Wood consolidation

Jane Ketcham, curator at Museums of Beloit College asked about the
use of epoxy consolidants on maritime archaeological artifacts. My
experience with epoxies has primarily been with architectural
conservation. However, I would recommend against the use of epoxy
for artifact stabilization for the following reasons:

    1.  Epoxy consolidant is a permanent and irreversible treatment.

    2.  Epoxy will discolor the wood fiber thus changing the
        appearance of the object. The tactile sense of the wood is
        also altered.

    3.  The use of epoxy on a large area can create additional
        conservation problems by potentially trapping moisture in
        untreated areas.

    4.  Because the physical properties of the wood fiber are
        substantially altered, an object treated with epoxy could be
        said to lose its integrity as a historic artifact.

Epoxies should be used sparingly and only on in those instances
where replacement is not desired or not practical or where
traditional methods of repair are not practical. I agree that
protective sheds be constructed over the objects and that they be
kept off of the ground. I would recommend the use of a borate
treatment such as Boracare to protect the objects against further
rot or insect damage. A borate treatment would have to be reapplied
occasionally, but is a lot less trouble than working with epoxy.

I would recommend contacting the underwater archaeology branch of the
Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office for technical assistance and
referral to conservation guidelines for maritime artifacts. Contact

    Mr. Robert A Birmingham
    State Historical Society of Wisconsin
    816 State Street
    Madison WI 53706
    608-264-2970

John Horton, Restoration Specialist
NC State Historic Preservation Office

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:18
                  Distributed: Friday, August 22, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-18-004
                                  ***