Work is beginning to trickle in again now that the initial panic has begun to wane. Yesterday I made a very tricky repair to a white marble figure involving two different types of glue on a vertical surface. You only get one shot at these things, and if it had gone wrong it would have been a £100,000 mistake. Funny how you get used to it.
The trick is to rehearse the procedure in your head over and over again until you have virtually experienced every single thing which could possibly go wrong. I spent two or three days doing this from the moment I woke up until my head hit the pillow. Some people would call this worrying. In the end, the actual repair took 3 minutes.
I heard a story about how they split one of the largest diamonds ever found into two stones. For two years, the jewellers met in a studio and planned. They discussed the inside of the gem, the angle of the cut, the way the stone should be mounted for the cut, the way the stone would behave at the time of the cut, the insurance liabilities should anything go wrong - absolutely every conceivable angle was covered - over two years. Then the day came.
The cutter went into the studio, took up a little chisel and mallet, then - with one sharp blow - cleaved the precious thing in two.
My nerves would be shattered even if the operation went smoothly.
ReplyDeleteYou get used to it.
DeleteThis reminds me of my mechanic husband (retired now.) When I'd see him sitting in his chair with a faraway look in his eyes, I knew he was taking an engine apart in his mind, piece by piece in order to discover the problem. He was an expert then with an uncanny ability to X-ray an engine in his mind, able then to repair most anything on wheels that ran with gas. You are an expert at your trade - may you always be so!
ReplyDeleteHe reminds me of Don Genaro, who disabled cars by seeing into them and mentally disconnecting wires.
DeleteI can relate to that..making a new pot shape on the wheel...
ReplyDeleteAnything without corners.
DeleteAnd a feeling of quiet satisfaction at the end.
ReplyDeleteNot so quiet in my case. I like my clients to understand my fee structure.
DeleteYour job must be so stressful ....... do you get very stressed or is it all about being confident in your experience and skills? Good to hear that work is picking up. XXXX
ReplyDeleteNo, that part of the job is not stressful. Having no job to do is stressful.
DeleteI'm happy to hear that you was successful with your work! The responsibility would make me very, very nervous.
ReplyDeleteIn cases like these, failure is not an option!
DeleteThat is a lot of planning for something that does not take very long to execute. Glad all went well with your repair job!
ReplyDeleteAll man-made disasters happen because people haven't given the issue enough thought.
DeleteI've read about that diamond, too. It's a wonder "they" worry about any, they have so many to select from. That was snarky. On purpose.
ReplyDeleteDe Beers keeps the diamond market under very tight control.
DeleteI suppose it is the same in the art world as well. But all went well and work is beginning to happen. My partner had the same problems, as he removed very fine tissue paper with water from the Japanese scrolls.
ReplyDeletePaper conservators have very similar challenges. Experience makes you confident. Let someone else make the mistakes for you.
DeleteJob well done! I can hear a perceptible rise in the hum of the city where I live. It's still quiet and birds predominate, but the change in industry has started.
ReplyDelete