Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/ Reader in the Conservation of Buddhist Heritage
at The Courtauld, London
2. RE: Cellulose Nitrate Coatings for Protecting Silver - Frigilene
3. RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
4. RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
5. RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
6. There's still time to register for APOYOnline's 5th Regional Conference
"Sustainable Connections for Cultural Heritage"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.From: Clare Richardson
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 8:00 AM
Subject: Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/ Reader in the Conservation of Buddhist
Heritage at The Courtauld, London
Message: Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/ Reader in the Conservation of Buddhist
Heritage
Salary 52,216 per annum including London Allowance (subject to the
academic level in line with our criteria). Contractual hours 35 Basis Full
Time Job category/type Conservation Date posted 14/05/2025 Job reference 230
Shape the Future of Conservation at The Courtauld We invite outstanding
academics to join our faculty as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or Reader in
Conservation of Buddhist Heritage, contributing to world-class teaching and
research within our renowned institution. As part of The Courtauld, you will
be at the forefront of shaping our Conservation team for students and scholars
alike.
WhatWe'reLookingFor We are seeking a passionate Lecturer, Senior Lecturer or
Reader to expand and deepen The Courtauld's curriculum and research impact,
specifically in the Conservation of Buddhist Heritage.
RoleDetails Contract basis: Permanent|Full-time: 35 hours | Location: Hybrid
/ Onsite | 52,216 per annum including London Allowance (subject to the academic
level in line with our criteria).
AboutTheCourtauld For nearly a century, the Courtauld Institute of Art has
been a unique centre of expertise. A world-leading institute renowned for
ground-breaking scholarship in art history, conservation and curation. Home to
one of the largest communities of art historians and conservators in the
world. With a gallery that cares for one of the UK's finest art collections at
its heart. The Courtauld is one of the foremost centres in the world for
education and research in conservation. We run three-year MAs in the
conservation of easel paintings (18 students) and wall paintings (6-12
students) and a 12-month MA in Buddhist Art History and Conservation (12
students, jointly taught with the History of Art department).
KeyResponsibilities - Hold a recognised qualification in conservation or
equivalent experience - Understand developments in conservation theory and
practice related specifically to wall painting conservation and the
conservation of Buddhist sites, ideally with experience of having worked on
Buddhist sites - Be able to speak about your research and teach a variety of
audiences, including students at all levels and the public. - Have ambitious
plans for your research and for the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Research
Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation programme - Be collaborative and
enjoy working as part of a team to deliver fieldwork, teaching and research -
For further information, please see the Job Description and Person
Specification.
WhyJoinUs? At The Courtauld, you'll be part of a prestigious academic
community with access to unparalleled research resources and institutional
support. Some of our benefits include: 30 days annual leave + 6 office closure
days
Research support & funding opportunities
Discounted Gallery Access & Reciprocal Museum Benefits
Hybrid working & flexible academic support
Wellbeing Support & Employee Assistance Programme
How to apply If you are ready to make an impact at The Courtauld, we invite
you to apply! Review the Job Description and Person Specification then take the
first step and apply with no delay! Please note that a cover letter is required
for this role.
https://ce0942li.webitrent.com/ce0942li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/etrec179gf.open?WVID=7234972FGb&LANG=USA
<https://ce0942li.webitrent.com/ce0942li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/etrec179gf.open?WVID=7234972FGb&LANG=USA>
ClosingDate:30th June 2025 InterviewDate:17th July 2025
The Courtauld Institute of Art is committed to fostering an inclusive
academic environment. We actively welcome applications from candidates of all
backgrounds.
