Varnishes and adhesives

This question concerns the proper materials to use for an art
project.  I primarily work on paper and am well versed with the
conservation concerns therein, but media beyond that is a gray area
for me.  I am currently considering a project in which I would like
to adhere various natural materials such as stone, wood, and/or
string to a copper sheet (about 3 to 5 mil thick).  The copper sheet
will (hopefully) be aged and then sealed.  My question is two-fold.

1) What is an appropriate sealant for the copper?  Water based
polyurethane, gloss medium, or something else altogether?  And what
would be an appropriate varnish for stone (as in stones you would
find in a riverbed)?

2) Is there an all-purpose, "conservationally sound" (as in
non-yellowing, non-reactive, etc.) adhesive that could be used to
adhere the various materials to the copper or would different
adhesives be required for each material?

Gretchen Kriner
Exhibitions Assistant (and artist on the side)
Fitton Center for Creative Arts
Hamilton, Ohio, USA


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:43
                  Distributed: Monday, March 13, 2006
                       Message Id: cdl-19-43-024
                                  ***