Maquettes

I am looking for any advice or literature on the conservation of
plaster maquettes or models.  I have several plaster maquettes of a
well-known Irish sculptor that have fallen into disrepair, having
been poorly stored and handled for years.

The main problems are stubborn accretions of dust, dirt, etc.,
cracking in the plaster, broken-off pieces, and some corrosion of
armatures (one is made of iron).

So far I have been considering fills with silica and Paraloid and a
cleaning with smoke-sponge and possibly barely wet swabs.

Further to this, the owner was enquiring as to the feasibility of
re-using one of the maquettes for a re-cast in bronze, without
causing any further damage.  I have no experience in this particular
area and was hoping someone out there might know a thing or two
about it.

Conor Tulloch


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:27
               Distributed: Wednesday, November 25, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-29-27-016
                                  ***