My system is not decent

Chen Wenzhe already knew a lot about repairing a bronze ware.

He knows very well that the restoration process of bronze ware generally includes 12 steps such as cleaning, dismantling, rust removal, shaping, welding, copper casting, engraving, matching and polishing.

However, the restoration of most bronzes does not require a complete set of procedures.

But this bronze mirror not only has 12 processes, but each process is extremely difficult.

When a problem cannot be solved, the following work will be unsustainable.

So this kind of work has to stop and stop, and restore other cultural relics occasionally.

This bronze mirror was complete when it was bought back, but the outside was covered with a thick layer of rust, and the exquisite decoration inside could not be seen.

After the first cleaning process, it was found that it had been artificially restored in the early stage, but the restoration method was extremely rough, and the materials and patterns were not consistent with the original.

In order to restore the authenticity of the cultural relics, we had to do our best to boldly remove the parts that were added by later generations, and the bronze mirror was broken into more than eighty pieces.

Faced with more than [-] fragments, another task was added—reshaping the fragments.

This has also become the longest process in the process of restoring this bronze mirror.

Because once the bronze ware is broken, regardless of the length of time, the fragments will inevitably be deformed.

Only when each fragment is corrected into its natural radian shape, will it be tightly stitched together into a whole in the subsequent paste welding process.

Because the bronze mirror has a history of more than 2000 years, its material has been mineralized, the copper content is very low, and the pieces are very brittle, and it will break after a little force.

Therefore, in the restoration process, the fragments can only be corrected to a certain extent tentatively.

After warming it is left for a period of time, waiting for the bronze fragments to adapt, to yield to this state.

Then try to increase the intensity, and then wait for it to adapt and give in.

Because metal has a fatigue period, but the final conquerors must be those restoration masters.

One can imagine how they patiently wrestled with a pile of bronze shards for a long time.

Just like the craftsmanship of the restoration master of the Dahai City Museum that Chen Wenzhi saw, how did he develop his skills?

It can be said that he has used it for 37 years and practiced the "heart to hand" skill.

He joined the bronze ware restoration team of Dahai Museum in 1975, and has been with this ancient cultural relic for 37 years.

There are more than 1500 bronze wares restored by him, and the bronze wares have been with him longer than his wife and children.

The repair experience of more than 1500 pieces has also forged him as a leader in this industry.

"Where you want to go" is a saying in the industry. Facing a dilapidated bronze ware, imagining and restoring its former beauty is a test of mental strength.

Restoration work is not to take things for granted on cultural relics, but to try to restore what the ancients thought and did, which makes it more difficult to "heart to heart".

Given the uniqueness of cultural relics, each restoration work is a new case.

Although experience and technology can be accumulated for reference, new problems will always appear in new cases.

The realization of the repair method has become the standard for considering "hands-on".

The heart comes first, the hand follows, and no step is missing.

Taking this bronze mirror as an example, because the wall is very thin, the average wall thickness is 1.5 mm, and the thinnest part is only 1 mm.

In order to splice the pieces together perfectly, in addition to using the traditional soldering method, an original method was invented to punch holes in the joints.

Copper pins are then inserted into the holes, the final way for the pieces to snap together.

Precise thinking and design must be realized by exquisite handwork.

Even now, Chen Wenzhe still remembers that at that time, he really couldn't imagine how to insert copper pins after punching holes in the 1 mm thick junction.

It wasn't until he saw the tools used that he realized it.

The neat rows of gadgets are the crux of the problem.

Upon closer inspection, there is nothing special about these tools, they are all common goods that can be seen on the market.

It is only in the hands of those experts that they have magical craftsmanship.

It is these small tools that can restore a top national treasure.

In particular, engraving patterns on bronze mirrors can better reflect the skill of "heart to hand".

Because of the way the ancients made bronzes entirely by hand, each bronze was uniquely decorated.

Moreover, the random publicity of the ancient craftsmen's creation would make the patterns on a bronze ware not uniform.

In particular, a striped decoration on the wall of the vessel may protrude obliquely all the way, but this does not affect the beauty of the bronze vessel, but makes it appear vivid and natural.

Restoring such decorations is the most test of the skill of the restorers, and if you don't pay attention, it will cause the feeling of "filling up".

For this bronze mirror, when it was restored at that time, epoxy resin could only be used to make exactly the same decoration as the original, and then the method of skinning was used.

Compare the vein direction of each stripe, and stick it to the part where the pattern is incomplete.

It is quite surprising that when restoring these bronzes, these experts are often also responsible for the "development" of restoration tools.

In fact, until today, there are no professional manufacturers producing special tools and materials for the restoration of cultural relics.

Restoration involves inventing and creating tools, finding new adhesives, and experimenting with new materials.

In order to bond the broken bronzes, they have long paid attention to new products in dentistry for cementing teeth.

In 1999, they improved and designed a portable ultrasonic descaling system, which can complete the descaling process without the bronze ware being moved. This equipment has now been adopted by many museums.

It is because of them, some broken copper and rotten iron, that they will have value again.

It can be said that restoration has enhanced the value of bronzes.

The restoration work of bronze ware is both professional and meticulous.

For the "inside" of this complex system engineering, almost 100% of people are laymen.

Which is the more correct way to restore an antique bronze to its brilliance, or to keep it dilapidated?

There are generally two ways to restore bronze ware.

One is the archaeological method, and the process is much simpler.

All you need to do is spell out the original shape of the broken bronze vessels.

There is no need to add carvings and decorations. This type of bronze ware is for archaeologists to study and verify the historical value of cultural relics.

There is another method, which is to restore this bronze mirror, try to restore it as realistically as possible, cast copper to match the defect, and re-carve the decoration.

The bronzes restored by this method are put into the museum for the general audience to see.

Especially in the process of rust removal, in order to make the bronzes seen by the audience more aesthetically pleasing, while removing the thick rust, it is also necessary to retain the green rust and blue rust on the cultural relics, and make them appear on the bronzes. The distribution maintains an even and harmonious beauty.

Therefore, the bronze wares appreciated by the audience are all blue-green, solemn and orderly.