Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup.
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1. RE: Museum Wax
2. RE: Museum Wax
3. Possible concerns regarding nylon stockings in mount preparation
4. RE: The International Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2025: Towards Sustainable
Preservation (IGI2025) PORTUGAL
5. RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
6. Conference October 2025: Duecento Painting: The Art and Technique of
Margarito d'Arezzo and His Contemporaries
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1.From: Martin O'Brien
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 9:32 AM
Subject: RE: Museum Wax
Message:
Linda and community,
What would you (or other members) recommend as an alternative to Museum Wax?
Although, I've never used the "clear gel", I do use their regular product
fairly often with wooden artifacts, frames and furniture and have noticed
staining on rare occasion. I am more concerned with what I do not see.
Also, is the clear gel more prone to this residue than the other 'Museum Wax'
products? I believe there has been posting in the last few years about this.
I think a recipe for a more archival/less intrusive product was shared or
published somewhere decades ago, perhaps in the Cons Dist List?? or maybe a
conference.
I confess I've fallen for the word 'Museum' in many products.
Many thanks Linda, for bringing this issue up!
------------------------------
Martin O'Brien PA-AIC
Wooden Artifact Conservator in Private Practice
Winston Salem, NC
336-773-1334
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-15-2025 23:08
From: Linda Roundhill
Subject: Museum Wax
I don't know what is in Museum Wax, but a client of mine used the clear Museum
Gel on his ceramics and over time a silicone-like oil sweated out and stained
the porous parts of the ceramic fairly permanently and made it mighty difficult
to treat the pieces when one of them broke. Beware Museum Gel ! I wish we
could pressure them to they would stop selling it or at least remove "Museum"
from its name.
Linda R
------------------------------
Linda Roundhill
Conservator/Owner
Art & Antiquities Conservation, LLC
Everett
United States
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2025 09:00
From: K.E. van Lookeren Campagne
Subject: Museum Wax
Dear Colleagues
Has anyone undertaken research into Museum Wax an/or Museum Gel? In the US
it is also known as Quakehold and in Europe it is sold under the name
Crystaline Clear Museum Wax. As it is used to secure museum objects (often on
other museum objects) it could be presumed that the composition is known and
some research has been undertaken. I can only find vague references to it being
a mixture of microcrystalline and petroleum wax. Any information or
experience would be helpful.
Kate van Lookeren Campagne Amsterdam University Department Conservation
and Restoration of Cultural Heritage [email protected]
<[email protected]>
2.From: Christian Mueller-Straten
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 9:33 AM
Subject: RE: Museum Wax
Message: Hello,
The tag should rather be "Museum Gel" than "Museum Wax."
The product is distributed worldwide through leading retailers (PEL; Deffner &
Johann, etc.). Here is the package insert from D&J:
https://deffner-johann.de/media/datasheets/2448100/DE/2448100_Technical%20Data%20Sheet_Museum%20Gel_EN_DJ.pdf
<https://deffner-johann.de/media/datasheets/2448100/DE/2448100_Technical%20Data%20Sheet_Museum%20Gel_EN_DJ.pdf>
PEL emphasizes in its German website (transl.): "Quakehold Museum Gel was first
used in museums in the earthquake-prone region of California over 10 years ago
to protect exhibits. Since then, this practice of securing art and collections
has gained popularity among professionals and collectors." Therefore, it would
be usefull to ask Californian museum for their experiences.
This gel is actually only made to secure glass and crystal on shelves against
earthquakes and accidental movement, not to bond porcelain pieces. There are
lots of chemical (household) products, industrial mixtures etc. which are
misused by dealers, collectors and even conservators for conservation purposes.
So it's not the hammer, the money, the car which is to blame, it's the brain
misusing such products.
