RepAiRing pROject : Tian-Tsui hairpin , the Tian-Tsui feathers。點翠髮簪，紀錄（十二）。

Let's have a look at the Tian-Tsui feathers.

珠子與金屬部件的清＋理暫時告一段落，接下來瞧瞧點翠的部份。

I have been thinking about how to repair (or replace) the Tian-Tsui feathers on the hairpin. It seems (I suppose) that the ornament / each motif piece was covered with kingfisher feathers, but I will DEFINITELY NOT use the feather again even if it's not prohibited. I thought of using peacock feathers (I had some), feather materials for accessories, insect wings such as butterflies instead; however, none of them is satisfying. I also thought of using ribbons, or making spring silk flowers to replace the Tian-Tsui feathers, but they would be too thick although silk thread is a good choice.

關於應該如何修復這支髮簪上的點翠，我想了很久⋯⋯就算沒有被禁止，我也絕對不可能再用翠鳥的羽毛；其它種類的羽毛例如孔雀（手邊正好有），看著也覺得不對勁；另外還有專門製作成裝飾材料的各種真仿羽毛、昆蟲翅膀⋯⋯都覺得不適合。如果以製作春仔花的方式「做羽毛片」也似乎可行，但是厚度不行。又天貓行空了好一陣子，直到看見這篇貼文：

就是它了！但是，要用什麼「綢」呢？

Sometime ago I found the article on Hairpin Museum facebook and I believe that this is the solution. The article is talking about using fabrics instead of kingfisher feathers to make Tian-Tsui pieces. I did more researches about this and found out that it had been done this way at Song Dynasty (it didn't last long though) and pongee is the most used material (the pieces were made mainly for Peking Opera costumes). This sounds good and I have started searching for the material.

這支髮簪上所有的花片當初應該都有點翠，如果使用其它材料代替，第一個考慮的除了厚度，就是顏色的呈現了－可以不是翠鳥羽毛的藍色¹，但是必須要有它的光澤感、與顏色的鮮活度。有光澤感的布料不難找，但是要同時具備顏色的鮮活度⋯⋯好像有點難。又尋找了好一陣子，我在髮簪博物館的附設商店挖到寶物：刺繡的（老）絲線。

I am looking for something is fine enough and having good lustre and colour(s) as from nature. Later I found these (old) silk threads for embroidery in Hairpin Museum online shop. They immediately caught my eyes by vivid colours and the lustre, as well as the fineness of the texture. They are exactly what I have been looking for.

第一眼看見它們就被驚豔到⋯⋯這盒老絲線的光澤超美！而且這些絲線是老材料，如果就用它們代替點翠，覺得在概念上有一種微妙的連結～於是，又經過幾次思考與討論，就決定是它了。

To be continued.

待續。

註¹：要找與翠鳥羽毛顏色一樣的藍色並不容易⋯⋯應該是說：要找藍色不難，可是當我親眼見過真正的翠羽色，會覺得要找到與它一樣的材料是不可能的！於是當我看見這盒絲線所擁有的光澤感＋鮮活度，與它所散發出來的老件氣質，雖然其中並沒有翠鳥羽毛的顏色，我仍然決定了選擇以質地與感覺為最優先。

RepAiRing pROject : Tian-Tsui hairpin , the cleaning。點翠髮簪，紀錄（十一）。

I continued cleaning the ornament with Brasso and more red colour appeared, and this (and other metal characters) really made me think that the material used for making the ornament could be copper. I did a test on a detached chip with potassium sulphide to find the answer.

繼續使用銅油清潔的過程中發現兩件事情，第一件是：花片的材質是紅銅。

兩次使用銅油清潔的過程中，「被棉花棒擦掉的金色」的面積越來越大，甚至整片都是，紅色也越來越明顯；而由著對於幾種常用的銅材質特性的認知vs.眼見所憑，越來越讓人覺得它們應該是紅銅。為了尋找答案，我做了一個小實驗：硫化。

Okay, it's copper.

手邊正好有一片一直以來搖搖欲墜然後終究掉下來了的小小花片碎角。我把它洗乾淨，放進硫化鉀溶液裡⋯⋯秒黑。

它是紅銅。黃銅與青銅不會只因為接觸到硫磺或硫化物就變黑，它們還需要其它的成份。

As mentioned before, I've decided using Brasso to clean the hairpin although it could be corrosive to metals, and it did.... another wire with motif was detached. It's my bad because the metal is so thin and it must be not good enough to clean the Brasso with 1% citric acid solution and running water (pure H₂O) only. Therefore I bought distilled white vinegar and a trigger sprayer and repeat all the steps again: clean the ornament with Brasso → clean it with pure H₂O (fine spray) throughly → pickle it in the vinegar for minutes → clean it with pure H₂O (fine spray) throughly again → clean all the gaps with pure H₂O (jet stream), then sop up the water with a dried towel.

