Poultices for cleaning marble

Anna E. Graff <annaegraff [at] gmail__com> writes

>We are working on a white marble statue that was in a public
>building, in a public area (not in a museum) and it would be touched
>by people walking by.  It ended up with a brownish, greasy residue
>on parts of it.  Most of this we have been able to remove using
>deionized water and Orvus.  However, we think we can still make it
>look a bit better.  Does anyone have any ideas on safe cleaning
>agents for marble, or poultices that would help to remove the
>remainder of the residue?

Typically test panels would be set out and several materials used to
ensure that none would cause a problem and determine which worked
best. Given the description of soiling and hand oil, I would perhaps
try a latex poultice. One available in the US is masonRE Waterless
Poultice Cleaner

    <URL:http://www.cathedralstone.com/pdf/
        datasheet/datasheet_masonRE_20_Sep2010.pdf>

    **** Moderator's comments: The above URL has been wrapped for
    email. There should be no newline.

It does, however, need to be used with adequate ventilation. The
benefit is that it doesn't require rinsing.

Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia SC 29202-8664
803-787-6910


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:28
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