Cheers
Christian
------------------------------
[Christian] [Mueller-Straten] [Researcher, Publisher, Art Historian]
[Owner]
[Verlag Dr. Christian Mueller-Straten]
[Munich] [Germany]
[0049-89-839 690 43]
[https://www.museum-aktuell.de] https://www.museum-aktuell.de/CEO
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-15-2025 23:08
From: Linda Roundhill
Subject: Museum Wax
I don't know what is in Museum Wax, but a client of mine used the clear Museum
Gel on his ceramics and over time a silicone-like oil sweated out and stained
the porous parts of the ceramic fairly permanently and made it mighty difficult
to treat the pieces when one of them broke. Beware Museum Gel ! I wish we
could pressure them to they would stop selling it or at least remove "Museum"
from its name.
Linda R
------------------------------
Linda Roundhill
Conservator/Owner
Art & Antiquities Conservation, LLC
Everett
United States
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-06-2025 09:00
From: K.E. van Lookeren Campagne
Subject: Museum Wax
Dear Colleagues
Has anyone undertaken research into Museum Wax an/or Museum Gel? In the US
it is also known as Quakehold and in Europe it is sold under the name
Crystaline Clear Museum Wax. As it is used to secure museum objects (often on
other museum objects) it could be presumed that the composition is known and
some research has been undertaken. I can only find vague references to it being
a mixture of microcrystalline and petroleum wax. Any information or
experience would be helpful.
Kate van Lookeren Campagne Amsterdam University Department Conservation
and Restoration of Cultural Heritage [email protected]
<[email protected]>
3.From: Jane Hammond
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 11:00 AM
Subject: Possible concerns regarding nylon stockings in mount preparation
Message:
Good morning,
I'm seeking community comments and experiences on using nylon pantyhose as a
layer to shape a carved and padded Ethafoam rounded mount for a WWII gas mask.
The object may be displayed in a case.
Is department store nylon pantyhose a stable knit material to use as a shaping
layer (after washing and removing the elastic waistband)? I realize Spandex
should be avoided.
Are the dyes used to color pantyhose a concern? (I've read aluminum sulfate
is sometimes used in the process). Would white pantyhose be a better choice?.
Are there conservation suppliers selling stabile nylon knits for museum use? Do
department store varieties work? Is cotton jersey a better alternative?
Thanks in advance for any feedback or recommendations offered! You can comment
directly with Claire Curran, if you prefer: [email protected]
<[email protected]>
Jane Hammond
(Now happily retired)
4.From: Valeria Orlandini
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 2:35 PM
Subject: RE: The International Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2025: Towards Sustainable
Preservation (IGI2025) PORTUGAL
Message:
Dear Colleagues,
Thanks to all the attendees and presenters of the IGI2025 that have kindly
shared their contributions with me/us.
Hope this information will be of interest to you.
Book of abstracts posted at the IGI2025 website
(https://sites.fct.unl.pt/igi2025/pages/book-abstracts
<https://sites.fct.unl.pt/igi2025/pages/book-abstracts>)
The main topics discussed were:
Innovative Methodologies for The Preservation of Heritage Written with Iron
Gall Inks
Degradation Mechanisms of Iron Gall Inks
Development/ Evaluation of Conservation Treatments for Iron Gall Inked Objects
Assessment Surveys of Iron Gall Inks Documents
Case Studies
-------
Day 1
Oral 1 Caterino Salvatore Exploring the variability of Iron-gall inks and their
degradation patterns: a systematic multi-analytical approach
Oral 2 Santiago Sanchez-Cortes - Raman and Surface-Enhanced Raman scattering
analysis of iron gall inks employed in historic manuscripts: Effect of aging on
the spectral markers
Oral 3 Prue A. McKay Investigating the potential for CorrosionIntercept® film
to be used as housing for iron gall ink on paper Development/evaluation of
conservation treatments
Oral 4 Christa Hofmann The Black Hours: conservation of a parchment manuscript
