The Brass & Silver Workshop

Digging through some of pictures, I ran across this memory. This picture was taken in the first few days of January 2000, when Al presented to Chris Loeblein, Curator of History of the CHARLESTON Museum, his handwrought sterling silver Clemson Blue Cheese bowl. It is the last piece of silver made in Charleston by a CHARLESTON silversmith in the 20th century and was completed at 11:58 pm December 31, 1999. It was a privilege to present this to the museum and have it among important works by Alexander Petrie, Miles Brewton, John Mood and Heloise Boudo, just to name a few. It was a distinct honor to have been able to call Chris a friend.

We value everyone’s safety and well-being. We are here to support you, as you have supported us for over 52 years. If you choose to stay home, we hope to see you when conditions improve. Now is a great time to pull out the polish and spiff things up while self isolating. Call or email us for tips - 843-571-4342, 843-343-4586, [email protected]

If you are out and wish to pick up or drop off work, please call ahead. We offer curbside service or porch drop off.

Please join us in keeping all those affected by these turbulent times in thought and prayer. Be safe and stay well.

Today is a bittersweet day for us. Our beloved Mary Lou Wickstrom, who has graced the workshop for 7 years, is retiring and today is her last day. She has welcomed and assisted new and longstanding clients with their restoration and conservation goals with continued grace, warmth, dedication, expertise, compassion and a bright smile. Time and time again, she has served as a constant advocate, offering reassurance and updates. No detail escapes her eagle eyes. I remember at a recent staff meeting and sharing customer advocacy tips, she said “It is all about the Golden Rule.” It is, in fact, at the core of who she is.
We have been blessed beyond measure because of her, and hope you will join us in extending our heartfelt thanks and wishing her all the best. Thank you so much, Lulu!

Congratulations to Al Crabtree, who is still at it!

We will be closed today as we thaw from the winter wonderland

To all affected by the hurricane:

You are in our thoughts and prayers as you begin the arduous process of clean up. We are sensitive to your efforts and would like to offer the following tips for assessing and cleaning your items of brass, silver, copper, etc. If you plan to file a claim, talk with your insurance adjuster first, and proceed according to their instructions. Verify that the following steps will not hinder or invalidate a claim.
• Group like metals together (i.e. brass, silverplate, sterling, etc.).Sterling items will usually be marked "sterling" or" 925/1000".
• If you attempt to clean these items yourself, use clean water and a mild dishwashing detergent. This will halt any corrosive reactions. Keep all metal objects away from chemicals such as household cleaning products and bleach. Once the items have been washed, dry thoroughly.
• Once the items have been washed and dried, use only a polish specifically designed for that metal. Use silver polish for silver, brass polish for brass, etc. Avoid "all metal" polishes, as they are too abrasive for silver and silverplate.

If the tips above do not help, please send us an image via email at [email protected] and we will attempt to guide you further. If the damage is extensive, please consult a silversmith or metalsmith who uses museum-sanctioned restoration and conservation methods. If you do not know one, we do adhere to these techniques in:
• Soldering of broken handles, feet, etc.
• Professional polishing
• Restoration of lighting fixtures
• Dent removal
• Straightening of items such as candlesticks, candelabrum
• Fabrication of missing parts
• Resilvering

Mr. Alfred Crabtree has 50 years experience in the industry, working with the historical churches, institutions and museums across the country, such as The Charleston Museum, The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Middleton Place Foundation, Drayton Hall, Colonial Williamsburg, the Flagler Museum, and the South Carolina Governors Mansion.

If you know someone that might benefit from this information, please feel free to share. Again, please accept our sympathy for any loss you may have experienced. We stand with you and remain committed to restoring, preserving, and conserving heirlooms and fine metal decorative arts for future generations.

Wishing you all good things on this New Year!
Have fun, joy, peace, faith, love, care, luck and success ahead!
Happy New Year Greetings to All!

Thank you so much for the outpouring of thoughts and concern. It has meant more than you will know. Thankfully, we are all safe and healthy.

To all of our neighbors in Charleston and those effected by Hurricane Matthew:

We are mindful of the loss and devastation you are experiencing and are sensitive to your clean-up efforts. As you make your way through this process, here are some tips for assessing and cleaning your items of brass, silver, copper, etc.

• Group like metals together (i.e. brass, silverplate, sterling, etc.).Sterling items will usually be marked "sterling" or" 925/1000".
• If you attempt to clean these items yourself, use clean water and a mild dishwashing detergent. This will halt any corrosive reactions. Avoid soaking; treat one piece at a time. Keep all metal objects away from chemicals such as household cleaning products and bleach. Knives are usually comprised of several materials, so avoid soaking them, especially. Once the items have been washed, dry thoroughly.
• Next, use only a polish specifically designed for that metal. Use silver polish for silver, brass polish for brass, etc. Avoid "all metal" polishes for silver, gold and silverplate because they are too abrasive.

If the previous tips do not help, please send us an image via email at [email protected] and we will attempt to guide you further. If the damage is extensive, please consult a silversmith or metalsmith who uses museum-sanctioned restoration and conservation methods.

If you know someone that might benefit from this information, please feel free to copy or share. Again, please accept our sympathy for any loss you may have experienced. We stand with you to assist in anyway possible.

We are really excited how these cufflinks turned out. We received a commission to make cufflinks out of these Egyptian, stone encrusted scarabs. This posed a real challenge of soldering the T-bar onto the back of the scarab without the heat damaging the fragile stones. Incorporating an old technique learned from a dearly departed colleague, Al managed to preserve each scarab's stones and the results speak for themselves.

To all our fellow South Carolinians that have experienced the flood in recent weeks:

We are mindful of the sense of loss and devastation you are experiencing after the recent storms. As leaders in the industry of restoration and conservation, we are sensitive to your clean-up efforts and would like to offer the following tips for assessing and cleaning your items of brass, silver, copper, etc.

• Group like metals together (i.e. brass, silverplate, sterling, etc.).Sterling items will usually be marked "sterling" or" 925/1000".
• If you attempt to clean these items yourself, use clean water and a mild dishwashing detergent. This will halt any corrosive reactions. Keep all metal objects away from chemicals such as household cleaning products and bleach. Once the items have been washed, dry thoroughly.
• Once the items have been washed and dried, use only a polish specifically designed for that metal. Use silver polish for silver, brass polish for brass, etc. Avoid "all metal" polishes, as they are too abrasive for silver and silverplate.

If the previous tips do not help, please send us an image via email at [email protected] and we will attempt to guide you further. If the damage is extensive, please consult a silversmith or metalsmith who uses museum-sanctioned restoration and conservation methods. If you do not know one, we do adhere to these techniques in:
• Soldering of broken handles, feet, etc.
• Professional polishing
• Restoration of lighting fixtures
• Dent removal
• Straightening of items such as candlesticks, candelabrum
• Fabrication of missing parts
• Resilvering

Mr. Alfred Crabtree has 50 years experience in the industry, working with the historical churches, institutions and museums across the country, such as The Charleston Museum, The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Middleton Place Foundation, Drayton Hall, Colonial Williamsburg, the Flagler Museum, and the South Carolina Governors Mansion.

If you know someone that might benefit from this information, please feel free to share. Again, please accept our sympathy for any loss you may have experienced. We stand with you and remain committed to restoring, preserving, and conserving South Carolina’s grandeur for future generations.

Great piece to work on-a fine piece of Martele that needed a bruise bumped out. We were able to stay consistent with the hammer marks. See for yourself at The Silver Vault of Charleston