Clare Richardson
Head of Conservation
Department of Conservation
The Courtauld Institute of Art
Somerset House, Strand
London WC2R 0RN
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3947 7659
[email protected]
www.courtauld.ac.uk <http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/>
Find out more about what's on at The Courtauld -
courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on <https://courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/?see-all>
Book tickets to The Courtauld Gallery's permanent collection and temporary
exhibitions at courtauld.ac.uk/gallery <https://courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/>
For more information on studying at The Courtauld, visit
courtauld.ac.uk/study <https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/>
Visit The Courtauld Shop for carefully curated products inspired by art and
artists in our collection: shop.courtauld.ac.uk <https://shop.courtauld.ac.uk/>
2.From: Maickel van Bellegem
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 8:01 AM
Subject: RE: Cellulose Nitrate Coatings for Protecting Silver - Frigilene
Message:
Dear all, for the coating of silver many things have been said before. I
believe it is important to consider it as an approach with a long term policy,
so it is also important how the objects are displayed/ stored/ handled in the
future. Applying frigilene or historically also called zapon-lack in some
countries does have a fair tradition for (decorative) silverware.
The lackering as done at the V&A, I'm speaking here based on my experience
there from about 10 years ago, does have a succes record to last about 25 years
(i.e. the main silver gallery). Usually 2 coats are applied by brush (3 coats
for objects displayed not in a display-case), The time inbetween applications
can be manipulated by using a hot-air gun. That way the iridescence, any
dripping or brushmarks can be avoided. It does indeed require experience to
apply good coatings (and a dust free space!). I have a preference for soft-hair
brushes (i.e. squirrel-hair but they can be difficult to source), and did use
small amounts of acetone to dilute. Acetone would also be used to remove
residue of old coatings. If possible, immersion in hot water followed by
steam-cleaning was used initially. The acetone for removal would be re-used in
multiple baths, so the most-used (or dirtiest) acetone was used for the first
removal, then second removal with a slightly cleaner acetone, ultimately
with new acetone for the final clean before re-application of a new coating.
my experience with the dipping application, has only been to remove it later
because of drips or sealed up holes and the overall appearance being
compromised. similar for spray-application where the applications had been
incomplete and which had been missed at the time of application.
As part of the decision-making proces apart from the ongoing care, it should
also be considered what the overall appearance of the silver object preferably
is, i.e. what was the original surface finish (method of polishing/ burnishing,
blanching, oxidised, or combination with other materials?) and to what extend
did the surface tarnish over time, and is it now desirable to also preserve
that? So this is considered in combination with the method to remove tarnish.
With applying a coating there is a risk over time that the tarnish will develop
stronger at a smaller/ specific location (associated with the failure/
application of the coating) and result in a patch with an 'etched' appearance.
Hope that helps, and happy to answer more questions if needed.
Best, Maickel van Bellegem.
------------------------------
Maickel van Bellegem ACR Conservator (freelance)
Sluis (NL) and London (UK)
+31 648775052 / +44 7890628526
[email protected]
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-28-2025 07:23
From: Paul Harrison
Subject: Cellulose Nitrate Coatings for Protecting Silver - Frigilene
There is a paper by the Victoria and Albert by Simon Metcalf their
Conservation Journal Jan 1997 issue 22 , can Google it other search engines
are available I try to use Frigilene as is a cellulose nitrate which we know
has issues of aging. I tend to use Incralac designed for copper but silver and
copper are in many ways first and second in their column on the Periodic Table
Simon found
point B1 unlacquered corrode in a year, lacquered in ten
point B2 they know Frigilene
point B3 compared with B72 Paraloid and Covolac results similar
point B4 Frigilene is easy to apply
point A1 complicated thins hard to lacquer nicely
point A2 good lacquer is a skill
point A3 handling wears lacquer away
point A 4 Cellulose Nitrate deteriorates with light and goes brown less
protective
point A5 emits nasty solvents ( Incralac is guilty too )
------------------------------
Paul Harrison
Glenfield
United Kingdom
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-26-2025 21:46
From: Jingyi Zhang
Subject: Cellulose Nitrate Coatings for Protecting Silver - Frigilene
Dear colleagues,
My name is Jingyi Zhang, and I am a Conservator with the Heritage Conservation
Centre (Singapore).
We are currently exploring the use of cellulose nitrate coatings to protect
silver objects in our collection. We are looking specifically at Frigilene, as
this is the only product we can access from conservation suppliers due to
import and shipping restrictions.
