Repairing utilitarian objects

Laura Furman <laura [at] midwayvillage__com> writes

>We recently loaned another museum a World War I era ashtray from the
>local Army training camp, Camp Grant. In the process of exhibiting
>it, the borrower broke it cleanly in two. It is glazed and had a few
>chips in it prior to the loan. Although it is the responsibility of
>the borrower to fund its repair, I am uncertain that it makes sense
>to send it to a conservator in that it is a very utilitarian piece.
>...
>Are there any recommendations on how I could do an in-house
>treatment correctly? I'm not sure what products are out there that
>would be appropriate to the material, reversible, etc.

I may risk the wrath of ceramics conservators slightly but thought
that I might put across my approach to this problem in case replies
are sparse. I would use neutral pH PVA, I have used it before on
'semi-everyday' plates and it forms a neat and tight bond and can be
reversed in warm water.

Or, slightly more risky, use a cyanoacrylate (superglue) type since
it reverses well in acetone. You would need to get the two halves
neatly lined up so that you can just push them together.  Smears can
be wiped away, after curing, using acetone swabs.

Simon Moore MIScT, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences
20 Newbury Street
Whitchurch RG28 7DN


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:37
                 Distributed: Sunday, February 6, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-24-37-007
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