Kovács Petronella (szerk.): Isis - Erdélyi magyar restaurátor füzetek 3. (Székelyudvarhely, 2003)
Erdélyi - romániai magyar vonatkozási múzeumi restaurátor publikációk
J András MORGÓS - Levente DOMOKOS Restoring the "Petőfi pear tree" in Székelykeresztúr Tradition has it that Sándor Petőfi, the Hungarian revolutionary poet, spent his last evening before the 1849 Segesvár-Fehéregyház battle under a pear tree at Székelykeresztúr. This tree has become an extremely popular historical monument and a place of pilgrimage in the city. Although the tree had died, what was left of its trunk was vandalized by youths in 2002. This sad event made the restoration of the tree necessary, before it could be returned to its original location. Restoration work was carried out in a cooperative work between the Molnár István Múzeum in Székelykeresztúr and the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. Owing to earlier damage caused by insects and fungi, the wood first had to be stabilized in several stages. Stabilization work in the finely structured parts with thin capillaries, damaged by fungi, was achieved using Araldite BY 158® epoxi rezin, characterized by its small molecule size. Its solutions with nitro-thinner were used in increasing concentrations to stabilize insect borings, cracks and fracture lines. Separation layers in the wood structure were treated using solutions of Paraloid B72 with nitro-diluent used in various concentrations. Uverapid, and Eporezit FM 20 epoxi synthetic resin were used for gluing broken pieces of wood. Cracks within the wood that extended to the outer surface were filled with a mix of pulverized hard wood, earth dye and epoxi resin. Biological agents were deterred by a treatment with a water solution of Biokomplex- Koncentrátum®. Auxiliary metal parts (the supporting structure, a decorative wreath of laurel) were cleaned in the rust solvent and passivator RO-55 and treated with tannic acid diluted in alcohol. Finally, a solution of Paraloid B72 was applied. Finally, metal parts were greased using KK-18, developed for weaponry. A support structure was partially hidden within the tree trunk which was of help in erecting the pear tree in its original location. András Morgós Chemical Engineer Wood and Furniture Restorer MA Head of Conservation Department Hungarian National Museum 1088 Budapest, Múzeum krt. 14-16. Levente Domokos Artwork Protection Assistant Molnár István Museum Cristuru-Secuiesc, P-ţa Libertăţii nr. 45. Judit BAKAY-PERJÉS Restoration of leather artifacts Leather objects are very rarely found in the archaeological collections of museums. It is exactly for this reason that special effort must be put into the conservation of even the smallest fragments of leather objects recovered during excavations. Why are the numbers of leather finds so scant in the Carpathian basin? The answer lies in the disintegration of the leather and in the various factors influencing it. Damage done to the material of a leather object depends on its quality, environmental influences, time spent in the ground, and the various traits of the soil. Changes to the buried object depend on the type of terrain, soil compounds, pH, ground moisture, the chemical reaction between oxygen and the objects' material and the extent of physical and chemical harm done by microorganisms found in the soil. All these factors are so intertwined that it is nearly impossible to tell prior to excavation what condition possible leather finds will be in. Metal compounds, of which there are numerous kinds present in the soil, usually weaken leather fibers. The proximity of metal can either hasten- as in the case of iron- or delay- as seen in the presence of silver or copper- the disintegration of a leather artifact. In areas and sites constantly covered by water the decomposition rate of perishable materials is greatly reduced. Due to their position in the soil and their weakened structure, it is often impossible to simply remove most finds directly from the ground. Use of incorrect procedures to extract an object from the ground can result in irreparable damage such as tearing or crumbling which render the restoration of the artifact near impossible. The safest method used for object removal is the so called in situ technique that this study describes in detail. If the leather has been weakened to a great extent and has also been structurally damaged, it is an imperative to consolidate it first by way of saturation. The substance used in this procedure must at least be partially reversible, thus permitting additional cleaningconservation in the laboratory. Finds from waterlogged deposits must be kept wet 112
