Journal of the American Institute for Conservation

ISSN: 0197-1360 (Print) 1945-2330 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/yjac20

Adhesive Replacement: Potential New Treatment

for Stabilization of Archaeological Ceramics
Michaela Neiro
To cite this article: Michaela Neiro (2003) Adhesive Replacement: Potential New Treatment for
Stabilization of Archaeological Ceramics, Journal of the American Institute for Conservation,
42:2, 237-244, DOI: 10.1179/019713603806112822
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/019713603806112822

Published online: 18 Jul 2013.

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Date: 04 April 2016, At: 12:37

ADHESIVE REPLACEMENT: POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT

FOR STABILIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS
MICHAELA NEIRO

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ABSTRACT-The

treatment

described here was

TITULO-Reemplazo

del adhesivo: un posible

developed to address the problem of masses of dete-

nuevo tratamiento para la estabilizacion de ceramica

riorating archaeological ceramics in need of recon-

arqueologica. RESUMEN-El

struction in a cost-effective manner. Archaeological

ceramics form a major portion of many museum
collections, including those of the National Park

aqul fue desarrollado como soluci6n econ6mica al

problema
de la gran cantidad
de ceramica
arqueo16gica deteriorada que necesita reconstrucci6n.

Service. Cellulose nitrate adhesives were the material

of choice for the reconstruction of ceramics by

La ceramica arqueo16gica constituye una porci6n

importante de las colecciones de muchos museos,

archaeologists from the 1930s through the late 1970s

and are still being used to some extent today. This
adhesive is now failing in many old repairs. Greg

incluidos los del National Park Service (NPS)

(Servicio nacional de parques). Los adhesivos a partir
de nitrato de celulosa fueron el material elegido para

Byrne, objects conservator

la reconstrucci6n de ceramica por los arque6logos

desde los anos 30 hasta el fin de los anos 70 y todavla
se usan hoy en alguna medida. Este adhesivo esta

at the National

Park

Service laboratory in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia,

contrived a novel method for the re-treatment

of

tratamiento

descrito

archaeological ceramics by adhesive replacement. As

fallando ahora en muchas reparaciones anteriores.

part of my third-year internship

Greg Byrne, el conservador de objetos dellaboratorio

del NPS en Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, ide6 un

at Harpers Ferry

Center, I explored this technique further.

metodo

nuevo para tratar de nuevo la ceramica

substitution in situ d'un adhesif par un

arqueo16gica por medio del reemplazo del adhesivo.

autre: un nouveau traitement potentiel pour stabiliser les

ceramiques archeologiques. RESUME-Le
traitement

Como parte del tercer ano de mi pasantia en Harpers

Ferry Center, continue la exploraci6n de esta tecnica.

decrit dans cet article fut developpe comme solution

economique au probleme presente lors du re-traitement
d'une enorme quantite de ceramiques archeologiques

TITULO-Substituiao

TITRE-La

en train de se deteriorer. Les ceramiques archeologiques

sont une composante importante
de plusieurs
collections museales, dont la collection du National
Park Service (service national des pares). A partir des
annees 1930 jusqu'a vers la fin des annees 1970, et
meme dans certains cas jusqu'a ce jour, les adhesifS de
predilection des archeologues pour Ie remontage des
ceramiques etaient ceux a base de nitrate de cellulose.
Ce type d' adhesif s'est maintenant deteriore et risque de
ceder dans de nombreux
exemples d' anciens
traitements. Greg Byrne, restaurateur d' objets au
laboratoire du service national des pares a Harpers Ferry,

de adesivo: novo tratamento

para estabilizaao
de ceramica
arqueo16gica.
RESUMO-O
tratamento aqui descrito foi desenvolvido para abordar 0 problema de deteriorayao ern
massa de ceramica arqueo16gica que necessita de
reconstruao, levando em conta 0 custo-beneficio.
Ceramicas arqueo16gicas formam a maior parte das
coleoes de rnuitos museus, inclusive as do National
Park Service (Servio Nacional de Parques). Dos anos
30 ate 0 final dos anos 70, os adesivos de nitrato de
celulose eram 0 material escolhido pelos arque6logos
para a reconstruao de ceramica e ainda hoje sao
utilizados ate certo ponto. Atualrnente este adesivo

stable. L'auteur de cet article a poursuivi Ie

developpement de cette technique lors de son stage de

esta enfraquecido em muitos reparos antigos. Greg

Byrne, restaurador de objetos nos laborat6rios do
National Park Services ern Harpers Ferry,WestVirginia,
inventou urn novo metodo para tratar novamente
ceramica arqueo16gica por substituiao de adesivo.
Aprofundei esta tecnica em meu estagio no centro

troisieme

Harpers Ferry durante meu terceiro ano.

