Question about cleaning methods for iron artifacts

I was using a wire brush on some iron nails from a dig in Virginia, and a conservator from the Smithsonian told me I was basically scrubbing away the history. She said to switch to a soft bristle brush and distilled water, and to never use anything abrasive. I tried it on a nail from the 1700s and the surface detail is way clearer now. Has anyone else had to completely change their cleaning process after getting called out?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.cora2mo ago

Read that same thing in a conservation guide actually. It said wire brushes basically gouge the surface and remove the "provenance layer" which is the dirt and rust that tells the story of how an object lived. Soft bristles and patience is the way to go, just let the water and time do the work instead of forcing it. Found that manual says to go slow and steady especially on things like iron where the shape itself is the data.

tarahart4mo ago

Scrubbing away the history" is such a perfect way to put it... I was probably erasing whole dates with my steel wool.

the_mary4mo ago

Yeah, "erasing whole dates" hits hard. I used to clean everything spotless without a second thought. Now I see a scratch on the counter and wonder about the meal that made it, or a mark on the floor and think about the person who dropped something. It's not dirt anymore, it's proof someone lived here.