I am a purger by nature and prefer a clean workspace free of clutter. This could be a problem when a project is particularly messy and ongoing. But, for me, this is balanced out with a good sense of thriftiness and efficiency. All combined it makes for a reasonable discernment process when salvaging and saving materials then applying them to the right piece. Over the years I have seen what seems like useless scraps become the perfect fit for restoring a piece, particularly when preserving patina is important.
On the piece I am currently restoring there were long lengths of gold that were simply cut as they became loose. To properly restore the piece the remaining length of gold had to be removed and the entirety replaced with new materials.
The best part of this story is that I was able to salvage enough length of that gold to replace missing pieces of gold on the centerpiece of the orphrey. This means that the color and wear will match perfectly, saving a lot of time and resources over dissembling and replacing what remains intact.
In this instance tidiness and efficiency met perfectly in the middle to provide the best possible solution. What a gift!