Oral 5 Anna Lagerqvist Alidoost Klucel G and its stabilizing potential:
evaluation of effects from non aqueous modified adhesives
Oral 6 Jasna Malešič Evaluation of in-situ methods for identifying copper ions
in paper based objects
Oral 7 Sílvia Sequeira A delicate balance: conserving brittle, brown-tinted
paper drawings
Oral 8 Heather Hendry Considering color change in iron gall ink drawings: a
case study in treatment of a disassembled Stradanus sketchbook
Day 2
Oral 9 Véronique Rouchon Vitriols, a large family of unstable minerals
Oral 10 Marcello Picollo Some considerations on metal-gall inks
Oral 11 Francisco Moronta-Montero Unmixing drifts and spectral reflectance data
for component identification in two-ink mixtures
Oral 12 Sarah Noble Preserving the past: comparative approaches to iron gall
ink conservation in mass digitization at UK and Dutch National Archives
Oral 13 Ute Henniges Case study: calcium phytate treatment of iron gall
ink-corroded archival documents
Oral 14 Selina Dieter Setting up the "Ink Lab" at the University Library Basel
developments and future plans Historical Reconstructions
Oral 15 Malihe Sotoudeh Decoding "Vitriol": reconstructing historical recipes
for modern insights into iron gall inks
Oral 16 Stefanos Kroustallis The scribe's choice: study and reconstructions of
Byzantine yellow brown iron-gall ink recipes
Oral 17 Tatiana Gersten Study and conservation of Basses Danses of Margaret of
Austria (kbr, ms 9085) : how to dye a parchment with iron gall ink
Oral 18 Julie Biggs Something old, something new, something borrowed. The union
of established practice and innovation in three treatment case studies
Oral 19 Sophie Henry A Book of Sundry Prints: Exploring facsimile and hybridity
in the treatment of iron gall ink-damaged objects
-------
NOVA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | FCT NOVA <https://www.fct.unl.pt/
<https://www.fct.unl.pt/>>
In our research, chemistry discloses the chemical structures of complex
polyphenol systems based on iron gall inks. This knowledge is used to study the
causes of color and their transformation over time as well as to test
innovative treatments that will respect the environment and human health.
Ultimately, providing accurate molecular structures for polyphenol colors in
artworks of historical and cultural significance will enable sustainable
preservation and access to our precious cultural heritage.
--
Rafael Javier Díaz Hidalgo, Ricardo Córdoba, Hermine Grigoryan, Márcia Vieira,
Maria J. Melo*, Paula Nabais, Vanessa Otero, Natércia Teixeira*, Sara Fani*,
Hossam Al-Abbady, "The making of black inks in an Arabic treatise by
al‑Qalalūsī dated from the 13th c.: reproduction and characterisation of
iron‑gall ink recipes", Herit. Sci., 11 (2023) 1-14.
The making of black inks in an Arabic treatise by al- ...
<https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367020539_The_making_of_black_inks_in_an_Arabic_treatise_by_al-Qalalusi_dated_from_the_13th_c_reproduction_and_characterisation_of_iron-gall_ink_recipes>
--
Maria João Melo, Vanessa Otero, Paula Nabais, Natércia Teixeira, Fernando Pina,
Conceição Casanova, Sara Fragoso and Sílvia O. Sequeira, "Iron-Gall Inks: A
review of their degradation mechanisms and conservation treatments", Herit.
Sci., 10 (2022) 145.
Iron-gall inks: a review of their degradation mechanisms and conservation
treatments | npj Heritage Science
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-022-00779-2>
--
Natércia Teixeira*, Paula Nabais, Victor de Freitas, João A. Lopes, Maria J.
Melo*, "In-depth phenolic characterization of iron gall inks by deconstructing
representative Iberian recipes", Sci. Rep., 11 (2021) 8811;
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87969-3
<https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87969-3>.
In-depth phenolic characterization of iron gall inks by deconstructing
representative Iberian recipes | Scientific Reports
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-87969-3>
--
Maria J. Melo, Paula Nabais, Rita Araújo and Tatiana Vitorino, "The
conservation of Medieval manuscript illuminations: a chemical perspective",
Physical Sciences Reviews, (2019), 20180017.
