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ABC 666 Radio with Paula Kruger
How do you preserve Grandpa's medals? Treasure Tune Up on Wartime Items
Military collections contain many hazards. Some are more obvious than others. It is important to remember a weapon is always a weapon never a toy! Some items like first aid kits can contain powders and drugs which become highly toxic including cyanide or mercury.
Asbestos is also in many items which were intended to get hot such as oven mitts, helmets, fire fighting gear, the soles of shoes etc. It can turn up in unexpected places.
Lead paint is often found on many materials from military collections and any flaking paint should be considered questionable until tested. Military collections can contain material with radio active dials and watches which are high risk and should not be kept in the family home.
If you have any concerns or questions please feel free to call us.
What does it take to restore a large military item like a plane?
Have you ever wondered what it takes to restore a large World War II plane?
Andrew Pearce is a senior conservator at Endangered Heritage in Canberra and specialises in metal and glass restoration work.
He spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about what happens behind the scenes conserving large military items such as the "G for George" a Lancaster aircraft at the Australian War Memorial.
Children’s art is usually pretty safe. In fact we use water based paints and safe dyes and food colouring and everything needs to be so washable that it is not surprising it often isn’t very light or water fast.
Fading and damage is pretty easy over a short period of time. Find tips on preserving children's art work here and give us a call if you need storage solutions for difficult to keep artworks and craft projects.
How do you prevent bugs eating winter woollens?
Have you pulled out the winter woollens from the back of the wardrobe and noticed a hole or two?
As the cold weather sets in we start looking closely at jumpers and coats, and whether they have been attacked by insects while stored away.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to Afternoon's host Paula Kruger about the things you can do to prevent carpet beetles and moths eating your fabric items.
How do you preserve canvas and board paintings?
Do you have a painting hanging on your wall?
Whether it is a priceless Picasso portrait or a Year 12 art project caring for board and canvas paintings will ensure they will last for future generations.
Senior Conservator at Endangered Heritage, Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the top tips to conserve paintings and prevent damage.
Advice on preserving important family photos
Photos are everywhere.... in our homes, in the office, in albums and stored on the mobile phone.
How do you conserve the important ones so future generations can enjoy the images?
Prue McKay is the Senior Paper and Photographs Conservator at Endangered Heritage in Canberra. She spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the tips to keep your photographs in great condition.
How do you conserve intangible heritage items in your family?
Have you ever thought about the information in your family being valuable?
Elusive things like Christmas traditions, recipe books or a skill handed down from generation-to-generation.
Sometimes it is not until a family member dies that the everyone realises the information should have been recorded in a permanent way.
Endangered Heritage senior conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about important family history items and how to preserve intangible heritage.
Tips for restoring a classic old car
Have you ever been involved in restoring an old car?
It can be a long-term project with some classic cars needing extensive bodywork repairs or a complete engine rebuild.
The recent loss of Holden Manufacturing in Australia has put the spotlight on preserving some of the nation's car history.
Senior Conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about what it takes to get a restored car back on the road.
Bought a souvenir on holidays? How can you recognise if it is valuable
Perhaps you have a carved wooden elephant from Sri Lanka... A ship made of cloves from Indonesia... or a simple photo fridge magnet from a honeymoon destination.
During COVID-19 restrictions overseas travel has become impossible and international borders are expected to remain closed for some time.
This is the first episode in a series of on-air discussions about travel souvenirs as part of Treasure Tune Up. Endangered Heritage senior conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Afternoons Show host Paula Kruger about the history of tourism souvenirs and how to recognise if they are valuable.
Conserving heirloom wartime and military souvenirs
Do you have a special wartime heirloom in your family?
Perhaps a French souvenir purchased by a relative who died on the Western front... or trench art, something crafted from the metal on the battlefield.
In most cases the items bought or collected by soldiers during conflict were chosen for a purpose or to show people back home.
Endangered Heritage senior conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Afternoons Show host Paula Kruger about the background to wartime souvenirs and how to conserve them.
Explore the history of souvenir tourist postcards
When was the last time you bought a postcard... Did you send it to someone or keep it?
Picture postcards have been used since the mid 1800s and remain popular today.
As part of the Treasure Tune Up series on tourist souvenirs, senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the history and care of old postcards.
How do you preserve Aboriginal and Pacific artefacts for the future
Do you own something made of shells, bark or plant material?
If you purchased traditional artworks and souvenirs in the Pacific or in remote Aboriginal communities, they could require special care.
Living here in Canberra, the drier climate can impact on bark paintings and could lead to cracking.
As part of the Treasure Tune Up series on tourist souvenirs, Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra Afternoons host Paula Kruger about preserving Pacific and Indigenous Australian art and souvenirs.
Restoring big items and technology
It is called restoring large technology, taking on big conservation projects such as trucks, boats, planes and even tanks.