While doing our literature review, we noted that projects such as Winterthur's
Agateen coating program has shown to provide long-term benefits in deterring
tarnish on silver. On the other hand, there are also several publications
discouraging its use and highlighting various risks with such coatings (eg.
cyanide by-products). With this in mind, we are curious to find out more about
you/your institution's current practices with regards to coating silver – what
product(s) are used, how is it applied (brush/spray/dip etc.), any short/long
term observations regarding its effectiveness etc.?
Application wise, we have been practicing applying Frigilene on silver proxy
objects by brush and dipping. We have yet to try air brushing/spraying. From
our current practice, we have some questions:
Any recommendations for the proportion/ratio of Frigilene to thinner to use? We
have been trying a 1:1 ratio but tend to get iridescence when doing a brush
application, and iridescence, pooling and drip marks when doing a dip
application. What is the composition of the thinner? We did ask our vendor but
did not get a response on this. How long to wait in between coats? How many
coats to apply? How do you check the quality and for disruptions in the
coating? We note that UV-fluorescent dyes can be added to the coating mixtures
for this purpose.Any preference for brushes or bristle type? We have been using
a mixed goat hair flat brush.
We would appreciate any advice and useful tips on this. If direct contact is
preferred, my email address is [email protected] <[email protected]>
Thank you.
------------------------------
Jingyi Zhang
Conservator (Inorganic Objects)
Heritage Conservation Centre
Singapore
------------------------------
3.From: Howard Wellman
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 12:02 PM
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Message: Lorraine,
thank you for that excellent summary! I may quote you in future!
sincerely,
Howard
--
Howard Wellman
Wellman Conservation LLC
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 5/29/2025 7:02:00 AM
From: Lorraine Schnabel
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Jim,
Rather than directly addressing your question about D/2, I would pose the more
fundamental question that confronts architectural conservators on a daily
basis, which is should you clean at all? Are the stones being cleaned so the
inscriptions can be recorded? Or is there some other compelling reason for
cleaning other than to make the cemetery "look better?" Are you able to change
the environment such that the soiling is unlikely to return (sometimes possible
with buildings)? Giving volunteers something to do is not a compelling reason.
Much of the "dirt" on grave markers is biological (a biofilm), and the
quaternary ammonium compounds in commercial biological cleaners work to varying
degrees to remove this type of soiling. The effects of cleaning can be
dramatic, as numerous videos on YouTube will attest. However, the long-term
effectiveness of such cleaning products is limited, especially if no concurrent
changes are made to the environment of the object being cleaned. The soiling
will return, sometimes rather quickly depending on the composition of the
biofilm and the nature of the environment. Even if you are prepared to set up a
long-term maintenance program to repeat the cleaning as the soiling inevitably
returns, biofilms will adapt over time such that the cleaning chemical becomes
less effective. Use of water repellents as a means of controlling the
environment does not have a good track record, and there is plenty of
literature that addresses concerns surrounding application of water repellents
to masonry.
Also, any amount of scrubbing amounts to a type of mechanical weathering that
will immediately or eventually cause surface loss, depending on the type and
state of deterioration of the marker. Lichen in particular can be highly
resistant to removal on weathered stone surfaces without some amount of
scrubbing.
If you want to take a positive action to preserved the cemetery, consider other
steps. Most small cemeteries have no record of burials, so creating a database
that includes all the information on the markers and photographing them is one
valuable effort volunteers can make to preserve a cemetery. Inputting that
information into a resource like Find a Grave is helpful to genealogical
researchers. Creating a map of the cemetery (useful to develop a numbering
system for the database), including elements of the landscape, would provide a
means of locating the stones you have documented. Historical research to flesh
out the database can help put a face on the history of the community the people
in the cemetery were a part of. Properly supervised, volunteers can straighten
markers that are leaning, and re-set markers that have toppled, but this effort
needs to be led by someone with experience in lifting and moving things that
are both heavy and fragile, and ideally a trained conservator
if any sort of reassembly is needed.
