Removing lichen from lithic artifacts

Carrie F. Jackson <carjacks [at] prairie__nodak__edu> writes

>I am seeking information for our laboratory on the removal of lichen
>from lithic artifacts.  We have a number of artifacts that were
>surface collected from an archeological site in North Dakota in the
>summer of 1999.  They have been stored in paper field sacks since
>their collection.  We are looking for direction on how to safely
>remove the lichen from the artifacts, if possible.

I suggest you contact Thomas Frey, Jennifer von Reis or Zdravko
Barov.  Frey and von Reis are at California Polytechnic University
in the Chemistry Dept in San Louis Obispo.  They have produced a
fine summary of control methods for artifacts attacked by lichen,
mosses, algae, etc. in  "An evaluation of biocides for control of
the biodeterioration of artifacts at Hearst Castle", in ICOM
Committee for Conservation Preprints, 1993, vol II, pp 874-881.
Sharma, Chaturvedi and Samadhia and Tailor produced an article on
removal of lichen in the Indian context in the Vth International
Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, vol 2,
1985:675-684.

Niccolo Caldararo
Director and Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:31
                Distributed: Tuesday, November 23, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-13-31-006
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