Cyclododecane

Arlen Heginbotham <aheginbotham [at] getty__edu> writes

>We are considering using cyclododecane as a temporary consolidant
>for flaking gilding and paint on a very large retablo which is going
>to be deinstalled and moved to a new site for treatment. ...
>... Any tips on the best solvents to
>use for spraying, practical considerations when working with large
>amounts of melted material, or other concerns or encouragement would
>be appreciated.

Not long ago I had to transport a relatively large size (160 X 110
centimeter), and very fragile charcoal drawing from a private
collection  to a new site for treatment. I used 25% V/V
Cyclododecane in petroleum spirit 40-60. Dirst, before application I
checked that the petroleum spirit would not stain or react with the
paper support. I used a simple hand sprayer to spray the solution on
the drawing. After three/four hand applications the media was
sufficiently protected so as not to leave any black powder stains on
a white blotter.  The drawing was rolled, but not tight, on a tube
and removed to its new site for treatment. The drawing arrived
safely at its new location. After few days the Cyclododecane
evaporated and the drawing was ready for treatment.

Michael Maggen,
Head of Paper Conservation
The Israel Museum Jerusalem
PO Box 71117
Jerusalem 91710, Israel
+872 2 6708808
Fax: +972 2 5631833


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:8
                   Distributed: Tuesday, July 3, 2001
                        Message Id: cdl-15-8-004
                                  ***