Does anyone’s CE program accept preservation work on 19th‑century warded locks? I’m stabilizing surface rust with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool on a hardwood backer, finishing with microcrystalline wax to keep the file marks and maker’s stamp intact — those little striations are the music of the shop — and I’d appreciate guidance on courses or texts that treat conservation, not refinishing.
But “the shop — and I’d appreciate guidance on courses or texts that treat conservation, not refinishing.” Same here — AIC’s Metals wiki is a solid, low‑intervention overview: Metals - MediaWiki. For CE, ALOA approved mine when I logged before/after photos and a short methods note; I also swap 0000 steel wool for bronze wool to avoid seeding rust and warm-burnish the microcrystalline wax — would your coordinator accept that kind of documentation?
Avoid touching the maker’s stamp; log ‘0000’ passes with photos — did your CE accept that?