Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is an Indian Tulwar, with a heavily curved blade. Depending on definitions, it can also be called a Golia, derived from the Punjabi word for "round". It is heavily corroded and has a cracked blade. EDTA chelation with the addition of citric acid was used in an agar gel to address the corrosion.
**Regarding "conservation" vs "restoration":**
Excerpt:
Resolution adopted by the ICOM-CC membership at the 15th Triennial Conference, New Delhi, 22-26 September 2008 Terminology to characterize the conservation of tangible cultural heritage
"The ICOM-CC adopts the following terms: “preventive conservation”, “remedial conservation”, and “restoration” which together constitute “conservation” of the tangible cultural heritage.
These terms are distinguished according to the aims of the measures and actions they encompass.
This project showcases remedial conservation - "all actions directly applied to an item or a group of items aimed at arresting current damaging processes or reinforcing their structure. These actions are only carried out when the items are in such a fragile condition or deteriorating at such a rate, that they could be lost in a relatively short time. These actions sometimes modify the appearance of the items."
And restoration – "all actions directly applied to a single and stable item aimed at facilitating its appreciation, understanding and use. These actions are only carried out when the item has lost part of its significance or function through past alteration or deterioration. They are based on respect for the original material. Most often such actions modify the appearance of the item."
**Conservation Method:**
As this sword was not able to be safely disassembled and has a crack in the blade, many of the typical methods which rely on submersion were not suited. Likewise, the lack of flaking corrosion meant that mechanical methods were not suited - such as micro-blading - which are better suited to less strongly adhered corrosion products. An approach was tailored to the needs of this particular sword, given its conditions and materials.
This sword was conserved using EDTA chelation with Citric Acid in an Agar hydrogel in order to stabilise the condition, as it had widespread, deep and even corrosion on the entire surface blade, slowly deteriorating the condition and threatening to worsen the crack in the blade.
EDTA chelation uses ligand-receptor binding to selectively remove iron oxide while leaving the iron below untouched. It was selected due to the need to preserve details in the elaborately etched blade. The use of gel extends the working time of the solution, preventing evaporation and allowing for more time for the reaction to occur.
In this video, a modified gel was used with the addition of a small amount of citric acid, to shift the pH below 7, as acidic conditions also increase the solubility of the iron oxide.
This process is adapted from these papers.
[sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207421001333](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207421001333)
[mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/3/191](https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/3/191)
Precedent for using EDTA and citric acid on antique swords also shown in this article:
[https://www.academia.edu/6832514/Treatment\_and\_restoration\_of\_antique\_sword\_from\_Ottoman\_period\_13\_th\_AH\_19\_th\_AD\_century\_at\_the\_National\_Military\_Museum\_Saladin\_Citadel\_in\_Egypt](https://www.academia.edu/6832514/Treatment_and_restoration_of_antique_sword_from_Ottoman_period_13_th_AH_19_th_AD_century_at_the_National_Military_Museum_Saladin_Citadel_in_Egypt)
Overall, each side of the blade took 6 applications of gel. Each gel layer must react for 1 to 2 hours. The entire process took many hours - including the various cleaning steps that occur between gel applications - which will be included in the full video.
If you enjoy this content, consider supporting the creation of more conservation videos.
patreon.com/IPostSwords
**Ethics Considerations:**
This particular antique was corroded to a substantial extent and its structural integrity was threatened, as corrosion products developing in the crack of the blade can worsen the crack and potentially fully break the blade.
Conservation and restoration allowed for stabilisation of artefact as well as for the underlying construction method of the steel to be respectfully revealed and appreciated by addressing the deterioration, and also allowed for preservation of the object for the future.
Care was taken to ensure no undue losses were incurred, and the work was conducted only to a degree where the object was stable, and free of active corrosion products.
#restoration #antique #conservation
Music: Hej Sokoly. Commonly attributed to Tymko (Tomasz) Padura. Digital Synth.
