Re: [lace] antique bobbins
I had bought some old bobbins (mixed lot of 9) from e-bay and had them sent to Jacquie to be collected during my recent trip to UK. When I opened the envelope I could immediately smell tobacco smoke on the bobbins and they were very dirty, old and dry looking. I was going to bring them home, but decided to leave them with Jacquie to clean with her supply of "Granny Almans Old Fashioned Furniture Polish & Reviver". I can recommend it because I had used it on a pile of Bucks Thumpers that I'd bought second hand on the Lace Guild Sales table a couple of years ago and which were also dry and dirty. I had some of those Thumpers with me in Spain and they were admired by people who had never seen that type of bobbin and they looked quite beautiful on my pillow. Malvary (back in Ottawa where it is raining and miserable - just like it was in Spain over Easter). - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] antique bobbins
Many thanks for all the suggestions on how to revive my old dusty bobbins, I will try a few of them and see what comes up the best. Sue M Harvey Norfolk UK - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] antique bobbins
I recommend Renaissance Micro-cristalline Wax Polish. It's recipe stems from the British Museum to be used for conservation and is acid free. I used it on bobbins, leather and marble already with very good results. Not cheap, but one of the 200 ml cans is probably enough for a lifetime of bobbin polishing and conserving. The first thing I do when I get new (or antique) bobbins is rubbing them with some of this wax. Here's the manufacturers website: http://www.picreator.co.uk/ Best, Achim. Am 16.04.2011 um 00:20 schrieb Sue: > I have just bought some antique wooden bobbins, can anyone tell me how I can > put some life into the wood without using grease or anything that might > damage threads because they are very dusty and look as if they have not been > used in many, many years. > > > > Sue M Harvey > > Norfolk Uk - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] antique bobbins
Hi Sue, the very best thing I have found is "Granny Almans Old Fashioned Furniture Polish & Reviver". It is a mix of linseed oil, distilled white vinegar and sugar! I don't know what the proportions are and have never bothered to try to work it out as it's not expensive. Phone 0116 255 8854 to see if they will send it to you. I see them at craft fairs and steam rallies. She does beautiful corn dollies and straw lace, he does soaps and the like, including the polish. You may have seen them if you go to that sort of event, but not realised about his polish, as I know they do go to East Anglia. They are based in Leicester. It is very liquid, and you need to shake it every time you tip it up as it separates very quickly, but it cleans off dirt without removing the patina, soaks into the wood and brings back a soft sheen. With very dry wood I usually have plenty on the cloth, and rub them over to remove the dirt then leave them to dry. I then give them another rub/pat with more polish and leave to dry (this doesn't take long) and when they don't seem to be absorbing any more, and have dried again, then I polish them up with a dry cloth. It is excellent for any furniture that needs tlc. All my Bucks thumpers and other old bobbins have been treated with it, and some were in a dire condition but now glow. Shame I'm not working on commission. Jacquie in Lincolnshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] antique bobbins
Brush them off with a soft brush to get the dust off, wipe with a moist cloth (not wet), use a good quality wood wax (beeswax based like Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax Polish which is used by museums) and then use them as much as possible the heat and moisture of your hands will help the wax go deeply into the wood and make it live again. Enjoy Renaissance Wax -> www.picreator.co.uk Lucie DuFresne Ottawa Canada > I have just bought some antique wooden bobbins, can anyone tell me how I > can > put some life into the wood without using grease or anything that might > damage threads because they are very dusty and look as if they have not > been > used in many, many years. > > > > Sue M Harvey > > Norfolk Uk > > - > To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: > unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to > arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: > http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003 > - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] antique bobbins
Hello Sue and everyone If you have access to conservator's supplies (mail order?) there is a microcrystalline wax product used for cleaning and restoring antique furniture and wooden objects. A small tin is all you would need. The wax is absorbed by the wood and shouldn't harm the threads. For an off-the-shelf treatment, Murphy's oil soap maybe? On 4/15/11, Sue <2harv...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote: > I have just bought some antique wooden bobbins, can anyone tell me how I can > put some life into the wood without using grease or anything that might > damage threads because they are very dusty and look as if they have not been > used in many, many years. -- Bev in Shirley BC, near Sooke on beautiful Vancouver Island, west coast of Canada - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
[lace] antique bobbins
I have just bought some antique wooden bobbins, can anyone tell me how I can put some life into the wood without using grease or anything that might damage threads because they are very dusty and look as if they have not been used in many, many years. Sue M Harvey Norfolk Uk - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
Re: [lace] antique bobbins and spangles
Dear Clay -- What fun! You will love it. As to my teachers: on my
first visit, with lace on my mind (note: not yet in my hands or in
any part of my brain that ever mattered) and an address in hand, it
turned out that I was ringing Doreen Wright's doorbell. She gave me a
clipped but vigorous welcome, sat me down in a bay window, planted a
pricking on my pillow ("Duke's Garter" a Bucks design), and told me
to go to it. For me it was either die that very afternoon or learn
how to do Bucks Point. (I learned). Doreen then sent me off to West
Dean College, a sophisticated place in West Surrey specializing in
all sorts of exotic crafts, and there I fell into the lap of Pam
Nottingham, where I stayed... and stayed...happily...for years...and
years... I also found Elsie Luxton there, and eventually she turned
her classes over to Cynthia Voysey with whom I have shared an
affectionate lifelong friendship as well as lacemaking interests.
