Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Know what material your antique is made of. Clay? Wood? Cloth? Metal? This may seem obvious, but you must know exactly in order to perform the proper test. Keep in mind that some materials are often designed to pass for others.
Start to authenticate clay objects by drilling away about 100mg of powder from an inconspicuous place toward the bottom of the object. This should be done in a dark room.
Perform the thermoluminescence test by heating the clay sample to 500 degrees Celsius. Radiation-sensitive equipment can gauge how much of certain radioactive materials an object has picked up since it was first made, thus telling the object's age.
Perform C14 radiation testing by chemically pre-treating a sample of your object according to its material type. For more information on this, visit the Antique Authentication website. See the Resources section below for a link.
Heat the sample to 900 degrees Celsius for two hours in a sealed quartz tube with cupric oxide and silver wire.
Pass the sample through a dewer of ethanol or dry ice to freeze and purify the carbon dioxide content.
Mix the sample with a measured amount of hydrogen gas to gauge the amount of C14. The amount of C14 that has accumulated over time will tell you the age of the object.
Perform a Computer Tomography Scan to determine manufacturing techniques, wear and tear and other such useful information that can provide clues to an antique's age and origin.