Object
The dagger-axe (戈, Ge) consists of a curved handle (内, Nei) with a long, flat blade. The handle appears to be bird shaped and what could be a relief pattern or inscriptions can be visible on one side. There is also a raised guard (阑, Lan) situated between the blade and the handle. Overall, the dagger-axe is extremely thin and light. Traditionally dagger axes were mounted on a wooden pole and used similarly to the poleaxe or halberd.
Analysis of the material using portable XRF confirmed that the dagger axe is made from a copper-lead alloy.
Condition
- Evidence of dirt on the surface of the object
- Corrosion patches are visible on the surface
- Old paper labels obsure portions of the object
- Evidence of old adhesive on the surface.
Conservation
Initially the surface dirt on the dagger axe was removed by rolling cotton wool swabs over the surface with an appropriate solvent. Some areas of dirt were difficult to remove and so dental tools were employed to remove these stubborn areas.
The paper labels, which were obscuring the surface of the object and potentially any corrosion or detrioration required removal in order to determine what was happening on the surface beneath. As these labels were part of the objects history they were to be retained if possible as they provided important information. These labels were carefully removed using an appropriate solvent to soften the adhesive, followed by a combination of dental tools and tweezers in order to lift and remove the paper labels. These were then retained and kept with the object.
The areas of corrosion on the surface were removed carefully using a scalpel, making sure there was no risk of removing the stable patina as this would put the object at risk from further deterioration.
The excess adhesive from previous repairs was removed using a suitable solvent applied using cotton swabs as these edges would need to be clean before further repairs could be made.
Once the object had been fully cleaned and all previous adhesive removed, the object was submerged in a BTA solution under vacuum for several hours in order to help stabilise and prevent further deterioration. Once the object had completed the BTA treatment it was allowed to dry and was then treated using an appropriate coating which would assist with preventing further deterioration.
Finally the object was adhered back together using an suitable adhesive, strong enough to hold the pieces of the dagger axe together, and allowed to fully cure.