills tea or rice soup on the table, she will be reprimanded.
Oil stains on the desktop can be wiped with alcohol. If there is no alcohol, you can also wipe it with highly alcoholic liquor. This is a common method used by big families in Beijing in the old days.
Maintenance method 5: Match the table cover.
In ancient times, expensive furniture was equipped with table towels, most of which were made of cloth. For example, in the Qing Dynasty, the imperial palace used blue cloth as a tablecloth instead of satin (it is wrong for some official dramas to use satin as a tablecloth), mainly because the water absorption of cloth is better than satin. Blue cloth not only absorbs water, but also absorbs dust. At that time, it was called "Yin Dan Shi Lin Bu".
Blue tablecloths are usually dark blue edges and light blue cores, or black edges and blue cores, which are used to match expensive black and red furniture. Warm colors and cool colors are in sharp contrast, which is very layered.
Maintenance method 6: keep dry and cope with seasonal changes.
In areas with obvious seasonal changes, the maintenance of furniture is extremely particular. For example, after dog days, spring and autumn, etc. When the climate changes from wet to dry or from dry to wet, you should open the cupboard door and open the drawer in time to synchronize the wind inside and outside the furniture to avoid warping because one side is too dry or too wet.
However, when the wind blows, the furniture should not be exposed to the sun or placed in the tuyere, but should be placed in a cool and dry place. Because too much sunlight will destroy the material of wooden furniture, resulting in wood cracking or warping, we should try our best to ensure that ancient furniture is not exposed to the sun, while maintaining moderate dryness.
Maintenance method 7: Waxing
If the furniture is used for many years, the luster will gradually disappear, which will affect the appearance.
In this case, floor wax, beeswax, etc. Can be baked in the sun or by the fire, so that the old leather shoes brush can be scraped repeatedly, so that the brush is covered with many fine melted wax particles. Then brush the furniture repeatedly with this brush covered with wax particles. This method is called "dry wax shaking". After "dry-shaking wax" treatment, the tarnished "furniture" immediately "glows", which is more effective than female cosmetics. You can also wax directly with the bought bainite or floor wax.
It should be noted that waxing should be carried out after the dust is completely removed, otherwise wax spots will be formed or scratches will be caused by wear. When waxing, we should master the principle of from shallow to deep, from point to surface, and wax gradually and evenly. Of course, the most ideal thing is to wax in a professional manufacturer.
One of the methods handed down from ancient times is to brush furniture with walnut oil, and palm oil and peanut oil are also used in Shanxi. In fact, these methods are all wrong, because the wood is coated with grease, which has a high density and will penetrate into it, thus changing the refraction of wood to light and making its moisture worse. The initiator of this oiling trend is furniture counterfeiters, who make furniture old by oiling. However, as a furniture collector, we should resolutely refuse this practice. Oiled furniture is particularly easy to be contaminated with dust, often filled with the smell of "oil twist", which destroys the color, fragrance and taste of ancient furniture for hundreds of years.
Another method is to iron the wax, that is, dry-wipe the wax on the surface of furniture, then dry-blow the wax into a liquid state with a hot hair dryer, brush it evenly with a brown brush, and then remove the floating wax on the surface with sawdust or bamboo chips after it cools and solidifies, and finally "shake" the light with a brown brush and cloth. This is a more professional and difficult method, otherwise it will be "new" and amateurs and novices are not encouraged to adopt it rashly.
Maintenance method 8: deal with loose furniture parts.
Don't be nervous if the parts of the furniture are loose. In fact, the higher the quality of wooden furniture, the more likely it is to happen. You can try to use toothpicks, white glue or cardboard to block and reinforce, and never use 502 to remove it.
If a part of the furniture falls off (such as drawer ring, etc.). ), the most important thing to pay attention to is to protect the fallen part. In the jargon, it is called "the dead body never leaves the ground". This detached part can be tied to the furniture with the same color wool. If it is a part on a cabinet or drawer, it can also be placed in a cabinet or drawer. Never put it anywhere to avoid long-term loss or abandonment for other reasons. Otherwise, once it can be repaired and cannot be found, it is almost impossible to find the original parts. If the furniture is too loose, you can tie it with a rope, or put it in a sack and ask an expert to repair it. Never use adhesive tape and other chemical products to bond, so as to avoid improper handling.
Maintenance method 9: How to move furniture
Many people's furniture is well protected at home, but once they move home, it's over. Many of the furniture I have seen was damaged during handling. For furniture collectors, moving is a university question. You will be surprised if you don't learn, unless you decide not to move for life. In particular, collectors with more collections should make up this lesson, because there are more furniture, so they must be packed to save space. If they are not packed properly, the phenomenon of broken legs will follow.
The first step in stacking is to find out the stacking order. First of all, put solid and heavy furniture on the bottom floor to make the bottom. You can't use the bed because it is thick but not strong. Clumsy stone chairs and stools are best placed with their feet facing the sky, so that the center of gravity is lowered and it is not easy to be damaged. When loading and transporting, it is also best to use four-legged type, even if it is shaken violently, it will not damage the tenon and mortise.
The stacking of beds is very complicated, so it is necessary to remove the screen and shelf first, and then stack the small bed feet one by one on the top of the big bed. At this time, there are many gaps between the legs of the bed, and fences, shelves and carved boards can be tied up and placed in these gaps.
The stacking of chairs is also very particular. If the warehouse area is small, it's best to stack the chairs like a pair of ducks (that is, one on all fours and the other on all fours), and then pack and tie them up to save space. Another advantage of this size is that it does not drop dust, which not only protects the chair surface, but also saves land, which is safe and hygienic.
Maintenance method 10: dust removal
Due to environmental pollution, there is more and more dust in the air, especially in cities, so the key lesson of protecting furniture is dust removal. Many furniture has carved parts or complicated hollowed-out parts, which are particularly easy to accumulate dust. You can wipe them with soft cotton cloth, but remember two things:
First, no towels. Because the hair of towel is a small ring structure composed of thread, it will hurt the carving, corner and small splitting parts of furniture wood grain;
Second, you can't use wet cloth. Wet cloth is the natural enemy of ancient furniture, which will bring drastic changes to the surface of furniture and violate the principle of "following wood". When the moisture in the wet cloth is mixed with dust, it will form particles. Once rubbed, it will destroy the surface of furniture, destroy the original patina color of furniture, and even lead to the surface cracking of furniture in the future. People generally don't realize its harmfulness, and they are used to wiping furniture with wet cloth, thinking that it will be cleaner. If there is too much dirt, you can wipe it repeatedly with a wet cloth that dries the water.
Of course, Tibetan friends can also use vacuum cleaners to borrow the power of modern machines for some dust that cannot be removed by manpower in complex parts of furniture (such as carved parts and hollowed-out parts). Dusting furniture usually has two main advantages. First, it is beneficial to protect the patina of furniture, and even can supplement patina, which directly affects the beauty and life of furniture; Second, it will not cause "dust moving" and lead to secondary pollution, creating a safe and comfortable environment for furniture storage and appreciation, which is very beneficial to furniture and people.