Maintaining the cemetery grounds is critical to their preservation--volunteers
who are willing to hand trim around graves and use push mowers prevents the use
of string trimmers that damage the stone and zero turn or riding mowers used by
most landscaping companies that can cause untold damage to markers. Money
available for cleaning chemicals could instead be used for tree-trimming,
something that is often needed in older cemeteries to protect markers from
being damaged by falling tree limbs, or for repair of walls and/or fencing.
I hope any of this information is of some use.
Kind regards,
------------------------------
Lorraine Schnabel
Schnabel Conservation LLC
[email protected]
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-27-2025 08:40
From: James Moss
Subject: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Dear Colleagues,
I am a Cemetery Commissioner in my small Town (I am also a retired
Conservator of Clocks). Members of my Committee have suggested using a
commercial product called D2 to clean the gravestones of lichens and
accumulated atmospheric "dirt". I've looked at D2's WEB site and their product
SDS (mixture contains trisodium nitrilotriacetate and sodium metasilicate,
anhydrous which are considered hazardous chemicals to humans).
Their WEB site [ https://www.d2bio.com/ <https://www.d2bio.com/> ] claims the
following:
"National Parks Study Recommends D/2 for Government Headstone Cleaning" :
Researchers studied five different cleaners on stones located in five different
climates at locations across the United States. Microbiologists at Harvard
University evaluated samples for regrowth of microorganisms including bacteria,
fungi, and algae. D/2's quaternary ammonium solution came out on top! [Note:
any mention of ammonia or its relations immediately causes my antennae to arise
because it can cause Stress Corrosion Cracking of brass, a metal that 80% of
clocks are made with]
AND:
The National Cemetery Administration now uses D/2.
"The NCA entered into an agreement with the National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training, NPS, to evaluate marble cleaners in an effort to
minimize damage to historic headstones. The 3-phase study began in 2004 and was
completed in 2011. The best - practice recommendations resulted in NCA's
determination to use the preferred cleaner, D/2 Biological Solution..." (Page 3)
AND:
"No Other Solution is more trusted by conservators"
Cleaning of Stone is not my specialty, I have not been trained to do stone
treatments.
I know nothing about the effects of using the wrong chemical solutions or
procedures on stone. All that I am aware of is that stone is porous and
solutions can penetrate the stone and could cause long term degradation. I will
attempt to contact a Conservator whose specialty is the cleaning of stone. In
the meantime, I turn to you as a font of knowledge.....
My first question to you is:
Is using this commercial solution harmful to the stones that are commonly
used as cemetery markers such as slate, granite, and marble (aluminum and brass
are also used but as far as I know, D2 is not used to clean these metals)?
My second question is:
If D2 is not acceptable are there other safe methods that could be used by
non-Conservators or Citizen Volunteers that would not cause short or long term
harm to these objects?
Your insights, help, and guidance would be most appreciated.
Sincerely
Jim Moss,
Horological Conservator,
AIC PA retired
4.From: Katherine Ridgway
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 12:02 PM
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Message:
I would also like to hear other's opinion on all quaternary ammonium compounds
(besides just D/2). If anyone has more up-to-date research, I would love to see
it. The questions I have are:
What effect does it have on metals frequently associated with gravestones?
The main study having to do with government headstones helps me very little
with many aspects of older cemeteries in my state. Government headstones are
frequently replaced when damaged, and that is not what I am usually advising
on. The government headstones are also very uniform in material and other
aspects, which is great for studies, but not helpful in the real world (hence
my question about metals).
There are also concerns in the health care industry about resistance to quats.
Is that a concerns for gravestones? Will we eventually create biofilms that
quats can't touch?
This is beyond all of the other health and safety and environmental concerns.
I would love to know peoples' thoughts.
Kate
<https://www.facebook.com/VADHR/> <https://www.instagram.com/vadhr_shpo/>
<https://www.linkedin.com/company/vadhr/> <https://twitter.com/VaDHR_SHPO>
Katherine Ridgway
State Archaeological Conservator
Department of Historic Resources
Email [email protected] <[email protected]>
Phone 804-482-6442
2801 Kensington Ave, Richmond, VA 23221
www.dhr.virginia.gov <http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/>
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 5/29/2025 7:43:00 AM
From: James Moss
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Lorraine,
Nice to hear from You! Good thoughts indeed.