This is an Indian Tulwar, with a heavily curved blade. Depending on definitions, it can also be called a Golia, derived from the Punjabi word for "round". It is heavily corroded and has a cracked blade. EDTA chelation with the addition of citric acid was used in an agar gel to address the corrosion.
**Regarding "conservation" vs "restoration":**
Excerpt:
Resolution adopted by the ICOM-CC membership at the 15th Triennial Conference, New Delhi, 22-26 September 2008 Terminology to characterize the conservation of tangible cultural heritage
"The ICOM-CC adopts the following terms: “preventive conservation”, “remedial conservation”, and “restoration” which together constitute “conservation” of the tangible cultural heritage.
These terms are distinguished according to the aims of the measures and actions they encompass.
This project showcases remedial conservation - "all actions directly applied to an item or a group of items aimed at arresting current damaging processes or reinforcing their structure. These actions are only carried out when the items are in such a fragile condition or deteriorating at such a rate, that they could be lost in a relatively short time. These actions sometimes modify the appearance of the items."
And restoration – "all actions directly applied to a single and stable item aimed at facilitating its appreciation, understanding and use. These actions are only carried out when the item has lost part of its significance or function through past alteration or deterioration. They are based on respect for the original material. Most often such actions modify the appearance of the item."
**Conservation Method:**
As this sword was not able to be safely disassembled and has a crack in the blade, many of the typical methods which rely on submersion were not suited. Likewise, the lack of flaking corrosion meant that mechanical methods were not suited - such as micro-blading - which are better suited to less strongly adhered corrosion products. An approach was tailored to the needs of this particular sword, given its conditions and materials.
This sword was conserved using EDTA chelation with Citric Acid in an Agar hydrogel in order to stabilise the condition, as it had widespread, deep and even corrosion on the entire surface blade, slowly deteriorating the condition and threatening to worsen the crack in the blade.
EDTA chelation uses ligand-receptor binding to selectively remove iron oxide while leaving the iron below untouched. It was selected due to the need to preserve details in the elaborately etched blade. The use of gel extends the working time of the solution, preventing evaporation and allowing for more time for the reaction to occur.
In this video, a modified gel was used with the addition of a small amount of citric acid, to shift the pH below 7, as acidic conditions also increase the solubility of the iron oxide.
This process is adapted from these papers.
[sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207421001333](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1296207421001333)
[mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/3/191](https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/3/191)
Precedent for using EDTA and citric acid on antique swords also shown in this article:
[https://www.academia.edu/6832514/Treatment\_and\_restoration\_of\_antique\_sword\_from\_Ottoman\_period\_13\_th\_AH\_19\_th\_AD\_century\_at\_the\_National\_Military\_Museum\_Saladin\_Citadel\_in\_Egypt](https://www.academia.edu/6832514/Treatment_and_restoration_of_antique_sword_from_Ottoman_period_13_th_AH_19_th_AD_century_at_the_National_Military_Museum_Saladin_Citadel_in_Egypt)
Overall, each side of the blade took 6 applications of gel. Each gel layer must react for 1 to 2 hours. The entire process took many hours - including the various cleaning steps that occur between gel applications - which will be included in the full video.
If you enjoy this content, consider supporting the creation of more conservation videos.
patreon.com/IPostSwords
**Ethics Considerations:**
This particular antique was corroded to a substantial extent and its structural integrity was threatened, as corrosion products developing in the crack of the blade can worsen the crack and potentially fully break the blade.
Conservation and restoration allowed for stabilisation of artefact as well as for the underlying construction method of the steel to be respectfully revealed and appreciated by addressing the deterioration, and also allowed for preservation of the object for the future.
Care was taken to ensure no undue losses were incurred, and the work was conducted only to a degree where the object was stable, and free of active corrosion products.
#restoration #antique #conservation
Music: Hej Sokoly. Commonly attributed to Tymko (Tomasz) Padura. Digital Synth.
