Jimenez sculpture preservation project

Leading automotive finishes company PPG Industries has
enthusiastically joined with McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory,
Inc. of Oberlin, Ohio in establishing new methods and application of
their most advanced materials for repairing weathered outdoor
sculptures by Luis A. Jimenez.

The southwest artist Jimenez famously painted his colorful glass
fiber and resin sculptures with automotive paints, finishing with an
automotive clear coating.  Many such works placed in regions of high
heat and bright sunlight have deteriorated, requiring re-paintings
and re-coatings by the artist and by others.  Several of these
"restorations" have also failed.  Typically, deterioration comes in
the form of cracking, disbonding of the clear coat(s) and fading of
the colors.  The artist Luis A. Jimenez died on June 13, 2006.

Drawing from the huge array of coatings products PPG designs and
makes for various vehicle performance requirements, including
trucks, buses, aircraft and personal vehicles, the PPG technical
team members are selecting the color base coatings and various clear
coatings they feel will achieve the strongest bonding and longest
coating life in high heat and bright sun environments as well as
protection from abuse and vandalism.  The PPG technical team has
been given corporate permission to devote time and resources toward
working with McKay Lodge, Inc. conservators in product use training,
in selecting the best materials and advising on best practices to
achieve the highest level of durability and protection possible for
the painted works of Jimenez.

PPG has been working out multi-stage treatment procedures involving
existing clear coat overall reduction and surface preparation, a
primer stage (for repaired damaged areas), intermediary clear coat,
color base, a secondary application of an intermediary clear
coating, and a final top clear coat.  In addition, PPG puts emphasis
on, and is selecting, interior coatings for prolonging the life of
exterior clear coats on fiber reinforced resin bodies.

A new top clear coat for Jimenez sculptures will be the most
critical component for protecting the surfaces and colors of the
artworks.  PPG has made significant advancements in coating
technology in the last few years with the newer coatings
outperforming the older technologies by a wide margin.  The coating
chosen by the PPG technical team represents PPG's latest advance in
fleet coatings technology.  The premium PPG coating was designed to
provide resistance to sunlight, extreme temperatures, abrasion,
graffiti and a wide range of fluids and chemicals.

Work is currently underway with the PPG technical team at the McKay
Lodge, Inc. sculpture facility on the Jimenez sculpture "Los
Lagartos" from El Paso, Texas.  PPG has installed at the sculpture
conservation facility an advanced color products bank and computer
controlled weighing and mixing station for precision matching of
original colors, including pearlescents, in small touch-up batches.
Work on "Los Lagartos" is expected to be completed by April 2014.
Then, its ability to resist fading and clear coat failure under the
intense El Paso sun should be greatly enhanced.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:23
                 Distributed: Sunday, December 1, 2013
                       Message Id: cdl-27-23-001
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