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NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • July/August 2012 •

367

www.nawcc.org

Introduction

This study focuses on the conservation treatment of a clock case and the

painted dial (Figure 1). The subject clock for this article resides in the col-

lection of the Saco Museum in Saco, ME, and was gifted to the museum by

Charles Dodge in 2004. It bears the signature of Saco clockmaker Edward

S. Moulton, who is responsible for the clockworks. The case is attributed to

Abraham Forsskol, a Swedish immigrant who was a partner in the Saco cabi-

netmaking ﬁ rm of Cumston and Buckminster. Both men, Moulton and Forss-

kol, arrived in Saco in 1814 and apparently forged a good working relation-

ship, because several clocks are attributed to them. The Saco Museum owns

three clocks attributed to Moulton and Forsskol; this clock is the largest of the

group.

While the clock was in private ownership it was a treasured object and

the family carried it with them as they moved around the country. Starting

in Saco, the clock was moved at least seven times through six states, and as

far away as Florida. With the donation of the clock to the museum it returned

home to where its life began nearly 200 years ago.

In 2009 the Saco Museum

contracted with East Point Conservation Studio to conserve the clock case in

preparation for exhibition. Until that time the clock was kept in storage at the

museum. This article describes the conservation treatment of the clock and

the decision-making rationale for developing a treatment plan.

The clock and case are excellent examples of workmanship and collabora-

tion between Moulton and Forsskol. The case is made of solid mahogany, ma-

hogany veneers, pine backboard, and as yet unidentiﬁ ed secondary woods,

possibly birch or maple.

The turned feet lend an exceptionally vertical feel to

the narrow case, which has a waist door veneered and banded with ﬁ gured ma-

A CASE STUDY

IN CONSERVATION

SUBJECT:

A Tallcase Clock, Saco, Maine, 1814-1820, by

Edward Moulton and Abraham Forsskol

By Jon Brandon (ME)

This report was originally presented at the 2010 Ward Francillon Time

Symposium on conservation, restoration, and repair, held October 28–30 in

Williamsburg, VA.

1. The subject clock is the largest of three Moulton/Forsskol clocks in the collec-

tion at the Saco Museum and is larger than other known Moulton/Forsskol clocks

surveyed outside the Saco Museum collection.

2. Thank you to Jessica Skwire Routhier, director of the Saco Museum, for sharing

information about the clock from the museum ﬁ les. Thank you to Tom Hardiman for

information about the working histories of Moulton and Forsskol.

3. Wood identiﬁ cations are by visual inspection.

Figure 1, right. Clock after treatment. Moulton/Forsskol clock, property of Saco

Museum, Saco, ME. Gift of Charles Dodge, 2004, accession number 2004.17.1.

368

• July/August 2012 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

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hogany ﬂ anked by reeded quar-

ter columns with brass capitals.

The arched bonnet is particu-

larly attractive, with a matching

arched door ﬂ anked by reeded

columns surmounted by a deep

cove molding and three reeded

pillars with delicate pierced fret-

work. The painted dial is equally

attractive, with gilded spandrels

with ﬂ owers and leaves around

a white dial offset with gold

striping and a calendar window.

Above the dial is a mechanical

rocking ship, powered by the

pendulum, which sails to-and-

fro across a choppy sea in an ex-

otic landscape.

Condition of the clock

before treatment

We are fortunate to have his-

torical notes written by Charles

Dodge concerning the history of

the clock and its care.

The fol-

lowing passage from the Dodge

notes gives a glimpse into the

life of the clock and an under-

standing of how its condition

was compromised. “This Edward

S. Moulton Clock left Saco via a

sailing vessel with Olive Fairﬁ eld

and Albert Dodge when they

removed to Apalachicola, FL, in

the mid-nineteenth century. Lat-

er the clock was moved with the

family to Georgia and Virginia.

One of their homes was low

of ceiling and the feet were re-

moved from the clock, fretwork

on the bonnet and the brass ﬁ ni-

als cut to shorter length. Among

other locations where the clock

has served have been Flushing,

NY, in the 1930s when the cat

gut, suspending the weights was

replaced with mesh wire. The

clock has also seen service in

Douglaston, NY, Hartford, CT,

and Sherman, CT.”

The clock case had endured a rough-and-

tumble life and was missing several decora-

tive wood and metal elements (Figure 2).