en Virginie de 1'Ouest, a conu une nouvelle methode

pour retraiter ces ceramiques, fondee sur la substitution
in situ de l'adhesif original par un nouvel adhesif plus

annee d' etudes a ce meme

laboratoire

(Harpers Ferry Center).

JAIC 42 (2003):237-244

238

MICHAELA NEIRO

1. INTRODUCTION

2. TREATMENT

It is now widely accepted in the conservation world

that cellulose nitrate is an inherently unstable mate-

The customary method for treating ceramics bonded

with an unstable adhesive involves preparation of a

rial (Horie
1987; Selwitz 1988). Cellulose
nitrate-based adhesives are clear and strong when
first applied, but they severely discolor and embrittle

map of the reconstruction, complete disassembly of

the vessel, painstaking removal of adhesive from each

in time with loss of plasticizers (Koob 1982). Light

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and heat accelerate the deterioration of the adhesive.

Even the slight vibration of a wheeling cart may
cause the aged adhesive to fail. Cellulose nitrate has
weak adhesive force between the adhesive film and
the ceramic but strong cohesive forces that enable the

shard, and reconstruction of the vessel with a more

stable adhesive. Depending on the size of the object
and the complexity of the breaks, this process can
take from 8 to 40 hours or more. When considering
the magnitude of archaeological ceramics in many
museums, this task seems unduly burdensome and
expensive.

adhesive film to hold together. When the adhesive

The strategy behind the adhesive replacement

force between the cellulose nitrate and the ceramic

fails, the break edge is often damaged. If the adhesive

method is for the object to remain whole during

fails and the vessel is in pieces, it is difficult and timeconsuming to reassemble. For this reason, the archaeological ceramic likely will not be reassembled and
therefore will become less valuable to a study collection, since its form cannot be appreciated. This problem of vesselspreviously reconstructed with cellulose
nitrate deteriorating in storage has been experienced

treatment. Using this method, the majority of the

cellulose nitrate is systematically wicked out of the
join

interfaces with acetone

and replaced with

Paraloid B-72 (formerly Acryloid-ethylmethacrylate copolymer). Only one section of the vessel is
worked on at a time, allowing the whole object to
remain intact throughout the treatment.
Cellulose nitrate is readily soluble in acetone.
This solvent can be obtained easily and inexpensively

in many collections around the country. The idea

behind the method of adhesive replacement
described here is to stabilize these vessels while they
are still whole with a more reliable adhesive.

this technique due to its reputation as a good adhe-

In 2000, approximately 30 million of the artifacts

in the National Park Service's collections were classified as archaeological, several million of them ceramics (National Park Service 2000). From the 1930s to

sive for ceramics, its ease of use, and its long-term

stability. Paraloid B-72 is not as hard or as brittle as
cellulose nitrate and therefore is better able to tolerate the stresses on the ceramic joins (Koob 1986).

the 1950s, many major excavations took place around

the world. Thousands of vessels were reconstructed
with cellulose nitrate and were placed in museum
storage facilities, where they remain. In many cases
these vessels were reconstructed quickly, due to the
great quantities of objects. Cellulose nitrate was often

Greg Byrne, objects conservator at the National

Park Service laboratory in Harpers Ferry, West
Virginia, first performed the adhesive replacement
treatment in 1986. The object treated was an eastern

applied thickly and excessively,possibly in an effort to

make reconstruction faster.The adhesive replacement
treatment arose from the evidence of the failure, over
time, of cellulose nitrate as an adhesive. This effect
was seen during an examination of the storage drawers at Colonial National Historical Park that previously contained whole vessels and now contain
shards (fig. 1).

