The main and most complicated works carried out in the monumental lamp and the rest of the pieces of the Government Delegation in the Canary Islands have been those that we detail below. We want to emphasize that the whole process we describe is completely manual and handmade. Each piece of bronze and each piece of glass is treated individually, following very precise steps that must be respected so that the lamp does not lose its essence.
In this case we started with the added complication of its transportation to the peninsula so we had to be especially careful when packing the pieces.
During the time that the intervention lasted, we left a lamp of our property that was also transferred from the peninsula to the island as a replacement.
The lamp, wall lamp or table lamp is disassembled piece by piece and at the same time it is classified and packed for transportation.
Photographs, plans and drawings of the lamp and the parts are made so that everything will fit perfectly in its place during the subsequent assembly.
1. The inner frame of the lamps (central bar and spokes) was completely rusted and therefore the lamp had structural problems that affected the anchoring safety.
2. The bronze had lost its color due to dirt and the time elapsed without good maintenance and was very blackened. The environment of the islands is conducive to oxidation and favors the appearance of stains.
3. All the crimping of the glass was rotten and therefore without any consistency, so the chains had a fallen and dirty appearance.
4. The glass had a grayish and blackened appearance due to the accumulation of dirt.
5. The electrical installation did not comply with the current regulations for public places, neither in wiring, nor in sockets or candle holders.
DISASSEMBLY
The lamp, wall lamp or table lamp is disassembled piece by piece and at the same time it is classified and packed for transportation.
Photographs, plans and drawings of the lamp and the parts are made so that everything will fit perfectly in its place during the subsequent assembly.
INVENTORY
Once all the merchandise is in our facilities we proceed to make an inventory of all the missing pieces of both glass and bronze in case it is necessary to replace any missing piece of bronze or glass.
The glass is completely disassembled and classified according to its shape, platelets, copens, beads, prisms or glass plates and thus we will check which will need to be replaced due to breakage or lack of glass. Replacements are always made with glass of the same quality and shape as the originals.
CLEANING
The restoration of bronze is a very laborious and handcrafted process.
The main work consisted of removing the layers of paint and varnish from the bronze, without strippers or soda, or any aggressive product. In the photographs you can see the bronze recovery process. First the pieces are introduced in electrolytic baths to remove dirt, varnish and paint. They are then rinsed and placed in sawdust to dry them. Then they are polished and burnished by hand to remove the shine and varnished with a colorless lacquer.
This ensures that the bronze is protected and maintains its original color.
MECHANIZATION
At the same time that all the bronze parts have been restored, we have been revising the bolts and nuts (nuts, bridges, stems, washers, etc.), many of them were old and have been replaced by new steel bolts and nuts.
In the interior structure of the lamp, the central bar and the distribution spokes have been reworked. This structure is in charge of supporting all the weight of the lamp, so it must be carefully secured.
The distributor plates, the spokes and the central bar, which was also pitted by rust and saltpeter, have been completely nickel-plated to clean and protect them.
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
The electrical installation of the lamp consists of three independent lighting circuits so that they can be used as needed. All the wiring of the lamp has been changed, adapting it to the current electrical regulations for public spaces. The cable used is halogen-free and implasnífugo cable. In the elbows and rubbing areas, it is placed in fireproof sheaths to prevent it from peeling. All splices have been made with approved clamps. Likewise, all the lamp holders have been replaced by anti-thermal porcelain sockets that are inserted inside the cigarette lighter. This system ensures that the candles are not twisted and the bulbs can be changed without fear of the candle being twisted.
CRYSTAL
Once unstuck and sorted, all the glass was cleaned with our exclusive Cleaner Lamp product. The glass with rust stains on the drill holes caused by old crimps was placed in special baths to remove them. Then all the crystal was hand crimped again with special silver-plated pins to prevent them from blackening again.
ASSEMBLY
Finally, the assembly of the lamp and other parts was also carried out by moving all the parts perfectly packed and numbered and assembling it in situ in the work opposite to the disassembly, fitting piece by piece in its corresponding place.
MAINTENANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend an annual cleaning of the lamp and the rest of the luminaires with our cleaning system, which is performed with a patented machine that performs the cleaning by spraying our exclusive cleaning liquid and whose principle is to drag the dirt into pools that are placed under the lamp in order to collect the liquid. Subsequently the lamp is dried with a drying turbine that avoids that any humidity remains in the sockets. With this method we avoid physical contact with the lamp and therefore avoid unnecessary breakage or displacement of the lamp.
By performing this cleaning once a year we ensure that the lamp does not accumulate dirt over time, that it continues to shine in the same spectacular way it does right now and we can also remedy any small flaws that may have occurred over the course of a year.
Once all the merchandise is in our facilities we proceed to make an inventory of all the missing pieces of both glass and bronze in case it is necessary to replace any missing piece of bronze or glass.
The glass is completely disassembled and classified according to its shape, platelets, copens, beads, prisms or glass plates and thus we will check which will need to be replaced due to breakage or lack of glass. Replacements are always made with glass of the same quality and shape as the originals.
In the pictures you can see the parallel cable supplemented with insulating tape and the bushings. Both elements are not approved according to current standards, which require halogen-free cables and the splices must be made with clamps.
In the image on the left is the disassembly of one of the sconces to proceed to the individualized treatment of each of the parts that compose them. In the image on the right the reverse process, once restored the applique is reassembled part by part. You can see the difference in the color of the bronze as well as in the brass back of the wall lamp. We have recovered both the original brightness of the glass and the original gilding of the bronze.
In the tabletops to complete the bronze ornaments with crimped glass that has in the lower ring, we have chosen to remove those who had at the top and thus make up for the shortcomings that presented. In substitution of the upper ornaments we have crimped some small crystal chains and the tabletops have maintained their aesthetics, after restoring the color of the bronze and the brightness of the crystal.