Some of my transAtlantic "hops" were to the British College of Lace,
to Christine Springett, and, once, to Barbara Underwood.
See what a passport will do!
Aurelia
Hello, Aurelia!
I love imagining you "hopping" over to England for lessons!! What a
wonderful experience it must have been. Who were some of your
teachers? At that stage, lacemaking in the US was practically
non-existent! No internet, few books... no wonder you were starved
for contact!!
I've never even had a passport... although that is about to change.
I've always imagined that I would have time to get one if I ever
planned a trip and needed it... but now it's apparent that I'd
better get one now, before it's nearly impossible to get one in a
reasonable amount of time! Already a couple of things have come up
which I might have jumped to do, except that I did not have a
passport. So, I'm about to bite the bullet and get it.
My fondest dream is to spend a week or two in Bruges at the
Kantcentrum... this will be step one!!
Clay
-- Original message --
From: Aurelia Loveman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Dear Barbara -- You have had so many replies to your question about
replacing the spangles on your old bobbins, that one more reply isn't
going make a difference, but here goes: when I started lacemaking in
the very early seventies (oh how long ago that seems!), I used to hop
over to England for lessons every chance I got. At that time
"antique" bobbins, mostly amateur-made and not always remarkable for
their workmanship, were all about, and easy and cheap to buy. I
bought a whole cigarboxful, one afternoon, without a blink. Nobody
got sentimental about them, nor talked of their "history." The
bobbins that caught our fancy and our pocketbooks were the elegant
and beautiful new bobbins made by a few gifted craftsmen (as, David
Springett, just then beginning his distinguished career). The
spangles (on the Springett bobbins, done by Christine) were utter
perfection, their size carefully chosen and graduated aiming for the
central bead at the bottom -- because -- fundamentally the spangles
were not primarily decorative but had a function. They weighted the
bobbin down on the pillow and thus controlled the tension on the
thread. Admittedly a lot of antique bobbins got their weight via
buttons and assorted junk, but a determined lacemaker wouldn't let
that stop her. Still, history it's not. Of course, Barbara dear,
replace the wire, clean the beads, arrange them for size, and if
they're ugly or clumsy ... what history?
Aurelia
Catonsville, MD
>Here's a question about antique bobbins and spangles: Over the years, I've
>accumulated (mostly on eBay) a few antique bone bobbins. They are 19th
>century, some by unknown makers, a few are by well-known makers (Bobbin
>Brown, etc.). Some of the spangles contain the original antique beads.
>
>I am inclined to want to use them, rather than just put them in a display
> >case. In some cases, the spangles are big and bulky, in some cases, the
>wires holding the spangles are in danger of coming apart.
>
>Is it blasphemy to take the spangles apart, replace the wire in some,
>completely junk the spangles in some, and selectively rearrange and
>redistribute beads, and in some cases, put completey new beads on them?
>
>I find it difficult to make lace with big, floppy spangles. I want to use
>the bobbins, but don't want to destroy a bit of history.
>
>What do you think?
