In addition to 16,000 professional soldiers and 8,000 civilian employees, the armed forces consist of an average of 6,000 conscripts and can mobilize up to 31,000 militia soldiers when needed. One of these 61,000 members of the armed forces is Andreas Sulz, who works as a restorer at the Museum of Military History, making old firearms, swords and sabres fit for the future again
Andreas Sulz, director and restorer at the Museum of Military History, doesn’t believe in cheating and purely cosmetic interventions. The aim of his work is not to make old pieces look like new again. He much prefers to replace missing parts on weapons with contemporary materials so that the difference between old and new parts is indistinguishable. His focus is not on the perfect appearance of an old weapon, but on the story it tells. Andreas Sulz does not see signs of age such as stains as defects, but as important evidence of a long history and a specific character.
The fact that his work in the museum is more of a real craft than a simple day’s work is demonstrated by the numerous hours of work that go into individual pieces. Sometimes Sulz sits on a piece for a month, because hours of tinkering are one of the core characteristics of his work. Sulz actually ended up at the Museum of Military History by chance. As a qualified weapons technician and certified master gunsmith, he got talking to a restorer at the museum one day, who recommended that he apply, as he explains in an interview with Militär Aktuell (see below). Today, he is one of more than 20 restorers at the Museum of Military History, heads the precision mechanics workshop and prepares the museum’s valuable exhibits for the next 100 years.
Mr. Sulz, how did you become a restorer at the Museum of Military History?
It was all pure coincidence. Among other things, I am a qualified weapons technician with an HTL degree as well as a certified master gunsmith and was restoring a wheel lock for an acquaintance. I wanted to look at sample books in the Museum of Military History. I got talking to the restorer there and he recommended that I apply. That’s how I ended up here and was able to acquire very good tools through my colleagues, through ‘learning by doing’. I’m constantly trying things out and learning new things. The best thing for me is when you can combine old technologies with new ones.
How do you restore?
There are two approaches to restoration. The first: I put pieces back in order so that they look like new. That’s not our way, our philosophy is the second option: you fill in missing parts, if possible using contemporary material, so that you can’t tell what’s old and what’s new. In this house, we complete so that each piece tells a story. Each piece is allowed to show that it is old, it can have stains, which gives it character.
“We repair what is necessary
so that the pieces are ready for the next 100 years
“
What does your day-to-day work look like?
The difference to a normal office job is definitely that you create something lasting. I can tackle something and see what I’ve achieved at the end of the day. My craftsmanship is often really challenged. I have to question exactly what I change and how, how far I can intervene in the substance of the workpiece. I also have to document exactly how and what I have changed and altered on the respective pieces. Sometimes I work on a weapon for a month, often it goes faster. In between, we have to prepare special exhibitions or loans and regularly clean the display cases in the museum. We clean the exhibits and make any necessary repairs so that the pieces are ready for the next 100 years. Click here to see the other portraits in our “One of 61,000” series.
