Cleaning of fire damaged watercolour and textiles using atomic oxygen
A non-contact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen to remove soot from the surface of a test watercolour panel and strips of cotton, wool and silk. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surfa...
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| Published in: | Studies in conservation Vol. 45; no. sup1; pp. 166 - 169 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Routledge
01-01-2000
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | A non-contact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen to remove soot from the surface of a test watercolour panel and strips of cotton, wool and silk. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of soot removal from test panels of six basic watercolours (alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cerulean blue and ultramarine blue) and strips of coloured cotton, wool and silk was measured using reflectance spectroscopy. The atomic oxygen removed soot effectively from the treated areas and enabled partial recovery of charred watercolours. However, overexposure can result in removal of sizing, bleaching, and weakening of the structure. With the proper precautions, atomic oxygen treatment appears to have great potential to salvage heavily smoke-damaged artworks which were previously considered unrestorable. |
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| ISSN: | 0039-3630 2047-0584 |
| DOI: | 10.1179/sic.2000.45.Supplement-1.166 |