5 FUTURE ANALYSES

BEVA 371 solution and film have been adopted by objects and ethnographic conservators as adhesive options for treatment repairs, in part because of their known stability. It would be useful to have more information on their long-term aging properties when in contact with skin and leather, specifically the effect the adhesive has on the physical properties of these materials. Additionally, though it has been used successfully for many years on other acidic substrates such as aged canvases, more testing and analysis of its properties when in contact with the acidic environments provided by skin and leather are critical. Conservators at the AMNH and scientists at CCI have begun discussions concerning future efforts to further understanding of the long-term properties of BEVA 371 film when used for skin and leather repair. Three goals have been developed: to determine how BEVA 371 ages in the acidic context of vegetable-tanned leather; to determine the effects the aged adhesive has on the skin; and to determine if, upon aging, there are changes to the bond between the adhesive and the skin. Most of the experiments will closely follow methodologies laid out by CCI in its ongoing adhesive studies of PVAC and acrylic resins and will complement analysis to be accomplished from sampling from the AMNH collections. The AMNH project will involve removing both adhesive and skin samples from artifacts treated with BEVA 371. Shrinkage temperature measurements will be accomplished on collagen samples taken from untreated areas of artifacts and will be compared with those taken from reversed repairs, where the adhesive was in contact with the fibers. It is believed that this could help determine if the adhesive had a deteriorating effect on the skin.