What you provided will be very useful when I present the information to the
Commission: it will help them to understand a larger picture....and it is
better coming from you than from me!
Jim
------------------------------
James Moss
Owner/Conservator
Boxborough
United States
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-29-2025 07:02
From: Lorraine Schnabel
Subject: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Jim,
Rather than directly addressing your question about D/2, I would pose the more
fundamental question that confronts architectural conservators on a daily
basis, which is should you clean at all? Are the stones being cleaned so the
inscriptions can be recorded? Or is there some other compelling reason for
cleaning other than to make the cemetery "look better?" Are you able to change
the environment such that the soiling is unlikely to return (sometimes possible
with buildings)? Giving volunteers something to do is not a compelling reason.
Much of the "dirt" on grave markers is biological (a biofilm), and the
quaternary ammonium compounds in commercial biological cleaners work to varying
degrees to remove this type of soiling. The effects of cleaning can be
dramatic, as numerous videos on YouTube will attest. However, the long-term
effectiveness of such cleaning products is limited, especially if no concurrent
changes are made to the environment of the object being cleaned. The soiling
will return, sometimes rather quickly depending on the composition of the
biofilm and the nature of the environment. Even if you are prepared to set up a
long-term maintenance program to repeat the cleaning as the soiling inevitably
returns, biofilms will adapt over time such that the cleaning chemical becomes
less effective. Use of water repellents as a means of controlling the
environment does not have a good track record, and there is plenty of
literature that addresses concerns surrounding application of water repellents
to masonry.
Also, any amount of scrubbing amounts to a type of mechanical weathering that
will immediately or eventually cause surface loss, depending on the type and
state of deterioration of the marker. Lichen in particular can be highly
resistant to removal on weathered stone surfaces without some amount of
scrubbing.
If you want to take a positive action to preserved the cemetery, consider other
steps. Most small cemeteries have no record of burials, so creating a database
that includes all the information on the markers and photographing them is one
valuable effort volunteers can make to preserve a cemetery. Inputting that
information into a resource like Find a Grave is helpful to genealogical
researchers. Creating a map of the cemetery (useful to develop a numbering
system for the database), including elements of the landscape, would provide a
means of locating the stones you have documented. Historical research to flesh
out the database can help put a face on the history of the community the people
in the cemetery were a part of. Properly supervised, volunteers can straighten
markers that are leaning, and re-set markers that have toppled, but this effort
needs to be led by someone with experience in lifting and moving things that
are both heavy and fragile, and ideally a trained conservator
if any sort of reassembly is needed.
Maintaining the cemetery grounds is critical to their preservation--volunteers
who are willing to hand trim around graves and use push mowers prevents the use
of string trimmers that damage the stone and zero turn or riding mowers used by
most landscaping companies that can cause untold damage to markers. Money
available for cleaning chemicals could instead be used for tree-trimming,
something that is often needed in older cemeteries to protect markers from
being damaged by falling tree limbs, or for repair of walls and/or fencing.
I hope any of this information is of some use.
Kind regards,
------------------------------
Lorraine Schnabel
Schnabel Conservation LLC
[email protected] <[email protected]>
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-27-2025 08:40
From: James Moss
Subject: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Dear Colleagues,
I am a Cemetery Commissioner in my small Town (I am also a retired
Conservator of Clocks). Members of my Committee have suggested using a
commercial product called D2 to clean the gravestones of lichens and
accumulated atmospheric "dirt". I've looked at D2's WEB site and their product
SDS (mixture contains trisodium nitrilotriacetate and sodium metasilicate,
anhydrous which are considered hazardous chemicals to humans).
