If porcelain is not properly maintained, it can seriously harm the porcelain and is not conducive to its long-term preservation, especially for high-quality products that have been passed down and unearthed, which should be carefully maintained. The maintenance of porcelain follows the principles of handling with care and caution. At the same time, the maintenance of porcelain should not cause protective damage to it.
1. Ceramics are fragile items, and attention should be paid to shock, compression, and collision prevention when storing them. When appreciating porcelain collections, be careful not to collide or drop them, and try not to touch them with sweat or hands. When viewing collections, try to wear gloves as much as possible, place a velvet pad on the table, and do not pass them on to each other during viewing. After one person finishes viewing, they should be reset to the table, and others should hold onto it for viewing.
2. Porcelain such as bottles, jars, and zuns are usually assembled from two sections from bottom to top, and when moving, one cannot hold the neck of the upper part of the object with one hand. The correct method is to hold the neck with one hand and support the bottom with the other. Some bottles, jars, and ornaments have double ears, so when picking them up or placing them, you cannot only lift the ears to avoid breakage or damage. Thin container, with a thin, lightweight and delicate texture, should be moved and placed with caution. Hold the bottom with both hands and avoid using one hand.
3. The newly bought high-temperature glazed or underglaze multicoloured porcelain should be soaked in clean water for 1 hour, and then the oil stain on the surface should be washed off with detergent. After drying the water with a towel, it should be packed in a box. The box should be filled with foam, and the diameter should not exceed 0.5 cm after adding foam. The porcelain collection should be properly tightened in the box, and at the same time, it should avoid extrusion to prevent damage to the collection.
4. Excavated low-temperature glaze and overglaze color. There may be a lot of impurities seeping into the glaze, and even the phenomenon of glaze and color peeling may occur. A small amount of adhesive should be added between the base glaze first, and then a softer adhesive should be applied on the color to prevent large-scale peeling of the glaze. If high-temperature glaze or underglaze color is buried underground for a long time, a lot of calcium and siliceous compounds, namely soil rust, will also be produced on the surface of porcelain. You can first clean it with clean water, soak it in 3% hydrogen peroxide for about 3 hours, then soak it in clean water for more than 30 hours, and clean it with a clean white cloth. Generally, it can remove soil rust. If it cannot be completely removed, you can use a brush dipped in acetic acid and brush it on the rust area. After 5 hours, use a medical surgical knife to diagonally remove the rust, and the blade can only cut in one direction. After most of the rust is removed, clean it with a white cleaning cloth and toothpaste until the rust is completely removed. This method is only suitable for high-temperature glazes and underglaze colors.
5. When cleaning oil stains and other deposits, the following techniques and methods should be mastered:
(1) Ordinary stains can be cleaned with alkaline water, soap, laundry detergent, and then rinsed with clean water.
(2) When washing thin porcelain in winter, it is important to control the water temperature to prevent the porcelain from bursting due to the alternation of hot and cold water.
(3) Colored porcelain, some of which have a high content of lead in their color, may exhibit lead bleeding. You can first use a cotton swab dipped in white vinegar to scrub, and then rinse with clean water.
(4) If there are cracks or fissures in the porcelain, and stains are easily "seeping" into it, a toothbrush dipped in acidic liquid can be used to scrub it. But for glazed colored objects, this method cannot be used because acidic and alkaline substances can easily damage the glaze. If it is painted porcelain, a feather duster should not be used for cleaning, as feather dusters can easily damage the gold on the porcelain. Precious porcelain, such as World Expo souvenirs, should be collected in wooden boxes or crates of appropriate size with a gallbladder for easy preservation and collection.
