9 CONCLUSION

There are myriad solutions to the development of a structural fill for losses in stone. Approaches vary from traditional methods to experimental use of new materials. The variations found in recipes for fills express the constant search for a perfect technique. Matching elusive optical properties and meeting the specifications for “ideal” fills are the factors that make each treatment a unique challenge. While searching for solutions, the fundamental criteria should be remembered, and cross-disciplinary communication among related practitioners (conservators, stonemasons, chemists, engineers, and others) encouraged and exercised.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors are indebted to numerous conservators, many of whom could not be cited in the final version of the paper. We wish to thank the members of the Objects Specialty Group Publications Committee, particularly Ellen Pearlstein, Leslie Ransick Gat, and Jane Williams, for improving the quality of the initial draft, as well as Carol Grissom for acting as designated facilitator for this paper. Thanks are also due Julie Unruh and Glenn Wharton for their editing and proofreading.