Current Conservation Projects – Lotsa Tortoiseshell

As I mentioned recently I have been blessed with a rich buffet of challenging conservation projects.  While not all of them are tortoiseshell, it does seem to be a recurring theme.

This project is a two-part carved tortoiseshell vessel (it has a inner, smooth cylinder to hold whatever it is supposed to hold) I believe to be a brush or writing implement holder, but I could be wrong on that.  There are several sites on the outer carved shell that are missing some carving, and a number of other locales where the shell is fractured.  It is a challenge to be sure.

This place is missing the carving.  It is roughly the size of the fingernail on my pinkie.  Good thing I know how to do this stuff.

A second and perhaps even more challenging project is this molded tortoiseshell box with a split in the top.  What makes this project so problematic is that the margins adjacent to the split are not aligned, so there is some fundamental material manipulation involved.

As the project moves forward I will be updating you on both what I am doing but why I am doing it.  Amusing that a sheer nylon drapery is integral to both solutions.