I have an 18th century giltwood ornamental pier glass mirror. One of the scrolls of the swan-neck pediment has dropped off. I suspect the central heating has simply dried out the joint leaving a very thin residue of hide glue on both halves. Can I reattach it by just softening the glue on each surface? If so, would steam do the job?
I have a similar issue with an item of hardwood Chinese furniture where a carved motif has dropped off, so whatever works for one I’m hoping will work for the other too!
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Clean off the old glue before re-gluing. Steam will soften hide glue, but you can't expect to "reactivate" it. If the mirror is an expensive antique bring it to a pro and save the paperwork to maintain the value. I don't know what steam will do to the gilding.
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