Part 4 (from Washington)

[Nobodys55]

Ok, so here's where I've gotten to & this will bring you up to date with what I've accomplished so far.

First, I used a couple of different small stiff brushes and a very low impact tool that is similar to a Dremel tool. I cleaned a sand type of dirt, that fell away without much effort, in places in & around on the surface.

About half way through the cleaning the piece started to make noises as if cracking. I mixed up a tube of Duco cement with a six oz. bottle of acetone. I decide to apply it generously to areas I'd already cleaned. I believe it was a good move as the sound has stopped. Also, it feels more sound when I pick it up.

After I had applied the solution, I left it under a uv light to dry.So what do you think so far?

[Nobodys55]

More pics in next post

[Nobodys55]

[Nobodys55]

And here's the finnished piece.

[Ptychodus04]

Very nice.

[Nobodys55]

I guess I should add that as the first application was still damp, I decided to leave off with cleaning. It's hard to tell by the pictures but there's enamel (I believe) underneath a very thin crust. I took just enough of this layer off to show that the enamel is there.

The whole piece has been brushed with the solution until it would not accept any more. I left it to dry under the light for about a week, turning regularly. It deffinately feels a lot more stable than it did when I started. That in itself is a good thing.