Brown Transferware and the Great Clean Up

I wanted to share with you the brown transferware I found at theScott's Antique Market last weekend when it was here in Columbus. 

I purchased this lovely set of "Athol" Mellor Taylor & Co. dishes

for only $30.  I really only wanted to purchase a piece or two for my hutch,but the dealer obviously wanted to be rid of it so she offered a price I couldn't resist.  There are 6 each dinner and salad plates, 5 soup bowls,3 saucers, a serving bowl, a beautiful butter dish and what looks likean oversized sugar bowl. 

Some of the pieces were rather stained with use, but she told mehow to get the stains out, so I wanted to pass along that information too.I realize many of you may already know how to do this, but I actually heardit from three different sources last week and this information has madethe difference between my buying and not buying vintage dinnerware.  Although Ipersonally do not mind some pieces  for "display only" looking old and stained, I don't want them to be pieces I'm going to eat off of.Here is a "before" picture of what some of the plates looked like. 

These very stained plates were at the bottom of the pile and I didn't see

them until I unpacked them at home :)   I don't always love surprises.  Itwas time to see if this remedy really worked and I'm here to tell you it does.You start by soaking the plates in 40% hydrogen peroxide for several daysor as long as it takes the stains to lift out of the plate. 

I purchased a gallon of the mixture at Sally's Beauty Supply and it cost

around $10.  I also purchased a 14 x 14" plastic container with a lid fromJoann Fabrics.  I think maybe it is probably meant to hold scrapbookpaper, but I wanted it large and deep enough to hold several plates ata time, so it served my purposes just fine. 

After soaking the plates for several days, I take them out and scrape off

the excess solution with a spatula and set them on a disposable aluminum foil cookie sheet.  Be sure to wear plastic gloves when you do this!

Then I pop them in a low oven set around 220 degrees and bake them

for an hour or so.  I am told the baking pulls out the rest of the stains.When the hydrogen peroxide has pretty much baked off, I turn offthe oven and allow the plates to cool slowly.  After bringing them toroom temperature, they are ready to wash in hot soapy water.Here is a picture of plates that I have already done and the servingbowl that still needs to go through the process so you can see the difference. 

It will take a few weeks to put all the pieces through the solution/baking

process, but in the end, I will have a lovely set of brown transferwarethat I can not just display, but also use.Unfortunately there were no teacups to go with the saucers in thisset, but I think the saucers will look pretty in the fall holding acandle or a pretty mini pumpkin, or even this pretty pin I madeout of tea-dyed bits and pieces of fabric and lace leftover from thevintage eggs I made.

The dinner plate with this set is slightly smaller than the average dinnerplate, so I'm looking forward to using a larger solid plate underneath andthen stacking the plates high for interest and texture.Look for these plates to make their debut sometime this fall whenthey are all cleaned up and ready to "strut their stuff".

Linking with

Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday 
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Frou Frou Decor for Fabulous Friday Finds
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Southern In My Heart for Inspiration Friday
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French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday