Kovács Petronella (szerk.): Isis - Erdélyi magyar restaurátor füzetek 7. (Székelyudvarhely, 2008)
Herceg Zsuzsanna: Új anyagok, új eljárások a szilikátalapú műtárgyak restaurálásában
of silicate-based objects, and they were tested within the training of the conservation of objects of applied art in the Conservation Department of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. The gluing and completion of outdoor ceramic works of art needs the application of materials that resist time and weather. The materials that can be used for the completion of such obj ects are Ardurit S16 and S/16 W fast glue developed for the gluing of stone, tile and concrete. It contains special concretes and elasticizing synthetic materials (vinyl-acetate and ethylene co-polymer). Mixed with water, it binds with hydration. Mixed with Ardion 90 synthetic resin improver, we get an easily mouldable and water repelling material. It was first used at the conservation of a functioning Zsolnay well. On the inner parts that needed consolidation but were not constantly exposed to water, Ardurit SI6 treated with Ardion was used, while another Ardex product, X7G flexible adhesive mortar was applied to ensure water resistance in areas that were constantly under water. The well was glued with Bisonit polyurethane adhesive and filler, which resists water and numerous chemicals between -30 and +100 °C. The completions were painted with UV and water resistant Neolux 2k acryl enamel, component “A” of which is a reactive acryl, while component “B” is aliphatic poly-isocyanate. Hydrophobing was made with two layers of Dryfill siloxane resin. It is difficult to prepare fine-patterned and smooth shiny surfaces from Ardurit. In the case of such surfaces, first the surface of the completion is prepared in a thickness of a couple of millimetres from a more suitable material, e.g. Standofix polyester resin. Then the completions are fit to their places with Standofix and then they are filled in at the back with Ardurit SI6. This method was applied at the conservation of a broken and incomplete element of a Zsolnay fireplace. The shrinking of Standofix is negligible at a thickness of 0.5 cm. It is strongly thixotropic so it can be thinned until it becomes transparent even at the edges, and it can perfectly be fit to ceramic surface. Ardurit becomes very hard after binding, so its surface should be formed before complete binding. Standofix can easily be shaped even after binding. When the object of art to be conserved is not statically heavily loaded, the completion can be prepared in a way that a thin synthetic foil is placed on the fracture surface and Ardurit is applied on the foil. The completion can easily be lifted after binding, and it can simply be refit with appropriate glue. The restoration of Zsolnay’s “Duck fountain” preserved in the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs was conserved with this method within the frames of a diploma work. At the conservation of an 18th century porcelain fourarmed candlestick, also within the frames of a diploma work, the missing arm was replaced with Limoge porcelain (kaolin) plastic mass instead of the widely used synthetic resin. Its shrinking at drying and firing is 17%. Thus copies were made of the completions using Oxam S1 silicone resin, which were bloated in an organic solvent (toluene) to reach a size larger by 17%. A plaster negative had to be promptly taken of the rubber lifted from the solvent, since the rubber quickly started shrinking as the toluol evaporated. The biscuit firing of the kaolin moulded in the plaster negative took place at 800 °C after slow desiccation, while its transparent glaze firing was made at 1250 °C. The leaves and the petals were completed from the formerly prepared elements with polishing them to the fracture surface. They were glued with epoxy resin. The arms were fixed with Akemi Marmorkitt 1000 polyester adhesive without jointing. Schminke acryl retouching paint was used for the painting of the completions so that the completion could be differentiated from the original. It can happen in the case of glass object lifted in situ at excavations that the glass appears to be completely corroded after the earth had been removed. In such situations the task is to preserve the layers, which cannot be taken into the hand, and which can be injured even from the touch of a soft brush. The corroded fragments cannot be glued together and completed since their thickness is no more than a few microns, and there are no sharp fracture lines that could be fit together. The only treating can be careful moist cleaning since the removal of the corrosion would mean the perishing of the object. The fragments can be preserved on a synthetic support, which is made to mirror the original shape of the object according to the fragments. It is prepared in subsequent steps from clay, silicone and plaster moulds matching the interior size of the object. The fragments saturated with Paraloid B72 are placed on a support cup made of water clear Araldit 2020 epoxy resin with an adhesive of watery base, e.g. methyl-cellulose. Two Roman glass tumblers were recently conserved with this method: one by the author, the other within the frames of a diploma work. Zsuzsanna Herceg Conservator MA Szentendre, Hungary 149