The ﬁ nish was dark and nearly opaque with

splotchy areas (Figure 3). The bonnet door

glass was broken with a single crack run-

ning from left to right in the arch (Figure

4). The painted dial had ﬂ aking paint and

was covered with a grime layer that muted

the colors. Lost elements included the brass

ﬁ nials, a lock for the waist door, fretwork

and the center pillar on the bonnet, mold-

ing on the bottom edge of the sides, and

the feet.

Figure 2. Clock before treatment.

Moulton/Forsskol clock, property

of Saco Museum, Saco, ME. Gift of

Charles Dodge, 2004, accession number

2004.17.1.

Figure 3. Bottom panel of the clock case

before treatment showing the darkened and

splotchy appearance of the existing ﬁ nish.

Figure 4. Bonnet door showing cracked

glass.

4. Charles Dodge written notes

are in the object ﬁ le at the Saco

Museum, Saco, ME.

5. Dodge notes.

NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • July/August 2012 •

369

www.nawcc.org

Developing a treatment plan

Developing a treatment plan means it is decision-mak-

ing time. Choices must be made about what actions are to

be taken that will change the object for better or for worse;

hopefully, the former. And don’t kid yourself about treat-

ments; no matter how carefully they are done, a change

will have occurred, and the object will be different from

what it was before its treatment. A well-thought-out treat-

ment plan is imperative to protect the object from unin-

tended harm. The factors that inﬂ uence a treatment plan

are many and some of these factors could be in opposi-

tion to each other. One possible set of factors could be the

needs of an object versus the needs of the user. For exam-

ple, consider an object that is historically signiﬁ cant (e.g.,

George Washington’s chair) but is so fragile that sitting in

it would irreversibly damage the chair, compared to the

needs of the owner of that object who desires to use the

chair. The needs of the chair would dictate that it should

not be used in order to preserve a uniquely signiﬁ cant

object, while the needs of the user would require inter-

vention to stabilize the chair for use, and thereby cause a

change to historical material. Another set of factors could

be a wealthy owner who is able to spend any amount of

money to modify an object; but it may be unethical to

do so. To continue the example of Washington’s chair, it

could be that no amount of money can make it ethically

okay to modify the chair. Or there may be perfect agree-

ment among all the stakeholders connected with an ob-

ject about the treatment goals for the object, only to ﬁ nd

that the end goal of the treatment is beyond the techni-

cal limits of what is possible, and therefore the treatment

goals must be modiﬁ ed. To help sort out these potentially

conﬂ icting factors a decision-making model is presented

called the Benzene Ring of Decision Making (Figure 5).

The Benzene Ring allows for six factors to be considered.

This model is dynamic and the factors can be rearranged

around the ring in any desired order. The model is not

limited to the six factors outlined here. Any relevant fac-

tor can be substituted into the model for consideration.

Obviously, the Benzene Ring does not answer questions

for you. Rather, it is a tool to be used to prompt thought-

ful consideration and discussion by the parties in control

of the treatment plan.

Role of the conservator

The decision-making process usually includes at least

two people: the owner of the object and the conservator,

although other parties may have a stake and a voice about

the results of the treatment. When considering compet-

ing factors that will inﬂ uence the course of treatment for

an object, the conservator will take the position of be-

ing an advocate for the object. This is important because

many of the voices heard in the decision-making process

are stakeholders with their own agendas that may or may

not have the best interest of the object in mind. This is

not to say that these people would deliberately harm an

object, but their judgment may be inﬂ uenced by old hab-

its, romantic notions, or satisfying a personal desire. In

these cases it is the responsibility of the conservator to

speak up for the best interests of the object, uninﬂ uenced

by personal wishes or ego.

Only then will the decision-

making process be balanced with the point of view of all

parties open for consideration.

Discussion of treatment actions

Glass

The ﬁ rst thing we looked at was the broken glass in the

bonnet door. Naturally, there was the question of wheth-

er to replace the broken glass with new. Initial discussions

with the museum centered on the following questions. (1)

Is this glass original to the clock? (2) Does the crack in the

glass diminish the value of the clock, either monetarily

or historically? (3) Is the crack aesthetically acceptable for

exhibition? During this discussion the curator came for-

ward with a family story related to us in a written note

by Charles Dodge. It tells of the time when in 1889 the

family was moving and the movers placed the bonnet on

the ﬂ oor where young Olive Fairﬁ eld Dodge, aged 4, ran

to it and sat on the glass.

