Page 115 - The Building Conservation Directory 2013
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t w e n t i e t h a n n i v e r s a r y e d i t i o n
t h e b u i l d i n g c o n s e r vat i o n d i r e c t o r y 2 0 1 3
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3.3
Structure & Fabric :
Metal,
Wood & Glass
Re-backing
When a fragile carved object is structural it
may be possible to reinforce it by replacing
a badly decayed area on the back with new
timber leaving the appearance on the front
relatively unchanged. It may be necessary to
consolidate the piece before this is possible.
Replacement carving
Carving
The most common type of intervention will
involve replacing carved leafs and other small
ornamental details. If the piece is part of a
symmetrical scheme, a pattern can be taken
from its mirror image. A small piece of clear
plastic such as a CD case can be held over the
surviving carving and the outline established
with a fine marker pen. This can be instantly
reversed and marked out on the new timber.
A small band saw with a fine blade will prove
invaluable for this sort of work. The outline
can be cut on the band saw and then fixed to
a small board with a hot glue gun or a paper
joint. The board can then be clamped to the
workbench and carving commenced. It is
useful to have a photograph of the work being
copied on the bench as an instant reference
during the carving process. Once the carving
of the front is complete, the carving can be
removed from the board to allow the reverse
to be carved back and any undercutting to be
added. The final touches will take place after
the piece is glued in position, taking great
care to cut away from the original at all times.
In some situations a carver may be working
from photographs of the carving taken before
the losses occurred. In these cases a working
drawing will prove essential.
Fixing
The area where the new carving meets the
old should be left slightly oversize and any
extra wood needed to achieve the joint taken
into account. A clean flat surface needs to be
created on the piece being repaired. Often the
carving will have broken off along the grain.
If the timber is straight grained and of good
quality the break may well have a nearly flat
surface. If this is the case, a paring chisel can
be used to create a good surface with virtually
no loss of original wood. If more wood has to
be removed it is better to fit the repair to the
shape of the break. Carbon paper can be used
to mark high points which are removed in
stages until the piece fits. In some cases it will
prove very difficult to get a perfect match in
which case the use of a gap-filling glue such as
an epoxy will create a better fix than a more
reversible alternative.
In some cases a mechanical fixing such
as a small dowel or wooden biscuit will create
a much more secure joint and will allow the
repair to be removed and replaced during the
carving process. For small repairs wooden
kebab sticks are excellent for this purpose.
Made of split cane with long fibres they are
strong for their diameter. To mark the centres
to be drilled, a pin can be taped across one
of the pieces to be joined, with the pinhead
where the dowel will centre. Pressing the two
pieces together firmly will cause the sides of
the pinhead to indent both pieces. The adhesive
can be applied and the new carving clamped in
position using spring clamps or masking tape.
Recommended Reading
V Dorge and F Carey Howlett, Painted
Wood: History and Conservation, Getty
Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 1998
Environmental Management Performance
Standards: Guidelines for Historic
Buildings, English Heritage, Swindon, 2009
S Rivers and N Umney, Conservation of
Furniture, Butterworth-Heinemann,
Oxford, 2003
Alan Lamb
.
co.uk) studied at the London College of
Furniture and has worked as a carver and
conservator for 25 years. From 1997 to 2007
he taught at the City and Guilds of London Art
School and was Head of Historic Carving at
the school until 2012. He is now independent.
Carving replacement New College Chapel, Oxford
Replacement 14th-century stiff-leaf at New College Chapel