第二件事情是：銅油的腐蝕力不容小覷。雖然它的確幫忙去除了不少花片上的陳年鏽垢，但是經過幾次清潔，殘留在細小縫隙間的微量銅油還是把另一朵小花片給摘了下來⋯⋯在古代我大概已經被殺頭@@

之前用銅油擦過的部件，是用1%的檸檬酸溶液中和，然後再用純水沖洗，但是覺得效果沒有預期中的好（又長了一點銅綠），覺得也許是檸檬酸濃度太低＋只是一般沖洗，部件上仍然有銅油殘留；這次買了蒸餾醋與可調式噴水瓶，刷完銅油之後，先用噴霧功能把花片噴洗過一次，浸泡在蒸餾醋裡（酸洗概念）輕輕搖晃沖洗數分鐘，再噴一次，再用水柱功能把細縫處徹底沖洗乾淨，用濕毛巾按乾。

I left the ornament in the air for few days and there is no more patinas (they were still growing before this cleaning is done). The cleaning is finished now.

處理好了之後又多放了幾天觀察，截至目前為止都沒有再出現新的銅綠，我想這個方法是奏效了～而已經確認是紅銅製的花片，基於物件的狀況與其它條件考量，我暫時決定就保留它現在的樣子，不再進行電鍍上色，雖然金色才應該是這支髮簪原本的顏色⋯⋯超級好奇它原本的金色是如何加工上去、是什麼材質⋯⋯覺得最有可能是鎏金（但是一擦就掉？）。

Next: get the template of each motif in ANY WAY. It's the preparation for Tian-Tsui repairing.

接著我把一些起皺變形的花片微整平，準備進行下一個步驟的前置作業：取得花片的形狀・以進行點翠修復。

To be continued.

待續兒。

gUÁn。阮。

'guán' means 'I' in Taiwanese, usually for a female when she is presenting herself. 'guán' also means 'us' in Taiwanese, when we are talking about you and me. It's just two of us.

阮，走在同樣的路上；無論中間有幾次轉折，終究還是走在同樣的道路上。

Infinity and the symbol of it has always been one of the most-liked ideas for lovers, and I've added a twist to this piece: the Möbiusband. I named the shape 'infiniusband' since the möbiusband is twisted again and an infinity symbol could be seen from the side. It's Möbinfinity.

這件作品在拋光的時候有奇妙的事情發生：雖然目標都是中等級光亮度，但是使用一般程序工具拋出來的亮光，怎麼看都不太對勁；直到用鎢鋼棒壓光的時候就一切都合理了。也許這是一種祝福般的預兆。

RepAiRing pROject : Tian-Tsui hairpin , the metal。點翠髮簪，紀錄（十）。

It's time to clean the ornament. I've decided using Brasso instead of toothpaste, facial cleansing powder, and any other abrasive tools such as sanding sponges although Brasso might be corrosive to metals. Sanding sponges are certainly not in the choices, and toothpaste and facial cleansing powder could stick or get stuck into the details and I would be in big trouble then.

結構部份分析＋拆解告一段落，接下來就是最讓人頭大的清潔了。對於應該如何清潔這支髮簪我想了很久⋯⋯對於一個金工人來說，燒去表面氧化物再酸洗當然是最快的做法，但是這個方法不適用於修復；一般清潔銅物件多半會使用銅油，或是牙膏、海綿砂紙／海綿砂紙棒、挽臉用的碰粉⋯⋯等。雖然銅油有腐蝕性（成份：溶劑、研磨劑、界面活性劑），但是基於以下三點我還是選擇它：

1）牙膏、碰粉可能需要使用比較大的輔助工具才能施作，例如牙刷。以這支髮簪的結構與髮簪部件的狀況⋯⋯覺得不太適合；其中海綿砂紙就是磨光（然後就磨光）完全不考慮。

2）牙膏與碰粉是膏、糊狀的質地，而且都有一點黏性。如果用這一類材料做清潔，它們被推開、填入髮簪了的細節與縫隙，沒有再費一番力氣應該無法徹底清除，也就提高髮簪部件被損傷的風險（瞧那些薄到不行的花片與不知道是有多疲勞的金屬細絲）。銅油是液態的，使用之後用水或中和液將銅油清理乾淨都相對容易許多。

