I attended a presentation recently that brought up a question that I couldn’t answer so I’m bringing it to the group. In a conservation treatment of waterlogged wood a process of consolidation was utilized where a thinned concentration of sucrose in water would be added to the wood structure as a bulking agent that would also impart more strength to support the weakened wood structure and retain the object’s shape. It has been in use since the mid 80’s when Jim Parrent developed the process. At that time it was his opinion that the added sucrose would not increase the likelihood of infestation. I can visualize the connection between the starches wood borers digest and the chemical relationship to simple sugars but wasn’t clear on how to justify that the borers wouldn’t be attracted to the sucrose. My guess is that there are enzymes and nutritional regulators that preclude the borers from processing sucrose. Can someone explain why or that my assumption is wrong?
Thanks for the help. Steve Steven L. Pine Decorative Arts Conservator The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston P.O. Box 6826 Houston, TX 77265 [email protected]