Their WEB site [ https://www.d2bio.com/ <https://www.d2bio.com/> ] claims the
following:
"National Parks Study Recommends D/2 for Government Headstone Cleaning" :
Researchers studied five different cleaners on stones located in five different
climates at locations across the United States. Microbiologists at Harvard
University evaluated samples for regrowth of microorganisms including bacteria,
fungi, and algae. D/2's quaternary ammonium solution came out on top! [Note:
any mention of ammonia or its relations immediately causes my antennae to arise
because it can cause Stress Corrosion Cracking of brass, a metal that 80% of
clocks are made with]
AND:
The National Cemetery Administration now uses D/2.
"The NCA entered into an agreement with the National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training, NPS, to evaluate marble cleaners in an effort to
minimize damage to historic headstones. The 3-phase study began in 2004 and was
completed in 2011. The best - practice recommendations resulted in NCA's
determination to use the preferred cleaner, D/2 Biological Solution..." (Page 3)
AND:
"No Other Solution is more trusted by conservators"
Cleaning of Stone is not my specialty, I have not been trained to do stone
treatments.
I know nothing about the effects of using the wrong chemical solutions or
procedures on stone. All that I am aware of is that stone is porous and
solutions can penetrate the stone and could cause long term degradation. I will
attempt to contact a Conservator whose specialty is the cleaning of stone. In
the meantime, I turn to you as a font of knowledge.....
My first question to you is:
Is using this commercial solution harmful to the stones that are commonly
used as cemetery markers such as slate, granite, and marble (aluminum and brass
are also used but as far as I know, D2 is not used to clean these metals)?
My second question is:
If D2 is not acceptable are there other safe methods that could be used by
non-Conservators or Citizen Volunteers that would not cause short or long term
harm to these objects?
Your insights, help, and guidance would be most appreciated.
Sincerely
Jim Moss,
Horological Conservator,
AIC PA retired
5.From: Howard Wellman
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 1:23 PM
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Message:
Jim,
There have been a lot of great responses to your original query, but I realized
that some of the issues you raised may not have been addressed. So I took the
time to go review the SDS on the D/2 website and also dig out my notes from my
personal discussions with the developers and manufacturer of D/2.
1) I cannot find mention of the two chemicals you cite (trisodium
nitrilotriacetate and sodium metasilicate, anhydrous) in the SDS. Can you tell
me where you saw those?
2) A couple years ago I called Tony Kinnari at D/2 and asked about the ammonia
content in a quaternary ammonium compound, specifically because I was concerned
about reaction with bronze plaques and hardware on gravestones. I was told
that the chemistry of "ammonium" in this case refers to a nitrogen with three
branching functional groups, not to the specific molecule NH3 of ammonia, which
is not present in D/2. So this should ease fears about its effect on copper
alloys. Although as you say in your message, no one is likely to use D/2 on a
bronze object deliberately, since bronze doesn't grow that kind of biological
community.
3) I also asked about the presence of free chloride ions (many quats are
ammonium chloride salts) (and forgive me if I do make incorrect chemical names
here), based on my worries about the effects of chloride on iron alloys used in
gravestone hardware. They pointed out (and see the SDS) that in the D/2
product, the quats are 2% of the total mixture, therefore, free chloride ion is
likewise 2%, which is far less than most other commercial cleaning products,
especially bleaches. You might get that much free chloride ion wicking up
through the gravestone from groundwater? Which explains why so many historic
gravestones already suffer from corroding iron pins prior to the use of modern
cleaners?
4) Jason Church at NCPTT who did many of those tests on D/2 did not find any
damage to stone from recrystallization of the chemical, if it even occurred.
5) Regarding human safety, I admit that I find the odor of D/2 harsh, but don't
forget that hospitals and food service industries have been using similar quats
for years as surface sanitizers, and especially during the pandemic. Maybe
there are subtle differences between those quats and D/2 that I'm not aware of,
and I regret that I haven't read any specific publications addressing those
questions.
I hope that this contributes to the conversation.
