The company moved to 313 High Holborn St. in 1861. Also, when founder William Watson died in 1881, the name was changed from "Watson and Son" to "Watson and Sons". Thus, I suspect that your telescope is newer than 1881. Just a guess.
Thank You! I hawe an old leveling scope after my grandfather, although beeing in better condition, i still had similar questions about how to proceed since me and my father are still using it.
Great! So glad you found it interesting! Please visit our www.arc-services.com.au website if you are interested in traditional conservation and restoration techniques. There are many 'How To' videos and ebooks made with the intention of helping to preserve traditional hand skills. All the best in your interest and endeavours!
Thanks for the visit. Very well observed. Yes the name was changed in 1881 you are quite right. Would be nice to know how many telescopes of this type were made in a year. We could then get a more accurate date which would be interesting. The original screws appear to be to be about 1870 to 1890 ish judging from their profile. The finish on the box was a shellac varnish which is soluble in alcohol. Difficult to know if it was original or added for a spruce up later. It was removed using industrial alcohol. The wood was Honduras Mahogany which had been grained filled. I was careful to allow signs of wear to remain on the surface of the wood. It was not sanded down. I used boiled linseed oil as the finish which was allowed to set thoroughly, then it was waxed with natural bees wax.
@@arcservicesantiquefurnitur6157 It's great that you were dealing with shellac. It's so nice to be able to remove it, yet maintain the wear and underlying patina, which then really pops when you apply the new stain. Thank you for saving an old beauty of a scope in such an expert and caring manner.
Thanks for watching Peter. I am currently working on a 'How to clean brass' video and short eBook which you may find interesting. Please come back soon. All the best, Cal
Thanks for watching. Am happy you found it interesting but we do all the restoration and conservation in house. Thanks for the offer though! all the best Cal
Hi, Thanks for the visit. Yes, I used the Phosphoric acid initially to remove the oxidation but needed to polish the surface with buffing wheels and compound to remove some pitting due to the age of the oxidation and its effect on the surface of the brass
@@arcservicesantiquefurnitur6157 is 85% phosphoric acid acceptable? or do i need to dilute - by the way, thank you for showing this process - I am in the process of restoring 2 brass trench art lamps from WW2 and bar-keepers friend is not up to the job.
Hi, I would start with a 50% dilution of your acid. You can always increase the concentration if it is working too slowly. If it is working too fast dilute it a bit. Once the work is done make sure you wash all the remaining acid off with water. You can use fine steel wool to help remove the tarnish. It will burnish the surface and will get warm. You will need to use a polishing compound if you want a higher finish. Experiment with the process on an inconspicuous area to get your technique refined. . A word to the wise.., wear gloves and eye protection. It doesn't do eyes and fingers much good!@@bridgecommand
The company moved to 313 High Holborn St. in 1861. Also, when founder William Watson died in 1881, the name was changed from "Watson and Son" to "Watson and Sons". Thus, I suspect that your telescope is newer than 1881. Just a guess.
Thank You! I hawe an old leveling scope after my grandfather, although beeing in better condition, i still had similar questions about how to proceed since me and my father are still using it.
Great!
So glad you found it interesting!
Please visit our www.arc-services.com.au website if you are interested in traditional conservation and restoration techniques. There are many 'How To' videos and ebooks made with the intention of helping to preserve traditional hand skills.
All the best in your interest and endeavours!
@@arcservicesantiquefurnitur6157 Thank You!
Very nicely done. Was there an existing finish on the wood box? Could you identify it? How was the finish removed before cleaning with oxalic acid?
Thanks for the visit.
Very well observed.
Yes the name was changed in 1881 you are quite right.
Would be nice to know how many telescopes of this type were made in a year. We could then get a more accurate date which would be interesting.
The original screws appear to be to be about 1870 to 1890 ish judging from their profile.
The finish on the box was a shellac varnish which is soluble in alcohol. Difficult to know if it was original or added for a spruce up later.
It was removed using industrial alcohol.
The wood was Honduras Mahogany which had been grained filled.
I was careful to allow signs of wear to remain on the surface of the wood. It was not sanded down. I used boiled linseed oil as the finish which was allowed to set thoroughly, then it was waxed with natural bees wax.
@@arcservicesantiquefurnitur6157 It's great that you were dealing with shellac. It's so nice to be able to remove it, yet maintain the wear and underlying patina, which then really pops when you apply the new stain.
Thank you for saving an old beauty of a scope in such an expert and caring manner.
Thanks for that, very interesting. What method did you use for cleaning the brass? Also, how do you go about restoring lacquered brass?
Thanks for watching Peter. I am currently working on a 'How to clean brass' video and short eBook which you may find interesting. Please come back soon. All the best, Cal
"This is the brass after been clean"
Thanks for visiting.
The beginning of the video shows the tarnished brass and the end of the video shows the finished work
I would love to see the optical performance and a potential collaboration to restore the optical elements.
Thanks for watching. Am happy you found it interesting but we do all the restoration and conservation in house. Thanks for the offer though!
all the best Cal
did you clean the brass using the phosphoric acid technique used in your other video?
Hi,
Thanks for the visit.
Yes, I used the Phosphoric acid initially to remove the oxidation but needed to polish the surface with buffing wheels and compound to remove some pitting due to the age of the oxidation and its effect on the surface of the brass
@@arcservicesantiquefurnitur6157 is 85% phosphoric acid acceptable? or do i need to dilute - by the way, thank you for showing this process - I am in the process of restoring 2 brass trench art lamps from WW2 and bar-keepers friend is not up to the job.
Hi,
I would start with a 50% dilution of your acid. You can always increase the concentration if it is working too slowly.
If it is working too fast dilute it a bit.
Once the work is done make sure you wash all the remaining acid off with water.
You can use fine steel wool to help remove the tarnish. It will burnish the surface and will get warm. You will need to use a polishing compound if you want a higher finish. Experiment with the process on an inconspicuous area to get your technique refined.
.
A word to the wise.., wear gloves and eye protection. It doesn't do eyes and fingers much good!@@bridgecommand