& gt;
>Barbara
>
>Snoqualmie, WA
>USA
>
>-
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Re: [lace] antique bobbins and spangles
Dear Barbara -- You have had so many replies to your question about replacing the spangles on your old bobbins, that one more reply isn't going make a difference, but here goes: when I started lacemaking in the very early seventies (oh how long ago that seems!), I used to hop over to England for lessons every chance I got. At that time "antique" bobbins, mostly amateur-made and not always remarkable for their workmanship, were all about, and easy and cheap to buy. I bought a whole cigarboxful, one afternoon, without a blink. Nobody got sentimental about them, nor talked of their "history." The bobbins that caught our fancy and our pocketbooks were the elegant and beautiful new bobbins made by a few gifted craftsmen (as, David Springett, just then beginning his distinguished career). The spangles (on the Springett bobbins, done by Christine) were utter perfection, their size carefully chosen and graduated aiming for the central bead at the bottom -- because -- fundamentally the spangles were not primarily decorative but had a function. They weighted the bobbin down on the pillow and thus controlled the tension on the thread. Admittedly a lot of antique bobbins got their weight via buttons and assorted junk, but a determined lacemaker wouldn't let that stop her. Still, history it's not. Of course, Barbara dear, replace the wire, clean the beads, arrange them for size, and if they're ugly or clumsy ... what history? Aurelia Catonsville, MD Here's a question about antique bobbins and spangles: Over the years, I've accumulated (mostly on eBay) a few antique bone bobbins. They are 19th century, some by unknown makers, a few are by well-known makers (Bobbin Brown, etc.). Some of the spangles contain the original antique beads. I am inclined to want to use them, rather than just put them in a display case. In some cases, the spangles are big and bulky, in some cases, the wires holding the spangles are in danger of coming apart. Is it blasphemy to take the spangles apart, replace the wire in some, completely junk the spangles in some, and selectively rearrange and redistribute beads, and in some cases, put completey new beads on them? I find it difficult to make lace with big, floppy spangles. I want to use the bobbins, but don't want to destroy a bit of history. What do you think? Barbara Snoqualmie, WA USA - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] antique bobbins & spangles
Hello Debbie I wonder if you remember the late Don Harrison of Rushden, Northamptonshire. When I attended my first lace day back c1980 Don's stand was the first one I saw with its piles of old bobbins and that was where my first antique bobbins came from, after that I always hoped that Don was one of the traders at any lace day I attended as a good part of the day when not buying could be spent just sorting through the piles. Looking back though watching him just tipping the bobbins out of the boxes onto the table fills me with horror. In between times I visited him and Joan at their home whenever a birthday, anniversary or Christmas was pending also when on courses at Knuston Hall a visit to the Harrison's was a must. I recall Don had a box full of old beads which he used when repairing any unfortunate spangleless bobbins, many times I asked if he would sell me the lot but he always refused, I wonder where they are now. It was a great shame that he didn't keep a record of the bobbins that passed through his hands though I have kept all his price lists and the bobbins listed are included in one of my databases of bobbin inscriptions. Ah happy days Diana on a very wet day in Northamptonshire - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] antique bobbins and spangles
Diana wrote: my own personal opinion that some of the old bobbin makers, just like some of the modern turners, did spangle some of the bobbins themselves prior to selling. I have heard the same thing. I have read too that some bobbin makers were bead makers. When I bought my mother & babe with the unusal mounting at the Lace Day in 1983, I was told by the seller that the "expert" had shown some interest in the bobbin, and I should talk to her about it. She shared that the sweetheart bead was mounted in a way she had not seen, and was considering the possibility that the bead as well as the bobbin was made by Joseph Haskins. Since I was still very new to lacemaking at the time, I forgot all the details about who and what by the time I got home, and when I sent an order to her later, I asked her. I received a very sweet note explaining all the above information again, and still have it to this day. That is the only reason I can be certain about what I have said even now... I do miss those Lace Days and the table with the large pile of wooden bobbins that sold for one pound each!! Debbie in Florida where she really does anticipate snow at some point this winter, given the crazy weather we've had so far! [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] antique bobbins
This is just to say if any one else queries where I got the information from, here is how I did it, I phoned Sotheby's who gave me Kerry Taylor's phone number, yes I phoned her up, she was happy for this information to go onto the internet. Jean - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