3）這支髮簪的表面氧化情形略嚴重，而之後還有其它的修復施作需要表面絕對乾淨，有重複清潔程序的必要；再加上理由二，是選擇銅油的原因。

還有最重要的一點，就是：當初在與髮簪博物館館長討論的時候，我詢問了許多與文物修復倫理有關的問題，也做了相關的功課；我希望自己能盡量做到不違背這些倫理，但也漸漸明白這是有一定難度的。而她卻說：這支髮簪再怎麼弄也不會比現在更差，它已經殘到不太需要去管那個倫理了，只要它能變穩定變好看、再美一次，就可以了。

這些話減輕了我的許多擔心，也讓我可以更小心而大膽地「不擇手段」進行修復XD

回到正題。先用拆解下來的金屬進行小測試。拿了一支取下來的其它支架，沾了一些銅油擦了一段，前後比對。看起來⋯⋯沒什麼問題。再測試大一點的部件／簪本人。

I did some tests on the extra wires first.... they seemed okay so I've tried the pin and it looks good. Let's keep going.

看起來還可以⋯⋯不過也太亮了@@

I've continued with the detached motif pieces then the main piece, and there was something weird.... there was colour of copper appeared like a ghost.... and more.... and it's all red. I (we) thought it's bronze!

繼續。小心挑去簪上殘留的薄松膠，再用棉花棒沾銅油擦拭，完全不知道接下來要發生的事情。再繼續擦已經脫離的花片們⋯⋯突然間我以為是自己眼花嗎？花片上竟然出現一抹紅！這是紅銅的顏色吧@@

下面的相片中，在前方的花片是擦過銅油的，後方的還沒擦；在中間的是簪本人。

I suppose that we would only find out what metal it exactly is by using a metal analyser or XRF, however in this case 1) I haven't got one, 2) I am not going to chop it and send it to someone who has the machine even a bit. Cleaning is continued with Brasso, and I've got 'pieces with copper colour', 'pieces with both bronze and copper colours', 'pieces with bronze colour'.

如果沒有儀器，基本上要準確地判斷某金屬是什麼、有什麼成份在其中是不可能的，尤其是合金類。這支髮簪光從外表的顏色、細部的特徵，以及製造年份年代的流行、當時的習慣，再加上簪館長與我，都曾經帶著它請教過一些前輩的看法，我們都推測它的材質應該是青銅～雖然我也曾經好奇過：這整支髮簪真的是青銅嗎？簪本人就不懷疑了，它看起來、邏輯上、清潔之後都顯示它是青銅；但是髮簪花片上的花紋、滾邊用的銅絲，都曾經讓我好奇：青銅¹可以做到這麼細嗎？我以為只有紅銅²（純金屬／非合金）做得到！

Could it be a chemical reaction with Brasso? Maybe they are copper and plated with.... something golden but certainly not gold? Or it is simply sort of fire stain? Hopefully I would find the answers sometime.

如果那抹紅真的來自於紅銅，我想到幾種可能性：1）原本的金色是鍍上去的，這些花片的確是紅銅底；2）多次焊接火燒，把紅銅帶出來了（類似火紋的意思）；3）與銅油起作用。

我決定再多試幾片。結果有幾片擦過之後整片是紅色，另外有幾片是斑駁的金與紅，還有幾片是整塊都金色⋯⋯這到底是怎麼回事@@

整件擦過一遍。除了有各種變化的花片顏色之外，沒有其它奇幻的事情發生⋯⋯至於擦銅油，目前為止覺得它是行得通的，但是在擦過之後要把銅油徹底清乾淨，否則它會長出更多銅綠。我往酸鹼要中和的方向思考，調配了1%的檸檬酸（蒸餾醋應該也可以，但是手邊冇），將整件髮簪花片放進溶液裡浸泡＋輕晃讓它被溫柔沖洗，然後拿起來（重點）用純水再沖乾淨，否則一般的水、或自來水，水裡的添加物會再幫它加很多神祕的東西上去⋯⋯。

They need more cleaning. To be continued.

待續。

註¹＋²：青銅是合金（銅＋錫），紅銅是純金屬／就是化學元素週期表裡的元素銅（₂₉Cu）。如果正確稱呼紅銅其實就是「銅」，並不需要「紅」銅；但是為了與其它銅合金區分（青銅、黃銅、白銅），加上顏色的形容詞似乎比較容易，所以會稱它為紅銅。