Varnishes

I am a paintings conservation student currently in the third year of
my bachelor's degree course and am engrossed in accomplishing an
investigation project dealing with the ageing of various varnishes
used in restoration, including the obvious terpenoid resins damar
and mastic; as well as a number of other natural and synthetic
varnishes.  This study will also include the conduction of a series
of experiments on these varnishes and the formulation of colour
charts in accordance to their response to UV fluorescence as they
are aged in suitable chambers. This study should aim to work hand in
hand with FTIR analysis in the identification of such varnishes,
besides understanding to a better degree the properties of these
aged resin mixtures.

Has anyone got any suggestions/ considerations in favour of
pursuing/abandoning this study? Any comments will be greatly
appreciated. Besides, if you have already made some similar UV
fluorescence data chart or know someone/ an institution that has,
please don't hesitate to contact me.

Nicola Attard Montalto


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:63
                  Distributed: Tuesday, March 30, 2004
                       Message Id: cdl-17-63-013
                                  ***