Antiquing

When the Late Late Show was under the control of Daddy Gay, there was no stopping the antique restorers of Ireland. Of course, hobbyists always had a place in Studio 2 - we listened politely to the inventors of wooden board games dealing with the functions of the government. However, it was the antique restorers that really caught the public's imagination.

We were epoxy-resined to our seats as we watched Sarah from Ringsend arrive with a piece of driftwood and a saucer. "She'll never do anything with that yoke," we said, but how wrong we were. She would arrive two months later with a gleaming horse-drawn carriage, coyly claiming that she had done all the work herself, that her husband just helped her use the nail gun. As it all seemed so easy, we scoured the garage and started rubbing Mr. Muscle into wood-wormed sideboards. It didn't work. However, a course in antique restoration can show you how to do it right.

Antiques are simply defined as anything over 100 years old, so Peter Stringfellow may yet go under the auctioneers hammer. They are classified by design, workmanship, condition and rarity and there are a huge number of antique shops around the country where you can pick up a bargain and restore it to its former glory.

Restoration can be a painstaking process. There are so many different types of antique and so many different ways to destroy them. For example, if you are working with a wooden table, then you will have to learn about traditional polishing and waxing and how to deal with woodworm. If your antique is of the pottery variety, then your course will teach you how to clean it, fill chips, make missing parts and repair cracks and breaks. You will also learn about gluing, painting and glazing.

It is important to have your antique valued before you start hacking away at it. You don't want to discover that you have been cleaning one of the Old Masters with a brillo pad. As you might guess, harsh modern products are out for the restoration of 18th century pieces, so your course will teach you unusual methods and materials that you can use to buff up your piece without causing damage.

An amateur can cause damage that may be permanent and impossible for even the best restorer to reverse. Stripping an old patina off a metal item such as a bronze may reduce its value and using the incorrect chemicals on brass for cleaning may cause it to tarnish more quickly. Learning the correct restoration techniques is a must if you want to display or sell your handiwork.

Not all antique hunters are interested in restoration. It could be that you are merely interested buying an old clock that will fund your trip to Maui. If you want to be in with a fighting chance of picking up an expensive trinket, dirt cheap, then an antique appreciation course will help you recognise the Chippendale from the chipboard.

A sister area to the world of antiques is the world of collectibles. They are not as old as antiques but they do have a high resale value - they can include anything from 60's Action Man figures to depression era glassware to Monkees lunch boxes. The path to riches is to choose to collect something that is rare but still in demand. For example, the most recent Star Wars character toys won't be netting high prices at auction because they were produced in such high numbers and there are so many that have been kept in mint condition.

Antiquing can be a great hobby. After all, there is nothing quite like strolling around the Blackberry Market on the weekend and coming across a long-lost Picasso amongst the pictures of the ubiquitous Crying Boy and that naked bloke holding a baby. So why don't you turn off the TV set and go out and do something less boring instead?