One of the tasks that I wanted to get done while the Home was closed in January was the cleaning of the 1908 Waterford crystal chandelier in the dining room. It takes two full workdays to disassemble, clean, and reassemble all of the prisms. This makes the third time I have done this job and so, at least, I understand the process.
This is not like cleaning your chandelier at home --- #1 it is an artifact, and #2 it belonged to Frank and Jane and was an original fixture in the home. When working with an artifact, a whole set of museum guidelines apply which includes assessing the risk of taking the fixture apart to begin with, minimizing the risk of any breakage, and proper cleaning techniques.
It is somewhat of an overwhelming feeling to know that if I damage an artifact, it cannot be replaced, so I proceed with the cleaning of the fixture with all the meticulousness of a bomb crew disarming a bomb! The payoff is seeing it rehung sparkling and undamaged, (not to mention that I get to keep my job)!