A true story like this actually

adds value and signiﬁ cance to the broken glass, and it

lends credibility that the glass is probably original. This

was a major factor in the decision to leave the broken

glass in place. This example points out the importance of

gathering as much information as you can before making

decisions that will affect the object.

6. I give credit for the Benzene Ring of Decision Making to Don Williams, my former teacher at the Smithsonian Institution,

Museum Support Center.

7. This concept is presented as an ideal to be striven for, but because of our imperfect human nature it is not perfectly attainable.

8. Dodge notes.

Figure 5. Benzene Ring of Decision Making.

370

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Structure

The bonnet was missing most of the fretwork between

the pillars. Remnants of the original fretwork were de-

tached from the bonnet but these parts were incomplete.

In fact, when these remnants were discovered in a bag

of loose parts that came with the clock, it was not clear

if they were associated with the clock at all until they

were pieced together to ﬁ nd that they ﬁ t the radius of

the top of the bonnet. Based on Charles Dodge’s explana-

tion of the cutting of the fretwork, it became clear that

these pieces are what remain of the original fretwork.

To restore the original appearance of the clock, new fret-

work would have to be fabricated. Deciding on the cor-

rect form of the new fretwork was simpliﬁ ed by the fact

that there was a pencil tracing on paper of what appeared

to be the original fretwork found in the same paper bag

as the fretwork remnants (Figure 6). This tracing is identi-

cal in design to two other Moulton/Forsskol clocks in the

museum collection. It would be tempting at this point to

accept that the tracing came from the original fretwork.

But we are reminded of the possibility that the tracing

could have been taken from another clock. The key fac-

tor that led us to conclude that the tracing is authentic is

that it ﬁ ts the larger radius of the bonnet perfectly. You

will remember that the subject clock is larger than oth-

er known Moulton clocks. As such, the entire design is

scaled slightly larger than the other clocks. While this

tracing is scaled correctly, it is rather crude, so a new tem-

plate was created from it to use as the model for the new

fretwork (Figure 7).

The other major structural loss that required com-

pensation is the missing feet and bottom moldings. This

presented a similar question to the fretwork concerning

evidence for the correct form for the new feet. All that

remained was the molding on the front of the bottom

edge. Because there was no tracing of the original feet,

the answer was not as direct as it was for the fretwork.

The two other clocks in the museum collection have dis-

tinctly different feet styles (Figures 8 and 9). One clock

has turned legs, while the other has ogee bracket feet.

This discrepancy provides a moment of confusion until

it is realized that these two styles of feet require two dif-

ferent methods of attachment to the bottom of the clock

case. Bracket feet are typically attached to the bottom us-

ing a set of glue blocks behind the feet, while turned feet

are attached using tenons or dowels that penetrate into

the bottom of the case. Examination of the bottom of

the subject clock revealed sets of double tenons at all four

corners of the case (Figure 10). These tenons had been

cut when the original feet were removed, but the tenon

stubs remain in their mortises. This is conclusive that the

original feet had been some form of turned design. The

museum’s Moulton/Forsskol clock with turned feet was

used as the example for fabrication of the new feet.

New molding for the sides was fabricated to match

the existing molding on the front of the case bottom. It

should be noted that this molding also matches the bot-

tom molding on the museum’s clock that was used for

the feet design, lending even further credibility to the

correctness of the form of the new feet.

A novel method of attachment was employed for the

new moldings and the feet; the purpose of this is three-

fold: (1) The attachment was designed to be as noninva-

sive as possible so that original material is preserved as

much as possible. (2) An easily reversible attachment is

preferred so that, in the event new information prescribes

it, future changes can be readily performed. (3) A method

of attachment is desired that leaves the original tenon

stubs in place for future examination and scholarly study.

To this end, the side moldings were shaped onto extra

wide pieces of wood (Figure 11). The purpose of the wide

Figure 6. Templates for the fretwork on the bonnet. The

lower template was the tracing made by Charles Dodge; the

upper template is a reﬁ ned version of the template made by

East Point Conservation Studio.

Figure 7. The new template that was created and used to

make the new fretwork.

9. Dodge notes.

NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • July/August 2012 •

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pieces is to accommodate the attachment of the new feet to

them using two stainless steel screws per each foot (Figure

12). This created two sets of side moldings and feet that were

then applied to the bottom of the case using four stainless

steel screws for each set (Figure 13). The result is a restoration

Figure 10. Bottom of the clock case showing the four

sets of double tenon stubs in their mortises at each

corner.

