Maria,

Make sure to fully document the damage and the condition of the shipping container that it came in. This may involve a claim for insurance from the shipping company if the damage occurred during transit.

I repaired a couple of historic trophies some years ago. Pot -metal is a real challenge to work with. It is soft and so distorts when it is damaged and it has a very low melting point and you can easily blow a hole in it when trying to solder a repair. If it is broken where it needs structural support then you will probably need a small stainless steel pin inserted to bridge and strengthen the mend.

Look for a qualified objects conservator who had a strong background in metals conservation and structural repairs of sculpture.

Go to the AIC web site and click on FIND A CONSERVATOR to use the free referral service.

http://www.conservation-us.org/

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator and Museum Consultant
Los Angeles, CA

On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 7:51 AM, Maria VanVreede <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello, Listserv,
 
Yesterday a trophy arrived from a donor that had been badly packaged, and sadly, broken.  The trophy dates to 1950 and was custom-made by combing several common trophy elements.  The figures and design elements are pot metal on a wood base.  One of the figures broke where it was adhered to the base and should be straightforward to fix, but two of the design elements broke at weak points and might be a bit problematic.  We would really like to get it fixed.  Can anyone recommend a conservator, hopefully close to Indiana, would could do so?
 
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
 
Maria K. VanVreede
Registrar
National Model Aviation Museum
Muncie, IN
www.modelaviation.org/museum.aspx
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