JAIC 42 (2003):237-244

and is among the least toxic of commonly used

solvents. Paraloid B-72 was chosen as the adhesive for

Native American porous, coarse, unglazed earthenware pot from Colonial National Historical Park. The
method used in 1986 was fairly similar to the method
illustrated in this article, although polyvinyl acetate
(PVAC) AYAF (a high-viscosity, 80 centipoise, thermoplastic resin with a Tg of 24C) was the adhesive
chosen for replacement. Twelve years later, in 1998,
the vessel was sent to a private conservation laboratory for examination to determine its stability with
regard to potential travel. The object was examined
visually through a stereo microscope and physically

239

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ADHESIVE REPLACEMENT: POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT FOR

STABILIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS

Fig. 1. Ceramic shards in storage, 1625-1775. These shards once formed three earthenware vessels. Reconstructed
between 1930 and 1950 with cellulose nitrate. Colonial National Historical Park, National Park Service

by tapping. There
failure,

was no visible evidence

shrinking,

Tapping

or pulling

produced

of adhesive

with a less porous,

Overall,

away fro ill the joins.

a clear sound

with

no suggestion

white

results of this

edges

1986

was deemed

vessels were exan1ined

worthy

this topic

of further

as the adhesive
to its higher
24C),

of research

pursuit.

Paraloid

instead of polyvinyl

glass transition

its successful

and its fan1iliarity

B-72

was chosen

acetate AYAF due

among

conservators

Jamestown,

frOlTI Colonial
Virginia,

used

test

of the ceramics

this

before

In
should

gaps,

acetone

tapping

the tonal

cotton,

objects

water,

was illeasured-visually

by noting

a vessel in several areas and noting

or lack

thereof.

The

of approximately

reconstructed

15-30

voids and plaster fills present. With

single pearlware
of medium
body. The

fluoresces

illumination,

and

illumination.
bright

yellow

it was easy to see the

and surrounding

all the joins.

Historical
to

fills, losses, and flaking surfaces, and audibly by lightly

consisted

before

ultraviolet

(Down

method

clarity

within

(fig. 2). The

and photographed

nitrate

ultraviolet

very

over the break

throughout

under

cellulose

adhesive

National

were

(table 1). The stability

treatn1ent

scattered

applied

2.1 PREPARATION

Six objects

method

Because

(40C versus

today

drips

treatment

for ceramics,

et al. 1996).
Park,

after

and

under

temperature

use as an adhesive

had been

carelessly, with wide bands extending

of starved joins. Based on the successful

treatn1ent,

body.

the old adhesive

object,

porosity
European

shards with
the exception

all were earthenware

with

a light brown/orange

pearlware

vessel

son1e
of a
vessels
clay

was thinner

preparation

the
fume

the

labeled

and "dirty,"

paper

"clean"

alone

fast, evaporates

(3: 1) is the

object,

towels, a flashlight,

and 30% Paraloid

drive the CN

acetone

treatment,

for supporting

(3:1). Acetone
works

for

have a table set up with

practltlOner
extraction,

two

in ethanol

is used to dissolve
quickly,

solubilizes

system

for Paraloid

the Paraloid

of distilled
: acetone
the CN;

and is less likely

into the clay body. Ethanol

solvent

of

several brushes,

a bottle

B-72

bottles

it
to

: acetone
B-72.

The

B-72 and the ethanol

JAIC

42 (2003):237-244

240

MICHAELA NEIRO

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Table 1. Physical Characteristics of Jamestown Ceramics That Were Treated with the
Replacement Method
Object

Dimensions (cm)

Thickness (cm)

Glazed?

Milk pan

14.0 x 40.6

1.65

interior only

Sgraffito dish

8.9 x 39.4

0.76

top only

Storage jar

22.86 x 19.0

1.3

interior only

Chamber pot

16.5 x 19.0

1.65

interior only

Pearlware chamber pot

18.4 x 22.9

0.76

yes

Bowl

10.8 x 28.0

2.0

yes

break pattern

and selecting

in an orderly, alternating
at least one firmly adhered
is often

no longer

supported,

and a fume

inside

always maintaining

edge. With practice,

necessary.

n~ent. Polyethylene
placed

break lines to be treated

manner,

The

extractor

a Inap

vessel should
used during

be

treat-

bags filled with wax beads, then

a tray to support

them,

were

used to

hold the vessel.

Distilled
the ceramic
salts

are

water

was liberally

present

nonaqueous

in

the

solvent would

water for this purpose.

Fig. 2. Bowl, earthenware, 1625-1650, 24.1 em x 33 em,
COLOJ7551. After reconstruction with cellulose nitrate postexcavation, and pre-adhesive replacement procedure. Colonial
National Historical Park, National Park Service

filled

the

intrusion

porous

method

lines around
allows for more working
slower

evaporation

ceramics,
decoration,
treatn~ent
falling
take

time and fluidity

due to its

Having

glaze present

that all

ceramic

naturally

those

tested

with

on a large scale. To keep

apart, the practitioner

care

gilding

first before

to avoid

shard or group

outcome

can be avoided

JAIC 42 (2003):237-244

this

the vessel from

of the treatment

solubilizing

particular

or unfired

undergoing

all the

edges

a map

Next, a wad oflong-fiber

If

alternative
than

limited

solution

the

during

1993). This water

in preventing

tide-

in this study.

or both

sides of the

the possibility

of tidelines.

cotton was stretched into

1.0 cn~ wide and placed on the

of the vessel along the length

of the first join

n~ust

to be treated. The purpose

of the cotton was to absorb

of a

flushed-out

old, yellow

of shards at one time. This

by making

thereby

adhesive

on one

to

the site with water

on the objects

reduces

a strip approximately
exterior

and

effective

the breaks

an

be more appropriate

(Buys and Oakley

proved

rate. It is recommended

especially
be

ceramic

by brush

to be treated.

ceramic,

Pretreating

of the solubilized

solvent treatment
barrier

applied

on each side of the join

of the

cotton

solvent

and

wads were systematically

adhesive.

replaced

when

The
they

becan~e saturated, until the join was free of adhesive.

241

ADHESIVE REPLACEMENT: POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT FOR

STABILIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS

2.2 REMOVAL OF CELLULOSE

NITRATE
It is best to begin
significant

with

the tightest joins

gaps exist between

minimized

toward

first. If

the shards, they can be

the end of the process, while

the

adhesive is slightly soft. Each object is a puzzle, and with

practice, one sees which
in holding
one

area proved

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around

pieces are nlOre or less crucial

the vessel together.

most

Not

effective

the object while keeping

With
liberally

a soft,

concentrating

in moving

in

quickly

it in one piece.

nledium-sized

brush,

acetone

is

applied

along the inside of the selected

break

edge (pretreated

with water from the previous

step),

flushing

the join with solvent. Old cellulose

easily soluble

in acetone,

and the adhesive

wicked

the

wadding

into

cotton

nitrate

is

is quickly

in place

on the

Fig. 3. Milk pan, earthenware, 1625-1775, 14.0 em x 40.6 em,

COLOJ7487. The milk pan is supported in a box; acetone is
applied by brush to the cel1ulose nitrate-filled join. The old adhesive is lifted out with the brush and/or flushed through the join
into the cotton wadding. Colonial National Historical Park,
National Park Service

other side of the join and is also lifted away with the
brush. The brush is wiped

clean on a paper towel and

ment

rinsed

of acetone

appropriate,

in a separate

With

bottle

the acetone

is used

again

nitrate-filled
brush

from the" clean" bottle,

to

apply

join

was found

a syringe,

labeled"

acetone

to

the brush

the

cellulose

and to lift out excess adhesive.

to be nlore

useful than a pipette

as it not only introduced

the solvent

also lifted out the old adhesive. A significant

of adhesive
limiting

can be removed

the

amount

acetone

The

cotton

quickly

Continually
saturated

released

strip

and

flushed

clear

and no trace

was

replaced

into the cotton.

ceramic
amount

were

very

encountered,
However,

until

of yellow

Cotton

not a problem

of acetone

When

the cotton

but

that

wadding.

the

acetone

linters

stuck

was
to the

due to the substantial

the

same

it was more

needing
method

difficult

treatment
was

were

employed.

to deternline

at what

point the old adhesive has been flushed fronl the join.
Both

a flashlight

and a fiber optics light source

useful tools in determining

adhesive

applied

adhesive

or reduced,
and

flakes until
the following

The

the glaze to flake.

the

when

adhesive

cellulose

Paraloid

B-72

treatment

down

can
the

can be wicked

in during

contained

an old plas-

attached

it, so it was not removed.

lization

purposes.

between

shards after treatment,

Gaps

between

be

glaze

stage.

ter fill. This fill was stable and firmly

will remain

can be

nitrate

to tack

One of the objects treated

good contact

and loss

in this study

and the glaze flake can be saved

nlanipulated

shards adjoining

the

on their glazed surfaces

and acetone,

detachment.

reduced

adhesive

damage

of the objects

and was causing

the brush

from

in significant

Several

that was brittle

removed

but, when

step and does

is likely to flake, often taking

nlust be stated that this treatment

present.

tight joins

had sloppily

Using

purposes,

extra time. A skin of brittle

on a glazed surface

of infornlation.

the join

adhesive

not take much

glaze with it, resulting

easily from the vessel in a tidy,

soaked
wicked

flushing

for cosmetic

this can be an important

therefore

adhesive

is not meant

or

amount

by the brush,

of solubilized

passes into the ceramic.

with

dirty."

or voids

is purely
nny

to the

Again,

it

for stabibe

present

but as long as there is

most of the surfaces, the shards

in place.

were

the join was free of

2.3 ADDITION OF B-72

(fig. 3).

At this stage there is the opportunity

any excess cellulose

nitrate

to clean up

that may be found

surface of the vessel. The adhesive

replacement

on the
treat-

When

the acetone

and the brush

remain

clean

and there is no visual trace of old adhesive, a generous

amount

of Paraloid

B-72

(30% by weight)

JAIC

in ethanol

42 (2003):237-244

242

MICHAELA NEIRO

and acetone (3:1) is introduced to the join using a

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small brush. On a tight join, a syringe could be used

to introduce the adhesive. Paraloid B-72 in predomi-

vessel and on entirely glazed vessels, it is the author's

belief that it would be effective on more impermeable

nantly ethanol was selected as the solvent system

ceramics and possibly even glass. With less porous

materials, the solvent evaporation of the Paraloid B-72

because ethanol's evaporation rate allows it to flow

easily into the joins and still set fairly quickly.

would be much slower due to its inability to escape

into the clay body. More support for the vessel would

Removal of cellulose nitrate and addition of Paraloid

B-72 is repeated, alternating these procedures on the
vessel until all join interfaces containing cellulose

likely be necessary during treatment. The less porous

the material, the lower the possibility of tidelines and
the greater the chance of removing more of the orig-

nitrate adhesive are replaced with Paraloid B-72.

inal adhesive. Following this train of thought, less

porous glazed vessels can be seen as particularly good
candidates for this treatment. Glaze can act as a

Experience showed that by varying the order of joins

to be treated and not treating them sequentially, the
Paraloid B-72 has time to set, and the vessel can
remain whole. Slow solvent release by Paraloid B-72
allows more open time (i.e., working time), and some

barrier, forcing the acetone through the break and not

as readily through the clay body. Glaze on both the

realignment of join interfaces is possible by applying

interior and exterior of porous ceramics may inhibit

full water soaking of the body before treatment. On

hot air to soften the Paraloid B-72 and then manipu-

porous glazed ceramics, the acetone may still be able

lating the pieces. While introducing the Paraloid B72, loose glaze flakes can be secured in place.

to enter the clay body, other than solely at the join,

through pits, discontinuities, or crackle patterns. In

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

these cases, the acetone may dissolve the cellulose

nitrate and move it into the clay body and under the

The customary disassembly-reassembly method and

the adhesive replacement method can both be
employed to stabilize the structure of an old ceramic
restoration. Aesthetically, the argument can be made

glaze. Since glaze impedes materials from escaping

porous bodies, caution and testing should be practiced
before treating these objects.
On the unglazed surface of one of the objects
treated, a darkened tideline was noticeable after the

that the traditional method produces a more appealing object than the adhesive replacement method.
However, because the traditional method is so laborintensive and time-consuming, many objects, especially the multitudes in study collections, often go
untreated.
If the goal of retreatment is to stabilize a large
collection of stored or study collection objects, then
the adhesive replacement method seems to provide a
cost-effective alternative in the reconstruction of an
unstable vessel by avoiding the time-consuming
disassembly process. Also, removing the excess
embrittled cellulose nitrate flakes from the surfaces
around the failures can both help preserve information by preventing the brittle flakes from breaking off

treatment was complete. However, this was the first

object treated, and water had not been used to
pretreat the joins. The author acknowledges that the
creation of tidelines is a possibility with this treatment. When considering the options, though, a tideline is less potentially damaging to an object than the
collapse of the form or the loss of glaze due to brittle adhesive. In the example treated, the resultant
tidelines were far less unsightly than the original
excess adhesive.

3.1 TIME SAVINGS

Because no two archaeological ceramic objects
fail in exactly the same manner, it is not possible to
directly compare the time required to stabilize objects

fragile surfaces and markedly improve the object's

appearance.

by the traditional disassembly-reassembly method and

Other than the pearlware chamber pot, the

objects treated in this survey were fairly porous. Based
on the effectiveness of this treatment on the pearlware

the adhesive replacement method. In an effort to gain

some relative sense of how the two compared, a
colleague unfamiliar with adhesive replacement

JAIC 42 (2003):237-244

243

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ADHESIVE REPLACEMENT: POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT FOR

STABILIZATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL CERAMICS

research was asked to prepare estimates for treatment

although

of a group of bowls, urns, and plates by the traditional

removed, some may remain. The stability of a mixture

method. The objects were then treated by the adhe-

of Paraloid B-72 and aged cellulose nitrate-that

sive replacement method, and the elapsed treatment

times compared to the estimates. The results

the effect of residual plasticizers in the deteriorated

suggested that for similarly sized and damaged

objects, the adhesive replacement method could be
up to three times faster in producing a stable object.

consideration.
Other potential topics for further study are
determining adhesive concentrations in mixtures and
how they relate to mechanical strength, and what

3.2 STABILITY

types of ceramics or glass are best suited to this treatment and which are not. What is the result of solubi-

Seventy-two

hours

after treatment,

the

SIX

most of the cellulose nitrate

cellulose nitrate on Paraloid B-72-is

IS

likely
is,

a topic for

lized adhesive in the clay body? Could this actually

Jamestown vessels were reexamined by sight and

sound for stability.Visually, the gaps, fills, losses, and

help to consolidate the edge? The author invites

flaking surfaces appeared to be stable.A more reliable

this treatment and report back with their results.

colleagues in the conservation community to try out

auditory indicator of increased stability was the clear

tonal ring produced by gentle tapping. It has now been
three years since the six vessels were treated. All the

4. CONCLUSION

objects remain stable by these same indications.

Sixteen years have passed since the first vessel was

The purpose of this article was to present a new

treatment strategy for archaeological ceramics.
Considering the examples chosen for this study, the

treated with AYAF.As mentioned in section 2, this

joins of the re-treated vessels are likely a mixture

treatment was successful in achieving the goal of

replacing an unstable adhesive with one that appears
to be much more stable and doing this in a fraction

containing some cellulose nitrate, one could draw the

following conclusion: Since the vessel re-treated with

methods. In addition, the object's appearance was

AYAF remained strong after 16 years-even

improved, and valuable information was maintained.

vessel was recently examined and determined stable

enough for travel. Considering that the adhesive in the

though it

may contain some residual cellulose nitrate-we can

assume that the vesselstreated with Paraloid B-72 will
remain strong, owing to B-72's proven long-term
stability and good aging characteristics.

3.3 FURTHER ANALYSIS

There are many scientific and material property
issues that could not be addressed in the scope of this
work. The occurrence of adhesive mixtures is an issue
in all branches of conservation, yet it is rarely studied
or discussed. Research on adhesive mixtures in a
systematic manner is ongoing at the National Park
Service. At Harpers Ferry Center, Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed on
adhesive samples taken from three of the joins of the
original treated vessel. Two samples contained only
AYAF and one contained some cellulose nitrate and
some AYAF (Bischoff 2002). This study indicates that

of the time required by more traditional treatment

Precautions should be taken when embarking on

this treatment. Some objects might not be appropriate for this treatment, including those with solventsensitive surface treatments, extremely porous vessels,
or those that contain soluble salts.Although darkening or white tidelines are a possibility, they were not
witnessed in this treatment except when water was
not used as a pretreatment barrier.
Visual inspection under normal and ultraviolet
illumination demonstrated that the vast majority of
the cellulose nitrate adhesive was removed from the
joins, as well as from the interior and exterior of the
vessels.While performing this treatment, it is difficult
to know exactly how much cellulose nitrate remains,
but it is clear that enough can be removed to allow for
the addition ofParaloid B-72 to achieve a strongjoin.
Paraloid B-72 is regarded as a highly stable adhesive and is the suggested adhesive for archaeological
ceramics (Koob 1986).The solubility of both Paraloid
JAIC 42 (2003):237-244

244

MICHAELA NEIRO

B-72 and cellulose nitrate over time has been well

National

documented, indicating that this technique will

remain reversible. In summary, the author emphasizes
that adhesive replacement seems best suited as a cost-

Management
Reports,
Museum
Management
Program, Washington, D.C. Harper's Ferry, WVa.:
National Park Service.

effective method for the stabilization of old cellulose

nitrate reconstructions in storage or study collections.
The technique is fairly simple and with practice
could be performed by a trained technician.

Park Service. 2000. FY2000

Collection

Selwitz, C. 1988. Cellulose nitrate in conservation.

Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute.

FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Downloaded by [79.114.91.26] at 12:37 04 April 2016

Shashoua, Y, S. M. Bradley, and

The author would like to thank Greg Byrne for
encouraging me to pursue and refine this technique.
Overall thanks go out to all at the National Park
Service laboratory in Harpers Ferry, and to all my
friends and colleagues who supported and backed me
in this effort.

REFERENCES
Bischoff, J. 2002. Personal communication.

Conser-

vation Science Laboratory, .National Park Service,

Harpers Ferry, W Va.
Buys, S., and v: Oakley. 1993. Conservation and restoration if ceramics. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Down, J., M. A. MacDonald, J. Tetreault, and R. S.
Williams. 1996. Adhesive testing at the Canadian
Conservation Institute: An evaluation of selected
poly(vinyl acetate) and acrylic adhesives. Studies in
Conservation 41(1):19-44.
Horie, C. v: 1987. Materials for conservation. London:
Butterworths.
Koob, S. P 1982. The instability of cellulose nitrate
adhesives. Conservator 6:31-34.
Koob, S. P 1986. The use ofParaloid B-72 as an adhesive: Its application for archaeological ceramics and
other materials. Studies in Conservation 31 :7-14.

v:

D. Daniels. 1992.

Degradation of cellulose nitrate adhesive. Studies in

Conservation 37(2):113-19.

SOURCES OF MATERIALS
Paraloid B-72
Talas
568 Broadway
New York, N.Y 10012
(212) 219-0770
www.talasonline.com
Chemicals (acetone and ethanol)
Sigma-Aldrich, Inc.
1001 W St. Paul Ave.
Milwaukee, Wis. 53233
(800) 325-3010
www.sigma-aldrich.com
Absorbant Sanitary Bulk Cotton
Fisher Scientific
4500 Turnberry Dr.
Hanover Park, n. 60103
(630) 259-1200
(800) 772-6733
www.fishersci.com
MICHAELA NEIRO is assistant conservator at the
Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. She received her master's degree in objects
conservation from Buffalo State College in 2000. She
continues to pursue treatments and research on both
organic and inorganic objects. Address: SPNEA, 151
Essex St., Haverhill, Mass. 01832
Received for review on April 15,2002. Revised
manuscript received November 7, 2002. Accepted
for publication February 25, 2003.

JAIC 42 (2003):237-244