Mechanical strength studies on degraded waterlogged wood treated with sugars

This study aims to measure the mechanical strength of chemically degraded wood samples and compare the values obtained with fresh wood and degraded wood treated with sugars. The mechanical strength of chemically degraded waterlogged wood samples was determined using a three-point bending system to generate load-deflection curves and subsequently calculate the modulus of elasticity and load to failure longitudinally. The values obtained allow us to compare the mechanical properties of white birch wood samples that were air dried after treatment with 60% w/v solutions of sucrose, trehalose, or sucralose. In addition, the same parameters were measured for fresh white birch wood samples and chemically degraded samples that were allowed to air dry without treatment. Fresh white birch was found to have a longitudinal modulus of elasticity of 11.5?GPa whereas this value decreased by 70% when the wood was degraded. Treatment with sugars increased the measured values of modulus of elasticity up to 36.9?GPa, a substantially higher value than for fresh wood. These data indicate that non-reducing sugars could be useful alternatives to polyethylene glycol for the conservation of waterlogged archaeological wood.     

Study of Fe(II) sulphides in waterlogged archaeological wood

Abstract

Wet organic archaeological materials extracted from seawater may suffer damage as a result of degradation influenced by micro-organisms. One of the most common phenomena is indirectly induced by sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Due to their metabolic activity in anoxic conditions, SRB generate hydrogen sulphide from sulphate ions present in seawater. When steel items are in contact with organic matter in presence of sulphides, corrosion of the metal leads to the precipitation of Fe(II) sulphides. These phases are responsible for dramatic post-excavation damage: their oxidation during storage or exhibition in museums leads to the formation of voluminous crystals, which may cause cracking and crumbling, and lead to the production of sulphuric acid. In order to characterize Fe(II) sulphides and their by-products, 13 waterlogged samples were analysed by environmental scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Experiments were performed on untreated wood fragments, on a fragment of rope, and on mineral concretions scratched from the surface of wood remains, all extracted from different shipwrecks. Mackinawite was detected inside the fragments and between the fibres of the rope. Greigite was detected in scattered locations. Pyrite and sulphated phases, like gypsum and iron sulphates, were identified at the surface of the wood fragments and in the mineral concretions.     

Iron removal from waterlogged wood: Extraction by electrophoresis and chemical treatments

Abstract

The presence of iron oxides (lepidocrocite, goethite) in archeological wood may result in a degradation of the wood matrix. Extraction of these iron oxides is largely dependent on their solubility. In this study, balsa wood samples were impregnated with iron oxides to test extraction treatments. Additionally, archeological wood samples were also examined to determine treatment efficiency. Electrophoresis and simple immersion treatments were performed using various chemical solutions: a neutral and a conductive substance (potassium nitrate), an acid (acetic acid), three alkaline chelating agents (tri-ammonium and tri-sodium citrate and sodium oxalate), three acidic and slightly acidic chelating agents (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid, and oxalic acid), and a reductant (sodium dithionite). Potassium nitrate did not extract sufficient amounts of iron, irrespective of whether the treatment was conducted by electrophoresis or simple immersion; any observable dissolution was attributed to protonation because of the acidic pH around the anode (as low as 3). Dissolution in acetic acid did not extract iron with either treatment. Strong chelating agents improved extraction, and these compounds gave the best results for simple immersion, particularly EDTA. This chemical is well adapted for use on archeological objects because of its chemical properties (stability constant, speciation based on pH). The addition of sodium dithionite to the solution improved dissolution. Even though electrophoresis improved extraction (in particular for tri-ammonium citrate), none of the tested chelating chemicals were suitable for electrophoresis because of a significant increase in temperature as well as high anode corrosion. The presence of iron sulfide in the archeological wood limited the effectiveness of the tested chemicals. A pre-treatment in sodium persulfate was expanded to include oxidized iron sulfide in oxy/hydroxide iron, which improved the extraction rate.     

Natural polymers as alternative consolidants for the preservation of waterlogged archaeological wood

In recent years, there has been increased interest in examining alternative polymers for the conservation of archaeological artefacts, particularly waterlogged timbers, providing better, renewable, greener alternatives to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The degradation of PEG consolidants in the timbers of the sixteenth century warship Mary Rose has been examined and the rheological and thermal properties of PEG have been compared with its monomethyl and dimethyl ethers and several polysaccharide consolidants (chitosan, guar, and 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose) in order to evaluate their potential as alternative consolidants for the conservation of waterlogged wooden artefacts. Additionally, the effect of the polymers on the archaeological wood was characterised by thermogravimetric analysis and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results suggest that the future of conservation technologies lies with polysaccharide consolidant materials, which show enhanced compatibility with wooden artefacts with no detectable side effects while also being cheap, with extremely low toxicity, renewable, and sustainably resourced.     

A review of conservation treatments of waterlogged basketry from the northwest coast of North America

Abstract

Basketry artifacts fabricated from spruce and cedar limb wood and root and the inner bark of yellow and western red cedar have been found in water-saturated archaeological sites in the Pacific Northwest since the mid-twentieth century. These artifacts range in age from a few centuries to more than 5000 years old. While these materials retain their overall physical structure due to burial in an anoxic environment they are degraded on the cellular level. Experiments and treatments performed by archaeologists and conservators over the past 50 years have attempted to stabilize these degraded structures and minimize splitting, crumbing, and distortion of the woven structures as they dried. Many of these tests and treatments are published in out-of-print conference proceedings or remain unpublished in conservation lab records. This review of tests and treatments as well as a current condition assessment of several collections brings this information together for the first time and allows conservators and archaeologists specializing in these treatments to see the broader arch of success and failure of the preservation of waterlogged basketry materials.     