The conservation of medieval manuscript illuminations
<https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/psr-2018-0017/html?lang=en>
--
R. J. Díaz Hidalgo, R. Córdoba, P. Nabais, V. Silva, M. J. Melo*, F. Pina, N.
Teixeira, V. Freitas, "New insights into iron-gall inks through the use of
historically accurate reconstructions", Herit. Sci., 6 (2018) 1-15.
New insights into iron-gall inks through the use of ...
<https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-018-0228-8>
------------------------------
Valeria Orlandini
Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographic Materials
Chevy Chase MD
(301) 657-2682
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 06-03-2025 16:08
From: Valeria Orlandini
Subject: The International Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2025: Towards Sustainable
Preservation (IGI2025) PORTUGAL
The International Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2025: Towards Sustainable Preservation
(IGI2025) was held on May 7-9, 2025 in Caparica Portugal.Salvaging Iron Gall
Ink-Based Collections from Ink Corrosion, Fungal Attack, and Climate Change:
Considering the Past and the Futurehttps://sites.fct.unl.pt/igi2025
<https://sites.fct.unl.pt/igi2025> The following main topics were discussed:
Innovative Methodologies for The Preservation of Heritage Written with Iron
Gall Inks
Degradation Mechanisms of Iron Gall Inks
Development/ Evaluation of Conservation Treatments for Iron Gall Inked Objects
Assessment Surveys of Iron Gall Inks Documents
Case StudiesOrganizing Committee:Maria Joao Melo Silvia Oliveira Sequeira
Natercia Teixeira Vanessa Otero Paula NabaisRafael Javier Diaz Hidalgo Malihe
SotoudehConservation is a multidisciplinary subject, which provides a rich
field for research. As a result, it is not only possible, but also valuable and
rewarding, to take a single material such as iron gall ink and consider its
many characteristics from a variety of viewpoints.Although there have been many
conferences, courses and publications focusing on specific aspects of ink gall
ink, both the meetings hosted by the University of Northumbria Conservation of
Fine Art Programme in September 2000 by Jean E. Brown as well as the one
organized by (the late) John (J.B.G.A.) Havermans, Ph.D. from TNO, Build
Environment and Geosciences in Delft, The Netherlands - Metals in Paper (MIP)
EU Thematic Network - 2nd Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne, in
the United Kingdom provided a holistic overview of the material through
manufacture, application, degradation, history and conservation treatments to
aspects of multiple investigations.It can be all too easy for a conservator or
a conservation scientist to become exclusively focused on the degradation
instigated by an inherently destructive material, such as iron gall ink.
However it is valuable to reflect on why such a material continued to be so
widely and extensively used over such a long period. This is particularly
puzzling when it is remembered that its destructive characteristics were
clearly recognized at a very early date.It became clear that iron gall ink has
exceptional qualities, which surpass those of other inks. It has a capacity for
refinement and rhythm, which in the hands of an artist, can result in an object
that has vitality, is dynamic as well as enlightening. It is these intrinsic
qualities of iron gall ink that made contemporary artists and inscribers
continue to use it. Thus, conservators are very concerned to identify the
components of the elements present in these inks and preserve these objects
for posterity.During the 'International Iron Gall Ink Meeting 2025' last month
at the NOVA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY | NOVA FCT in Caparica we spent
many hours discussing extensively about metal-tannic inks, analyses, treatments
and the multiple recipes available among others. These workshops were
offered:WS1 - "The manufacture of Iron Gall Inks: retracing past recipes" by
Natércia Teixeira, Rafael Javier Díaz Hidalgo and Malihe Sotoudeh WS2 - "Making
Iron Gall Inks with or without vitriols: All you need is soluble iron" by
Birgit Reissland, Véronique Rouchon and Ira Rabin WS3 - "Persian Medieval Inks,
Dyes and Sizings on Paper Supports Based on Taimurid to Qajar Historical
Recipes" by Sadra Zekrgoo and Mandana Barkeshli WS4 - "Is it an iron gall ink?
- Different approaches and challenges in IGI identification" by Paula Nabais
and Sílvia SequeiraThere is more to come...for those colleagues
interested on ink corrosion.
