Adhesive for bronze and marble

At the David Livingstone Centre at Blantyre, The National Trust for
Scotland (NTS) manages the birthplace of the world famous Scottish
missionary. The "World Fountain" is situated on the grounds. The
centerpiece represents the world. It is hemispherical in shape,
originally fabricated from green marble blocks. Attached to the
exterior of the marble surface, by means of copper alloy pins, were
cast copper alloy reliefs, representing the major landmasses and
islands of the world.

Over the years, the movement and expansion of the bronze continents
made the marble crack beyond repair. The marble was replaced with a
polyester glass fiber cast. This year, the NTS is restoring the
fountain. Marble is being cut to size for the new hemisphere.

To prevent the marble from cracking again, we need a flexible
adhesive with the following properties:

    *   Strong enough to prevent the bronze land masses being prized
        off the marble surface by mischievous fingers.

    *   Sufficient flexibility to accommodate the expansion of the
        largest bronze landmass without causing excessive stress on
        the marble.

The adhesive will probably have to extend beyond the pin/screw holes
designed to secure the bronze, in order to get sufficient grip on
both surfaces.

The sprays will not be on a 24 hours a day basis (hence the fear of
pilfering). The fountain will be drained and covered during the
winter.

Lisa Nilsen
Regional Conservator West
National Trust for Scotland


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:42
                 Distributed: Friday, November 14, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-42-026
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