Changing research trends in the field of archaeological wood at the Conservation Department,Faculty of Archaeology,Cairo University

Abstract

Since 1980, much research in the field of treatment and conservation of archaeological wood has been carried out at the Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University. Materials and methods used in conservation have been changing gradually over the years worldwide. It was necessary to study critically previous masters and doctoral dissertations on Egyptian archaeological and historic wood, all written in Arabic. This review of them includes a brief history of the Conservation Department at Cairo University and five main focal points of past research: types of wood used throughout Egyptian history, assessment of wood decay, wood properties and composition, treatment and conservation of decorated wood, and the evaluation of chemicals and polymers used in the treatment of archaeological wood and composite objects containing wood.     

Post-treatment Study of Iron/Sulfur-containing Compounds in the Wreck of Lyon Saint-Georges 4 (Second Century ACE)

ABSTRACT

A pre-restoration diagnosis revealed a high amount of pyrite in the wood of the Lyon Saint-Georges 4 shipwreck (end of the second century). The occurrence of this phase is supposed to result from the microbiologically influenced corrosion of the iron fasteners. So, all the nails and metallic elements were removed from the remains before treatment and the wreck was consolidated by polyethylene glycol impregnation coupled to a specific desalination process. Treated and non-treated samples extracted from the wreck were studied in order to identify the iron/sulfur-containing compounds present in the wood before and after treatment and figure out its effect. Sample analyses relied on an original approach combining magnetic characterization methods and more common elemental and structural analysis methods. The results showed that the treatment was effective in removing soluble salts. However, a large amount of unstable iron sulfides remained inside the wood.     

Cellulose degradation in the Vasa: The role of acids and rust

Abstract

The oak timbers of the Swedish warship Vasa are deteriorating. High amounts of oxalic acid have been found along with a low pH and low molecular weight cellulose deep in the wood timbers. The iron-rich surface wood differs from the interior wood in that it displays higher pH and cellulose with higher molecular weight. The objective of this study was to determine why there is a difference in cellulose degradation, pH, and oxalic acid amount between the surface region and the interior of the Vasa timbers. Analysis of cellulose weight average molecular weight by size exclusion chromatography was performed, as well as quantification of oxalic acid and iron by high-performance anion exchange chromatography and atomic emission spectroscopy, respectively. It was found that a decrease in iron content coincides with an increase in oxalic acid concentration and a drop in pH at a certain depth from the wood surface. When iron-rich surface wood samples from the Vasa were mixed with an aqueous solution of oxalic acid, a fast increase of pH over time was observed. Neither interior wood poor in iron nor the fresh oak reference showed the same neutralizing effect during the time of measurement. This indicates that the presence of iron (rust) causes a neutralization of the wood, through the formation of iron(III) oxalato complexes, thus protecting the wood from oxalic acid hydrolysis. This effect was not observed to the same extent for other acids observed in Vasa wood (sulfuric, formic, glycolic, and acetic acids).     

Chemical bleaching of wood: an investigation into the bleaching of mahogany,walnut, rosewood,padauk, and purpleheart

This paper investigates chemical bleaching of wood to make species-specific practical recommendations for colour adjustment of veneer in furniture conservation. In more detail, chemical bleaching of Honduras mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), European walnut (Juglans regia), Rio rosewood (Dalbergia nigra), padauk (Pterocarpus spp.), and purpleheart (Peltogyne spp.) is investigated using 11 different bleach solutions. Both oxidative (e.g. hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate) and reductive (e.g. oxalic acid and sodium bisulphite) solutions were used. The results show that the wood species react differently with the investigated bleach solutions. It can also be noted that not all investigated solutions were suitable for all wood species. Based on the results, wood species-specific bleach solutions are recommended.     

High-Resolution Ultrasonic Imaging of Artworks with Seismic Interferometry for Their Conservation and Restoration

Artworks are an inseparable part of the cultural heritage of societies and provide us with a unique look at cultural developments through time and space. For the best possible conservation, it is paramount to know the constituent materials, condition, and construction techniques of the objects (e.g. painting on wood, fresco, sculpture). Such information is required not only for the surfaces of the objects, but also for the interiors; in the imaging discipline, this is known as depth imaging. Here, we introduce a new method for non-invasive depth imaging as an alternative to traditional non-invasive methods when the latter cannot be used to obtain the required information. We use ultrasonic transverse-wave transmission measurements and turn them into virtual reflection measurements. We achieve this by applying seismic interferometry with active sources. Obtaining reflection measurements by seismic interferometry allows us to apply an advanced imaging technique – prestack depth migration, as used in seismic exploration – to produce a high-resolution depth image of an object. We apply our method to ultrasonic data recorded on a mockup of a painting on a wooden support. We validate our method by comparing our results with an image from X-ray computed tomography.     

The Ephemeral,the Essential and the Material in the Conservation of Contemporary Art: Decision-Making for the Conservation of a Work of Art Made with Butterfly Wings

This article presents the intervention process carried out on a work of art created by artist Yolanda Gutiérrez Acosta, using a series of ephemeral materials such as butterfly wings and agave thorns. The work, an installation from 2002, is entitled ‘Efímeras’ (‘Ephemera’) and consists of 12 flowers mounted on acetate sheets and attached to the same with vinyl acetate copolymers and acrylic acid esters (Mowilith®). These flowers are installed on the floor in a bed of dried flowers. The conservation of contemporary art can lead to some previously unimaginable problems for restorers. Current works of art are somewhat material in nature, but they also have a conceptual dimension that is essential for their artistic interpretation. The artist’s participation in the decision-making process prior to the restoration was quite useful. The passage of time, its effect on the work, and the need to understand the possibility of the demise and destruction of the work were implicit as of the onset of its creation, such that, according to the artist, we are forced to reflect upon the possibilities of its future state.