------------------------------
Valeria Orlandini
Conservator of Works on Paper and Photographic Materials
Chevy Chase MD
(301) 657-2682
------------------------------
5.From: Robert Krueger
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 5:16 PM
Subject: RE: Cleaning Gravestones with D/2 Biological Solution
Message: This is an interesting conversation. I have been using D/2 for over
16 years. I spoke with Ted Kinnari (the inventor of D/2) in 2009, when I took
the masonry class at Cathedral Stone, and explained my discomfort with using a
proprietary product that I can't research, and he told it contains water,
Triton X-100, and a Quaternary Ammonium. I also found an original bottle of D/2
that had this written on the label. As with any surfactant, it should never be
used where it will enter a body of water. The mechanism for it to biodegrade
involves enzymes in soil, and UV radiation.
Before I studied conservation, I attended an AIC conference (pre 2006) and
remember a talk given by UCLA students where they compared using D/2 with
steam, and found both were equally effective. I have been using super-heated
steam on many bio-growths and found it does work well, it seems to work as well
as D/2. I usually use D/2 in one of two ways. If possible, I will apply it a
couple of weeks before I clean an object. That allows the growths to die and
are much easier to remove. If I don't have two weeks, I use D/2 and brushes to
clean the surface. I then rinse with clean water. I don't think leaving it on
the surface makes much difference, but agree that wetting the surface at least
once per year with D/2 keeps new growths from taking hold.
I understand that in hospitals they use Polyquats, which use a different
mechanism for killing. Metals concern me as they may leave stains over the long
run. I have never studied zinc, but I know copper acts as an algaestat rather
than an algaecide, retarding or preventing growth, but not actually killing
established algae.
I have never seen an adverse reaction using D/2 on/near metals, but I haven't
used it near every metal used in sculpture.
I hope this is helpful,
Robert
------------------------------
Robert Krueger
Object Conservator & Proprietor
Cascadia Art Conservation Center, LLC
Portland
United States
------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
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: Joanna Dunn
Posted: Tuesday June 17, 2025 7:15 PM
Subject: Conference October 2025: Duecento Painting: The Art and Technique of
Margarito d'Arezzo and His Contemporaries
Message: Registration is now open for Duecento Painting: The Art and Technique
of Margarito d'Arezzo and His Contemporaries.
This interdisciplinary conference will bring together scholars, specialists,
and professionals working on all aspects of Duecento painting, from art
historical studies to scientific analysis, conservation, technical research and
museography. The conference will provide an exceptional platform to discuss the
art historical context and history of acquisition of Margarito d'Arezzo's
paintings. It will also present the analytical results from recent studies of
paintings by Margarito and his contemporaries in the region, which will improve
knowledge of the 13th-century painting technology. The scope of the conference
will also encompass contemporary polychrome sculpture, wall paintings and
manuscript illumination.
The conference will take place October 9-11, 2025 in Arezzo Italy
See the attached flyer and program and use the following links to register and
to access the webpage for the event (Italian and English) :
https://www.supsi.ch/it/la-pittura-del-duecento-l-arte-e-la-tecnica-di-margarito-d-arezzo-e-dei-suoi-contemporanei
https://www.supsi.ch/en/la-pittura-del-duecento-l-arte-e-la-tecnica-di-margarito-d-arezzo-e-dei-suoi-contemporanei
<https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.supsi.ch%2Fen%2Fla-pittura-del-duecento-l-arte-e-la-tecnica-di-margarito-d-arezzo-e-dei-suoi-contemporanei&data=05%7C02%7C%7C5e77aa64d02a42e9d1d808dda84b5267%7C53f6461e95ad4b08a8da973e49ae9312%7C0%7C0%7C638851764191590606%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yNAecxjLpjgXqMJXPUmmweo8N1wERjZqruqJx%2FNFHfA%3D&reserved=0>
Please note spaces are limited so register early.
------------------------------
Joanna R. Dunn
Senior Painting Conservator
Painting Conservation
202.842.6722
National Gallery of Art
Washington, DC
------------------------------
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