Conservation and Restoration of Clear Coatings on Furniture and ...

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conservation treatments come first with the traditional <strong>and</strong> practical h<strong>and</strong> skills <strong>of</strong> woodwork <strong>and</strong> polishing
secondary.
f) Private Workshop <strong>of</strong> Annika Bertlin, furniture conservator, Helsinki Finl<strong>and</strong>
ANNIKA BERTLIN is a conservator in private practice <strong>and</strong> works on a large variety <strong>of</strong> objects ranging from the 17th
century through to the 20th century. Her business tackles objects from the museum environment, private collectors
as well as the antique trade. Within Finl<strong>and</strong>’s’ small population, Annika has developed a network <strong>of</strong> locally engaged
conservators who utilise one another’s skills <strong>and</strong> knowledge, plus are able to pool together to utilise the
sophisticated <strong>and</strong> expensive modern analysis methods at local institutions.
Sc<strong>and</strong>inavia is renowned for its 20th Century design in many disciplines. Sc<strong>and</strong>inavian furniture production in this
period has impacted most markets in the world, with a popularity that has not subsided. The use <strong>of</strong> new
technologies <strong>and</strong> materials in producing their designs has led to many new techniques which are today practiced in
workshops world wide. The conservation <strong>of</strong> this furniture has required a different approach, <strong>of</strong>ten dealing with early
spray applied production finishes which are typically unstable, <strong>and</strong> glues used in the lamination processes, which
have also created many conservation headaches for the furniture conservator. Sc<strong>and</strong>inavian designers,
manufacturers <strong>and</strong> industry boast a uniquely long collaboration in their commitment to develop new products to solve
design problems <strong>and</strong> this collaboration has today flowed through to conserving what is now an important part <strong>of</strong>
Sc<strong>and</strong>inavian heritage.
Annika arranged a meeting <strong>and</strong> discussion forum with a local group <strong>of</strong> furniture conservators addressing issues
concerned with the preservation <strong>and</strong> sometimes necessary subsequent replacement <strong>of</strong> 20th Century materials.
f) Smithsonian Centre for Materials Research <strong>and</strong> Education (SMCRE), Washington DC, USA
Established in 1963 to principally provide technical support to the Smithsonian museums in the analysis <strong>and</strong>
conservation needs <strong>of</strong> the collections. The mission <strong>of</strong> the Smithsonian Centre for Materials Research <strong>and</strong> Education
(SCMRE) is to develop independently formulated programs in research <strong>and</strong> education for conservation <strong>and</strong> scientific
studies <strong>of</strong> collection materials, serving a nationwide <strong>and</strong> international pr<strong>of</strong>essional audience.
Meeting with Don Williams
DON WILLIAMS, Senior Furniture Conservator at the SMCRE, provides care for the furniture collection <strong>and</strong> wooden
objects from the Smithsonian collections: structural repair <strong>and</strong> stabilization, finish deterioration <strong>and</strong> replacement,
veneer <strong>and</strong> Boulle work, carving, gilding, lacquered <strong>and</strong> inlaid papier-mache furniture, <strong>and</strong> consultation on objects as
diverse as the Wright Flyer <strong>and</strong> wooden mail wagons. Previously the Director <strong>of</strong> the Furniture <strong>Conservation</strong> Training