Figure 8, left. Moulton/Forsskol clock showing the turned feet

used as the model for the restoration feet on the subject clock.

Property of the Saco Museum, Saco, ME, accession number

1934.1.14. Figure 9, right. Moulton/Forsskol clock showing

bracket feet. Property of the Saco Museum, Saco, ME.

Figure 11. Bottom of the clock case showing the

restoration side moldings in place.

Figure 12. Restoration side moldings and turned feet

assembled as a unit and ready to be installed on the

bottom of the clock case.

Figure 13. Bottom of the clock case showing the

restoration moldings and feet installed.

372

• July/August 2012 • NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin

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of the feet having the correct appearance, based on the

best available evidence, which in turn preserves this evi-

dence and can be easily reversed (Figure 14).

Finish

Much has been made of the value of furniture ﬁ nishes

in recent years, and in response to this there has been a

development in the processes and accepted wisdom of the

conservation of ﬁ nishes. The major development in this

arena is the idea that the coatings on furniture are con-

sidered part of the object and they deserve preservation

as much as any other part of the artifact.

The conserva-

tion of a ﬁ nish can include consolidation of fragile coat-

ings, cleaning to remove grime, or removal of incorrect

coatings that are disﬁ guring to the object or that hide an

earlier coating. In addition to these treatments, coating

losses may be in-ﬁ lled with new coatings to create a con-

tinuous ﬁ nish, or gloss levels may be adjusted to achieve

what is deemed a more appropriate appearance. Con-

sider also that colors are often adjusted to satisfy some

preconceived notion of correctness. Sufﬁ ce it to say that

the treatment of furniture ﬁ nishes is a nuanced pursuit

involving a continuum of possible results. Complicating

the successful treatment is that the myriad of subtle qual-

ities affecting the appearance of a ﬁ nish must be com-

municated between the conservator and the keeper of the

object so that the two parties understand each other and

so the result will satisfy everyone’s expectations.

During initial discussions about the ﬁ nish on the

clock the curator expressed that the darkened color was

not considered a particular detriment, because this could

be interpreted as appropriate or at least expected for the

age of the object. What was bothersome was the uneven

color and splotchy appearance (Figure 3). As usual, this

was a starting point for determining an appropriate treat-

ment plan. Before we begin any work on the coatings,

there are several questions we try to answer: (1) Is there

anything wrong with the existing ﬁ nish, or at least with

the ﬁ nish we can see? After all, we can only see the top

layer of coatings. (2) Are we looking at the original ﬁ n-

ish? If so, this factor would inﬂ uence our treatment plan

because original ﬁ nishes are rare. (3) Is there an earlier

ﬁ nish lurking underneath this visible coating? If so, what

is it, and what is its condition?

To try to answer these questions we typically examine

coatings in visible light and ultraviolet (UV) light. In visi-

ble light we could answer partially the ﬁ rst question men-

tioned above. We could see that the ﬁ nish was darkened,

which in this case was not considered a problem. But

the splotchy color would have to be improved to make

the clock ready for exhibition. The second question was

answered by a fortunate piece of information provided

again by notes in the museum ﬁ le from Charles Dodge.

He writes that the clock was maintained with periodic

applications of linseed oil and turpentine. This is an old

familiar recipe used by many well-intentioned caretak-

ers for “maintenance” of furniture ﬁ nishes. This recipe is

now known to be detrimental to the appearance of fur-

niture, and caretakers are recommended to never apply

linseed oil to furniture ﬁ nishes.

Linseed oil darkens as

it ages, and repeated applications will eventually disﬁ g-

ure an otherwise acceptable ﬁ nish. From the Dodge notes

we know we are not looking at the original ﬁ nish but

rather we are seeing a darkened linseed coating applied

over many years. This presents the third question: is an

earlier ﬁ nish existing under the linseed oil? To answer

this question we examined the coatings using a combina-

tion of visible and UV light. The advantage of using UV

for examination is that many coatings will autoﬂ uoresce

when exposed to UV radiation. This autoﬂ uorescence

can be used to distinguish between coatings of differ-

ing composition.

The ﬁ nish was examined in several

places to determine the presence of a coating underneath

the linseed oil. First, a brass capital was removed from

one of the quarter columns, because the wood under the

hardware could have been protected from the linseed

oil applications (Figure 15). Many times earlier coatings

Figure 14. View of the proper left side of the case showing

the ﬁ nished molding and feet in place.

