Waterlogged lignite

I am sending this on behalf of Cedric Andre, fellow conservator of
archaeological materials at the Swiss National Museum in Zurich, who
is not subscribed to the Conservation DistList:

Has anyone experience in the drying treatment of waterlogged
lignite? This small artefact, a fragment of a decorated arm bracelet
and ca. 4 cm. in length, was excavated recently from a waterlogged
freshwater site in an urban environment of Switzerland.  The two
known experiences we have of treatment for this type of material are
(1) slow air drying and (2) controlled air drying after impregnation
with a mixture of PEG 400 and PEG 1000. Any words of advice would be
appreciated,

Kim Travis
Konservatorin/Restauratorin
Zentrum fur Konservierung
Schweizerisches Landesmuseum
Hardturmstr. 185
CH-8005 Zurich
Switzerland
+41 1 218 6827
Fax: +41 1 218 6823


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:16
                Distributed: Tuesday, September 28, 2004
                       Message Id: cdl-18-16-024
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