Sincerely,
Howard
------------------------------
Howard Wellman
Halethorpe MD
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 05-27-2025 08:40
From: James Moss
Subject: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Dear Colleagues,
I am a Cemetery Commissioner in my small Town (I am also a retired
Conservator of Clocks). Members of my Committee have suggested using a
commercial product called D2 to clean the gravestones of lichens and
accumulated atmospheric "dirt". I've looked at D2's WEB site and their product
SDS (mixture contains trisodium nitrilotriacetate and sodium metasilicate,
anhydrous which are considered hazardous chemicals to humans).
Their WEB site [ https://www.d2bio.com/ <https://www.d2bio.com/> ] claims the
following:
"National Parks Study Recommends D/2 for Government Headstone Cleaning" :
Researchers studied five different cleaners on stones located in five different
climates at locations across the United States. Microbiologists at Harvard
University evaluated samples for regrowth of microorganisms including bacteria,
fungi, and algae. D/2's quaternary ammonium solution came out on top! [Note:
any mention of ammonia or its relations immediately causes my antennae to arise
because it can cause Stress Corrosion Cracking of brass, a metal that 80% of
clocks are made with]
AND:
The National Cemetery Administration now uses D/2.
"The NCA entered into an agreement with the National Center for Preservation
Technology and Training, NPS, to evaluate marble cleaners in an effort to
minimize damage to historic headstones. The 3-phase study began in 2004 and was
completed in 2011. The best - practice recommendations resulted in NCA's
determination to use the preferred cleaner, D/2 Biological Solution..." (Page 3)
AND:
"No Other Solution is more trusted by conservators"
Cleaning of Stone is not my specialty, I have not been trained to do stone
treatments.
I know nothing about the effects of using the wrong chemical solutions or
procedures on stone. All that I am aware of is that stone is porous and
solutions can penetrate the stone and could cause long term degradation. I will
attempt to contact a Conservator whose specialty is the cleaning of stone. In
the meantime, I turn to you as a font of knowledge.....
My first question to you is:
Is using this commercial solution harmful to the stones that are commonly
used as cemetery markers such as slate, granite, and marble (aluminum and brass
are also used but as far as I know, D2 is not used to clean these metals)?
My second question is:
If D2 is not acceptable are there other safe methods that could be used by
non-Conservators or Citizen Volunteers that would not cause short or long term
harm to these objects?
Your insights, help, and guidance would be most appreciated.
Sincerely
Jim Moss,
Horological Conservator,
AIC PA retired
6.From: Leah Bright
Posted: Friday May 30, 2025 1:23 PM
Subject: There's still time to register for APOYOnline's 5th Regional
Conference "Sustainable Connections for Cultural Heritage"
Message: There's still time to register for APOYOnline's 5th Regional
Conference!
APOYOnline 5th Regional Conference: Sustainable Connections for Cultural
Heritage
Panama City, Panama & Virtually
June 30 to July 4, 2025
APOYOnline - the Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas, Inc.,
is proud to host our upcoming 5th Regional Conference & Workshops from June
30th to July 4th, 2025, with the theme "Sustainable Connections for Cultural
Heritage." The in-person event will take place at the Ciudad del Saber
Conference Center in beautiful and fascinating Panama City, Panama. The
conference will also be presented online and is being co-organized with the
Museo del Canal and other regional institutions in Panama.
Nearly 170 authors from 24 countries will present over 70 papers and 50 posters
during the event concerning the following topics:
Climate Change & Collections at Risk
Community Engagement & Connections
Innovation & Trends
Education & Training
Notably, over 60% of participants in the conference are students and emerging
professionals attending an APOYOnline event for the first time. Thanks to our
exceedingly generous sponsors, APOYOnline is providing stipends to each author
to support their attendance both in person and online.
See APOYOnline's website <https://apoyonline.org/> for more information and to
register for the conference. See you soon in Panama and online!
--
Leah A. Bright (she/her/ella)
Board Secretary
APOYOnline - Association for Heritage Preservation of the Americas
[email protected]
------------------------------
Leah A. Bright she/her
Objects Conservator
Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery Lunder Conservation Center
(202) 633-5804
[email protected]
------------------------------
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