However the cultural institutions are not the only ones taking on these challenging collections, a surprising number of individuals are tackling a big tech item beyond the classic car restoration.
This is the first discussion as part of a Transport Collection series.
Senior Conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Dan Bourchier about repairing and bringing large transport items back to life.
Restoring vintage motorcycles and Ducati bikes
Riding a vintage motorbike with the wind in your hair is the dream of many.
But repairing a classic bike or retro chopper can be a huge project.
This is the third discussion in Treasure Tune Up transport series looking at motorcycles.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce and his special guest Ducati restorer Dave, spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the motorbike restoration process.
Learn how to restore vintage and retro bicycles
A vintage bicycle is a nostalgic reminder of the good old days... whether its a Penny Farthing with a giant front wheel, a classic 1950s Malvern Star bike or a retro 1980s BMX.
This week Treasure Tune Up about Transport technology is focusing on bicycles.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce and vintage bicycle collector Peter Taylor spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about what it takes to restore an old bike.
Media treasures: Do you know how to preserve old newspaper articles and broadcast recordings?
Do you have any old, yellowed newspaper clippings hidden away... Something that mentions your sporting performance from school that your mum kept from the local paper?
This week on Treasure Tune Up we are looking at collecting old media items and how museum collections have evolved in the digital age.
It is the first in a series about preserving media and communication items.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about published articles, high-8 films and oral histories.
Media heritage: Preserving printing presses, typewriters and the printed word
Printing presses have a long history in Australia but hundreds of print shops and newspapers have shut their doors as the industry grapples with the rise in online publications.
This is the third discussion for Treasure Tune Up as part of the media and communication series.
Senior Conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the evolution of printing processes and the printed word.
What do early computers tell us about the development of technology?
Why do people collect or preserve early computers?
Most of us take for granted modern day laptop computers and smart phones. Especially when compared to the early computer models which took up a huge amount of space and made only basic calculations.
Senior Conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce spoke to ABC Canberra's Paula Kruger about how preserving early computers can be challenging.
How to clean and repair treasures safely
Much-loved family heirlooms often need a clean or repair - but how do you do that safely?
The team at Endangered Heritage in Canberra have seen some weird and wacky treatments which have gone wrong.
Senior Conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the common mistakes people make when cleaning treasured items.
Protecting your household treasures from disasters such as bushfires and floods
Local emergency authorities are encouraging people to develop a household bushfire plan as the official 2020-2021 bushfire season begins.
But how do you prepare your household treasures if you need to evacuate suddenly due to a disaster?
Endangered Heritage senior conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Afternoons host Paula Kruger about advice on how to protect much-loved personal items such as family photos, recipe books and Grandma's favourite vase.
Advice: How to prepare your household treasures against flash flooding and water damage
The famous Dorothea MacKellar poem called My Country describes the opposites 'of droughts and flooding rains' on the Australian landscape.
This is part two in a discussion about protecting your treasures from natural disasters. The first segment on bushfires can be heard here.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage, Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about how to prepare your household treasures against flash flooding and water damage.
Treasure tune up: How to care for precious festive season decorations
The celebrations of Christmas, Hanukah, Diwali, and Ramadan all have artefacts, decorations and material used to pass on stories and traditions.
Some are connected to happy memories and nostalgia, while others are deeply religious and require special handling by conservators.
While some decorations are made of disposable materials that are designed to be thrown away, others are intended to be kept across generations.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the variety of festive decorations and how to care for them.
Treasure Tune Up: Part 2: How to avoid cleaning and repair failures for heirlooms
How do you look after your family treasures?
Be warned that do-it-yourself cleaning and repairs of much-loved household items can lead to long term damage if not done properly.
Endangered Heritage Senior Conservator Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the things to avoid when fixing things.
How to spot asbestos and other hazards in family heirlooms
Do you know where asbestos can be found inside your home?... you might be surprised.
It is Asbestos Awareness Week and the theme of 2020 is 'Asbestos lurks in more places than you'd think.'
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Andrew Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about the potential carcinogen and other dangers to check for when handling heirloom items.
Photography: Advice on caring for photos and image storage
Photos of people have become precious for families this year, especially those who have been separated by COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Fewer people are actually printing out hard copies of their images, so digital storage has become important.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage, Andrew Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about tips to conserve and store your much-loved photos.
Advice on making a new family heirloom which will last for future generations
Christmas is a time when we unpack decorations and sometimes uncover family heirlooms from decades before.
It can prompt people to consider making a new heirloom or handmade item. But what advice do you need to ensure the new keepsake lasts for future generations.
Senior conservator at Endangered Heritage Victoria Pearce spoke to ABC Radio Canberra's Paula Kruger about techniques and materials to boost the longevity of an heirloom.