10. In this article the terms “ﬁ nish” and “coatings” are used interchangeably; they refer to the transparent or opaque layer or

layers on the surface of the object intended to enhance the appearance and to protect the surface.

11. Linseed oil has been found to darken as it ages. It does not dry completely and will attract dirt to the surface, which com-

pounds the darkening problem. Museums in recent years have undertaken laborious cleaning campaigns to remove old linseed

oil maintenance coatings.

12. It should be understood that autoﬂ uorescence is not used as a method to positively identify the precise constituents of a

coating. Rather, it is used to differentiate between coatings. Autoﬂ uorescence is usually exhibited by characteristic colors emit-

ted by compounds when exposed to UV radiation. This process is usually carried out in a darkened room to negate the effect of

visible light, which would inﬂ uence the process.

NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • July/August 2012 •

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can be found underneath hardware. In visible light it was

evident that a transparent coating with a moderate gloss

was present (Figure 16). In UV light this coating autoﬂ uo-

resces a bright yellow/green color, which is very different

from the surrounding linseed oil coating (Figure 17). This

suggests that the linseed oil was most likely not the origi-

nal coating and that an earlier coating was ﬂ uorescing

yellow/green. Next, we wanted to ﬁ nd out if this earlier

coating existed in other places on the clock. A cleaning

solution to remove the linseed oil was developed and test-

ed on a small area (1 cm x 2 cm).

This cleaning solution

was designed to remove only the linseed oil and to leave

the undercoating intact. This area was then examined

Figure 18, left. Front of

the clock case below the

waist door in UV light

showing a cleaning test and

autoﬂ uorescence of the

coatings underneath the

linseed oil.

Figure 17, far left. Proper

right side of the clock

case in UV light showing

autoﬂ uorescence of the coating

under the brass capital.

13. A discussion of the chemistry of cleaning solutions is beyond the scope of this article. For the interested reader the recipe for

this particular solution is 2 g Pemulen, 200 ml water, 20 ml triethanolamine (TEA) buffered to a pH of 7.5-8.0 using 5 percent

citric acid in water. The gel is applied to the surface and allowed to remain for 1 to 2 minutes and then removed with cotton

sponges followed by a rinse solution of 10 percent TEA buffered to pH 8.0 using 5 percent citric acid, followed by a rinse using

distilled water.

under UV light, and it was observed that the cleaned area

had a different ﬂ uorescence than the surrounding ﬁ nish

(Figure 18). (Note that some UV photographs show a vio-

let/blue cast of the surfaces as in Figures 17 and 18. This

is a reﬂ ection of the color of the UV illuminating lamp

and not autoﬂ uorescence. It’s a phenomenon that hap-

pens when the camera’s angle of view is perpendicular

to the surface and the blue light is reﬂ ected back toward

the camera lens. Even when this happens a difference in

coatings can be observed, as in Figure 18.) This was the

ﬁ rst indication that an earlier coating existed below the

linseed oil. Armed with this information, a larger area (4

cm x 4 cm) was cleaned to see if similar results could be

Figure 15, far left.

Proper right side of the

clock case showing

the brass capital at

the top of the quarter

column.

Figure 16, left.

Proper right side of the

clock case showing

the brass capital

removed and existing

ﬁ nish underneath the

capital.

374

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obtained, which they were (Figure 19). At this point in

the treatment we consulted with the museum staff to in-

form them of the results and to discuss treatment possi-

bilities. The two most viable options included (1) leaving

the darkened linseed oil intact and toning the splotchy

areas to blend with the dark ﬁ nish or (2) removing the

linseed oil to recover the older coating. In this case it was

decided that there was enough evidence for the presence

of an intact earlier coating that could be exposed if the

linseed oil were removed. The thinking was that by re-

moving the linseed oil we could achieve more than one

goal. First, the splotchy areas would be removed along

with the darkened linseed oil. Second, an historic coating

could be recovered that was more transparent and would

convey wood tones closer to the original intent of the

maker. It should be pointed out that through this process

no original material was removed; instead, historic mate-

rial was exposed for the ﬁ rst time in many years. Once

all the linseed oil was removed, a very common phe-

nomenon with old coatings was observed. The recovered

coating was intact but very thin, with a dry appearance.

