OBJECT CONSERVATION PROJECTS

CERAMIC RECONSTRUCTION AND COLOUR MATCHING

I completed the conservation of 8  low-fired, earthenware ceramic jugs. The ceramic vessels are well fired, refined earthenware, typical of Iron II Age pottery. 

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For all objects, the previous adhesives were cleaned using hand-rolled cotton swabs and acetone. The entire vessel was placed into a solvent atmosphere to take-down old joins and cleaned. All historic markings were covered and protected with Cyclododicane. The objects were dry cleaned using a stiff, stencil brush and Smoke Sponge. After cleaning, reconstruction was completed using Paraloid B72 60% w/v in Acetone, and was applied using a fine, sable brush and a bamboo skewer.

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Support fills were created using Basic Alpha Plaster of Paris and Flugger (a Butyl Methacrylate and Calcium Carbonate) and colour matched using Windsor and Newton pigment powders. Various pigments were mixed to desired colours and mixed with 5% B72 v/v in Acetone. Pigment mixtures were applied using various sponge applications for a ceramic texture. Black arrows point to the colour matched fill areas, and historic identification marks are redacted. 

BASKET WEAVING TECHNIQUE WITH COLOUR MATCHED JAPANESE TISSUE

A sacred object was in semi-unstable condition and needed both the historic tags to be cleaned and the cane weaving repaired for the object to go on exhibition. The tag was cleaned using only Smoke Sponge, and the entire object was brush cleaned with a museum vacuum and then passed with Smoke Sponge. 

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In order to mend the broken cane weaving, Japanese tissue was colour matched using Windsor and Newton water colours. The painted Japanese tissue was bulked using Sodium Alginate and Arrow Root solution. small tabs of treated tissue were woven through the object with Melinex and needle-nose pliers. Loose tissue ends were adhered to other pieces of tissue and tucked under the original weaving with the Sodium Alginate and Arrow Root solution.

BRONZE AGE BRONZE KNIFE CLEANING AND RECONSTRUCTION

The knife was from the Bronze Age. The object is a copper alloy knife that is only distinguishable as a knife when the fragments are taken out of their packaging and positioned or reconstructed.   

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The object had a heavy amount of bronze disease, as well as a dangerous crack in the blade. The object was X-rayed as well as examined through pXRF. Bronze Disease corrosion was removed under 10-50x magnification to a conservation level using a bamboo skewer, fibre glass bristle brushes, large brushes, scalpel with No.15 blade and IMS (Industrial Methylated Spirits). 

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The object was stabilised through an immersion of Benzotriazole (BTA) 3% w/v Ethanol - 0.25M BTA Solution. After the drying period, any excess, dry BTA was removed from the surface of the fragments using a lightly dampened swab with IMS. Due to the toxicity of BTA, a second coating was necessary for safety for future object handling. This ‘safety’ coating was done using a solution of Paraloid B-44 (Methyl Methacrylate Copolymer) 3% w/v in Xylene. The object was reconstructed using a 40% w/v solution of Paraloid B-48N (Butyl methyl methacrylate copolymer) in Acetone. 

PLASTER CAST PAINT RELAYING

This object is a painted plaster cast The object was in relatively stable condition, with soiling and lifted paint fragments. 

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Cleaning began with a stiff, stencil brush and smoke sponge. The entire surface was cleaned using these two utensils. Following the dry cleaning, the object received a light pass of Acetone 50% w/v in Deionised H20 to remove surface staining with a cotton swab. 

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The object was stabilised through consolidation and paint relaying using Lascaux Medium for Conservation 4176. The consolident was applied using a two-brush method; one brush carried the medium for conservation, while a second brush pre-wet the surface with White Spirit then blotted with Kim-Tech wipes to prevent any staining on the surface as the consolident dried. This two-brush application was used throughout the entire object, with multiple passes over areas where heavier saturation was necessary. 

IRON AXEHEAD

Theis axehead - likely a hand-forged Medieval to Post Medieval wrought iron axe head - has a relatively narrow blade, a slightly curved top edge and curved underside. The butt of the axe head tapers to a slightly square shape and has a triangular blade. The circular eye-loop is not located all the way at the butt-end of the axe head, leaving quite a bit of space between the eye and the butt.

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The object was very unstable at the start of treatment with many areas of corrosion - both active ferric corrosion and weeping iron. 

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Cleaning began using four different grits of Garyflex to remove any deposits that may be on the surface; starting at 36 grit and working up to 240 throughout the object on the newer, orange corrosion products. In addition to the Garyflex, a bamboo skewer was used to gently remove corrosion products from areas where the corrosion had not significantly built up on the surface. For the tougher corrosion products – such as the weeping iron – a scalpel with No.15 blade was used. 

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The wood that remained inside of the axe head eyehole will need to be stabilised. The corrosion has eroded the remaining wood and has detached it. This wood is important for research and teaching, and also can be beneficial to dating this object. Some areas of the axehead were cleaned using micro-abrasion. 

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This object was treated with a corrosion inhibitor of 2.5% w/v solution of Tannic Acid in Deionised H2O:IMS (Industrial Methylated Spirits). 

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The photos below show before and after treatment, as well as an example of the weeping corrosion that was present before treatment. 

WOOD SIGN