Consolidating granite and gneiss

I am about to perform a stabilizing treatment on medium grained
granite and gneiss sculptures of the modern Danish artist Henry
Heerup. The stones are placed outdoor at Louisiana Museum of Modern
Art; Romanesque in stile and varies in size from 35 x 40 x 25 cm to
135 x 65 x 40 cm. As Heerup worked in "second-hand" stone, like old
tombstones, mill wheels and building elements, none of them were
ever meant to look like newly cut from the quarry.

Though they have only little biological growth, like lichens or
algaes, the stones are partially sandy to flaky with little chips of
the rock loosening and a very open surface structure, where mineral
grains have weathered away leaving the surface with interganular
fissures. Minor cracks (>1 mm width) are also common on.

Due to their low porosity I hesitate applying a silicate consolidant
such as Wacker OH to the surface, since I haven't come across any
suitable application technique. Same situation counts for the minor
cracks, as injection of an adhesive could be problematic. If anyone
has experience with projects of this character or suggestions on how
to approach it, I would be happy to learn more.

Katja Sonne-Hansen
B.Sc. Conservation and Restoration Science
Contractor at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
+45 2621 1522


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:4
                  Distributed: Saturday, June 16, 2012
                        Message Id: cdl-26-4-015
                                  ***