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Darren McLean

@darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social

1.7K followers 130 following 5.8K posts

Building conservation university teacher and practitioner. Historic building materials, construction techniques, and architecture. Studying Roman construction. Interested in forgotten methods and materials. UK/Italy

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · Nov 14

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1h

Reminded me of this housing development.

That’s not a criticism of the floor.

An aerial photo of an enormous and very repetitive housing estate. Nad Al Sheba Villas

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1d

Don’t believe people who tell you that their rubberised coating is bc a good solution for your dodgey outdoor tiles.

A shop’s terrace with a rubberise coating that’s failed to resolve the problem of the loose tiles beneath

Cracked tiles visible through the coating that should have hidden the problem

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1d

“Designed this bad boy myself”

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 1d

I hope you feel better soon!

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

Yea, but they’ll be 99% disused. And they need lots of ventilation of course.

Personally, I filled them with Lexa or foamed glass to stop condensation problems. I don’t like unused empty flus.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

If you say so.

Having grown-up in a country with termite problems and having worked in the tropics I’m not sure I agree. Lime doesn’t form limestone.
Lime doesn’t react with wood, not in the sense you’re implying.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

The Tincy Wincy little holes don’t allow enough ventilation. The other ones with the the cap and the wire mesh are far superior.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

What’s happening?

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

A Trompe l’oeil ceiling in imitation of beams, joists and carved decorations.

A photo focusing on the decoratively painted ceiling. There are large beams which are real, and smaller joist and carvings which are fake, being painted decoration

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 3d

That’s a nice stack of chimneys.

Mostly with useless elephant’s foot vented caps, but a nice stack of chimneys nevertheless

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

Once it’s dry, it’s not an issue. Lime has been applied to galvanised and non-galvanised steel mesh and frames since the 1890s

Termites would get through this stuff in the blink of an eye once they smell the wood within. In fact, hiding the wood is more dangerous than leaving it exposed.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

Nice pics.

BTW, I once bought one of their 90 day suits.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

Keeps ‘em fresh.

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

That’s an excellent photo. I’m sure historic Scotland have that in their archive somewhere from the outside.

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

Yes, it looks fantastic. Much of Italy is like this, even when subtle in a café, such as the one across the street from the apartment.

A typical Italian bar from the 1920s also with decorative paint

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 4d

Look up while you’re walking

Apartment above a shop on an historic building. An open window above the shop allows a decorative ceiling to be seen.

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 18d

Some examples of indirectly (through paper) and directly incised ‘frescoes’.

As is the case with most ‘frescoes’ there’s a combination of true fresco,
half fresco and not fresco, i.e., secco decoration .

And urn with the face part of the wall decoration

Part of the wall decoration showing where the artist ignored the incised line to improve your appearance of the decoration

An example of directly incised work on the world recreation

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 18d

Almost missed this one

Adore in the side of the Stone building, with double doors of wood made an imitation of the surrounding Stone

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 18d

Oh, I can draw as good as an Egyptian!

Oh, I can’t paint as good as an Egyptian.

The 4000-year-old students practice drawing, of a head on a piece of limestone

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 16d

The front door was open to this office building.

A floor of black and white chequered tiles and many columns painted in imitation of marble

A column painted in imitation of marble. A floor of black and white floor tiles and a marble staircase in the background.

Columns, and a ceiling with decorative plaster

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 13d

Working on frescoes is fun.

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 13d

Shining a light along a wall is the best way to find all the problems you’d rather not know about.

An area of a fresco’d wall where areas of damage are highlighted by placing light close to the wall and shining along the surface to see the contrasting areas.

A paintings conservator applying new Lime plaster to damage to areas of an 18th century fresco

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 13d

Shining a light along a wall is the best way to find all the problems you’d rather not know about.

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Reposted by Darren McLean

Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 9d

I doubt that 'colorizing' would improve any of these photos.

Bathers jumping from a pier into the water. Shelter Island, New York. Photographed in 1904.

A worker in a protective suit in a sandblasting workshop

A Chinese street of closed wooden shopfronts

Earthquake Damage - State Street with San Marcos Building in background

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Darren McLean @darrenmcleanuk.bsky.social · 9d

An enjoyable time working on frescoes (of various methods) recently. The repairs were to blend in as closely as possible to the original, whilst remaining identifiable.

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