Cleaning up the treasure haul
September 23, 2014 5:16 AM Subscribe
I raided our old family farm and want to clean up the goods! Most of the items will be repurposed. I want to maintain the aged patina the best I can. There is definitely some lead paint on some items. I don't care about their value it's all purely sentimental.
Things that need cleaning...
Shutters- used to be indoor shutters but have been stored in the basement of a barn for at least 60 years, they are worn, dirty, and a little eaten.
Old cow yoke- at one point it was submerged in a flood so it's good and rusty and a little rotten
Fruit crates galore- some with the stickers and some with awesome writing, lots of bird poo from the barn swallows
Raw wood window frame- brittle but cool
Raw wood shelf with ornate somewhat rusty brackets- this is my favorite and I want the wood good and moisturized
Parts of an old porch- ballisters and panels with some decorative trim, pretty damaged from years of exposure to the elements, they had literally just fallen down
Various cans- rusty from mild exposure to the elements but all fully intact and readable, and empty
An old soil sifter- still has original paint but was also submerged in a flood
Various drawer pulls- They are black but not sure if it's paint or patina, date on back 1871
Most items are dirty with dust, mud, cobwebs, bird droppings and rust.
My googlefu gives me mixed results so hopefully you can point me in a better direction.
Shutters- used to be indoor shutters but have been stored in the basement of a barn for at least 60 years, they are worn, dirty, and a little eaten.
Old cow yoke- at one point it was submerged in a flood so it's good and rusty and a little rotten
Fruit crates galore- some with the stickers and some with awesome writing, lots of bird poo from the barn swallows
Raw wood window frame- brittle but cool
Raw wood shelf with ornate somewhat rusty brackets- this is my favorite and I want the wood good and moisturized
Parts of an old porch- ballisters and panels with some decorative trim, pretty damaged from years of exposure to the elements, they had literally just fallen down
Various cans- rusty from mild exposure to the elements but all fully intact and readable, and empty
An old soil sifter- still has original paint but was also submerged in a flood
Various drawer pulls- They are black but not sure if it's paint or patina, date on back 1871
Most items are dirty with dust, mud, cobwebs, bird droppings and rust.
My googlefu gives me mixed results so hopefully you can point me in a better direction.
I'm not sure about the wood, but on the metal hardware, there are clear paints out there that can encapsulate the rust/patina. You could get a can of flat, a can of semi, and a can of gloss and try them on some random rusty junk you don't care about to find out what finish you like.
As for cleaning, first step is to borrow a compressor with a blower nozzle and blow off what will come off. Messy work but it'll get you half-way there.
posted by notsnot at 6:06 AM on September 23, 2014
As for cleaning, first step is to borrow a compressor with a blower nozzle and blow off what will come off. Messy work but it'll get you half-way there.
posted by notsnot at 6:06 AM on September 23, 2014
Be very, very careful of the stuff with bird poo on it. Wear a respirator while cleaning that stuff, no, but for real. My grandmother died of a respiratory infection caught from bird droppings.
posted by Andrhia at 6:32 AM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Andrhia at 6:32 AM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
For the wood, you can clean and moisturize it by rubbing in a solution of vinegar & olive oil- really. It sounds improbable, but really works!
posted by sarajane at 7:14 AM on September 23, 2014
posted by sarajane at 7:14 AM on September 23, 2014
I'd use a good quality linseed oil (not boiled!) on your wood stuff.
posted by Poldo at 8:27 AM on September 23, 2014
posted by Poldo at 8:27 AM on September 23, 2014
Bird poop is nasty stuff, and I'd use the hose with high pressure, even if it washes off some writing or a label. Non-boiled linseed oil takes a long, long time to dry. I use 1:1 boiled linseed oil and turpentine on wood furniture that hasn't been acrylicked. My uncle was an antique dealer and his adage was Daily for a week, weekly for a month, monthly for a year, yearly for life to build a finish.
For stuff that has rotted a bit, once cleaned, thin out some water-based varnish or acrylic and use several applications. It will help hold it together. It will also darken it. If you like the look, you can add a bit of white paint for a pickled effect.
posted by theora55 at 12:21 PM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
For stuff that has rotted a bit, once cleaned, thin out some water-based varnish or acrylic and use several applications. It will help hold it together. It will also darken it. If you like the look, you can add a bit of white paint for a pickled effect.
posted by theora55 at 12:21 PM on September 23, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Gratuitous pic collage here.
posted by MayNicholas at 5:32 PM on September 23, 2014
posted by MayNicholas at 5:32 PM on September 23, 2014
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The house was built in 1876, so most of the items are original to the house or at the latest early 1900's.
posted by MayNicholas at 5:36 AM on September 23, 2014