This dry look may have been what precipitated the ill-

advised application of the oil in the ﬁ rst place. Nonethe-

less, the dry-looking ﬁ nish was not acceptable for exhibi-

tion purposes. Therefore, a thin saturation varnish (B-72)

was applied to improve the appearance of the ﬁ nish by

improving the gloss level by a small degree (Figure 20).

It is important to note that in this case the B-72 varnish

is completely reversible. It can be removed at any time

without disturbing the original ﬁ nish that is underneath.

Reversibility of coatings requires an understanding of the

solubility parameters of both the historic coating and of

the new coating. The

new coating must be

soluble in a solvent

that will not affect

the historic coating.

Discreet solvent tests

on an older coating

will usually provide

a good starting point

for choosing an ap-

propriate reversible

varnish to be used for

overcoating.

Figure 19. Front of the clock case above the waist door in

visible light showing a cleaned area that was presented to

the curator for discussion about the possible removal of the

linseed oil.

Figure 20, left.

Bottom panel of

the clock case

after treatment

showing the

cleaned surface

that has been

coated with B-72

varnish.

Figure 21. The painted dial showing grime removal in

process.

Figure 22. Detail of the painted

rocking ship showing the

puckered paint ﬂ akes.

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The painted dial was in remarkably good condition,

with the exception of a heavy layer of grime. A clean-

ing solution with a neutral pH was used to remove the

grime layer (Figure 21).

But before the cleaning could

proceed, a small section of delaminating and puckered

paint required consolidation (Figure 22). The act of clean-

ing a surface is abrasive even when using cotton swabs.

For this reason, unstable paint must be stabilized prior

to cleaning. The unstable paint in question was located

on the rocking ship, which is made of thin-gauge tin. It

is likely that the delamination of the paint here can be

attributed to the ﬂ exing action of this thin metal. The

consolidant is applied to the edges of the delaminating

paint and allowed to wick under the paint surface.

The

consolidant is allowed to dry slightly while the water

evaporates. Then, using a warm spatula, the paint is gen-

tly pressed down onto the metal. The gentle heat softens

the deformed paint so that it will lay ﬂ at and the heat

reactivates the consolidant enough to create enough tack

so that the paint sticks to the metal substrate.

Figure 23. Ship closeup before restoration.

Figure 24. Ship closeup after restoration.

14. The cleaning solution for the painted dial is a 2 percent solution of triammonium citrate in water, pH adjusted to 7.5.

15. The consolidant used here is a 10 percent solution of Aquazol™ 200 in distilled water.

376

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Hardware

New hardware was obtained and installed to compen-

sate for the losses. The form of the new ﬁ nials is based

on other examples of Moulton clocks that are believed to

have their original brass ﬁ nials (Figure 25). The lock for

the waist door was chosen from a standard hardware sup-

plier. One of their readily available locks happened to ﬁ t

the half-mortise well enough so that no modiﬁ cation to

the door or the lock was necessary (Figure 26). The holes

for the attachment screws on the new lock align perfect-

ly with the two existing screw holes in the door. Even

though the new lock has four screw attachment holes,

only two screws were used to attach the lock in the origi-

nal holes; no new holes were drilled and two holes on the

lock are left vacant (Figure 27). It is reasoned that drilling

new holes to accommodate all four attachment screws in

the new lock would confuse or mislead future scholars as

to which screw holes are the work of the original maker.

This reasoning works because using two screws is sufﬁ -

cient to hold the lock securely.

A word about cleaning solutions

Cleaning painted and ﬁ nished surfaces is a subject

unto itself. Here are a few words of advice on the topic.

The purpose of cleaning is to remove unwanted material

while leaving the desired material intact. Most household

cleaners are too aggressive for conservation purposes.

They tend to have a very high pH, which can soften most

varnishes. A varnish may not be noticeably affected by

the ﬁ rst few applications of a high pH cleaning agent;

but chemical reactions are happening. Repeated clean-

ings using a high pH agent will have a cumulative effect

Figure 25. The clock bonnet showing the new fretwork and

reproduction ﬁ nials.

Figure 26,

left. The

original half-

mortise in the

waist door

showing two

attachment

screw holes.

Figure 27,

right. The

waist door

showing the

reproduction

lock installed

using two

screws in the

original holes.

NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin • July/August 2012 •

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www.nawcc.org

and will incrementally degrade a ﬁ nish. Many cleaners

have an oily component that requires aggressive rinsing

to remove. These factors are why conservators formulate

custom cleaning solutions for their treatments of old

ﬁ nishes. Cleaning solutions are designed to be targeted

at removing only the unwanted material. Conservators

of paintings have been developing and testing targeted

cleaning solutions for decades. In recent years furniture

conservators have drawn on the experience of painting

conservators and have applied the same knowledge and

sensibility to the cleaning of furniture ﬁ nishes. The dan-

ger of using a commercial cleaning product is that it may

remove more than you bargained for.

Conclusion

This article has attempted to illustrate the concepts of

modern furniture conservation as applied to a clock case.

Those concepts include the idea that an object exists as

a document of its life and as testament to its maker. The

conservation of an object often involves restoration of

compromised parts or ﬁ nishes. Restorations should be as

accurate as possible based on a complete study of the ob-

ject and all the related information. Whenever possible,

the restoration should be distinguishable from the origi-

nal work, and the new restoration should be as reversible

as is practical. So doing will avoid confusion about the

work of the original maker versus the work of the con-

servator. The purpose of a restoration is to represent the

object as true as possible but not to deceive about what

is original and what is not. In this way, an object can be

understood for what it is rather than for what we have

made it into.

Materials used in conservation

1. Ammonium citrate—Spectrum Laboratory Prod-

ucts, Inc., 14422 South San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA

90248, 1-800-772-8786, www.spectrumchemical.com

2. Aquazol™ -poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline). Soluble in wa-

ter, acetone, ethanol. Talas, 20 West 20th St., New York,

NY 10011, 212-219-0770, www.talasonline.com, info@

talasonline.com

3. Citric acid—Spectrum Laboratory Products, Inc.,

14422 South San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248, 1-800-

772-8786, www.spectrumchemical.com

4. Paraloid B-72®; a registered trademark for a clear,

colorless, thermoplastic acrylic resin. Composed of an

ethyl methacrylate (70 percent) and methyl acrylate (30

percent) copolymer. Soluble in toluene, xylene, acetone,

carbon tetrachloride, MEK. Paraloid® B-72 made after

1976 is soluble in ethanol. Slightly soluble in isopropa-

nol. Insoluble in aliphatic hydrocarbons, water, oils,

grease. Manufactured by Rohm and Hass, Philadelphia,

PA 19105; available at Talas, 20 West 20th St., New York,

NY 10011, 212-219-0770, www.talasonline.com, info@

talasonline.com

5. Pemulen® TR-2—Protameen Chemicals Inc., 375

Minnisink Rd, Totowa, NJ 07511, 973-256-4374, www.

protameen.com

6. Toluene—Fisher Scientiﬁ c, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410.

7. Triethanolamine—Spectrum Laboratory Products,

Inc., 14422 South San Pedro Street, Gardena, CA 90248,

1-800-772-8786, www.spectrumchemical.com

About the Author

Jon Brandon is the owner and principal conserva-

tor of East Point Conservation Studio, specializing in

preserving historic furniture, located in Brunswick, ME.

Jon has 30 years of experience and is a graduate of the

Smithsonian Furniture Conservation Training Program.

He received further training in the furniture conserva-

tion laboratory at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and

is a professional associate in the American Institute for

Conservation.

Oct. 11-13, 2012

The Symposium opens in Minneapolis, MN,

on Thursday evening, October 11, 2012, with the

James Arthur Lecture. On Friday, October 12, and

Saturday, October 13, some of the world’s authori-

ties will present new material about carriage clocks!

A world-class display of exquisite carriage clocks

(European, American, and miniatures) will be

exhibited.

The Symposium will close on Saturday,

October 13, with a banquet and presentation.

James Arthur Lecture: John Hubby.

Doug Cowan: Traveling Clocks Prior

to the 19th Century.

David Penney: The English Carriage Clock

as Recorded by Charles Allix: An Updated Review.

David Grace: French Carriage Clocks.

Peter Fritsch: Viennese Traveling Clocks

in the Austria-Hungarian Empire.

Ken Hogwood: American Carriage Clocks

—Trash or Treasure?

Philip Poniz: Breguet Carriage Clocks.

John Kirk: Carriage Clock Escapements.

Scheduled Speakers and Topics:

See the July 2012 Mart & Highlights for additional program information or visit

nawcc.org --> Ward Francillon Time Symposium homepage link for up-to-date information.

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