*To place your name on the waiting list for this workshop, please contact Adam Allen, Meetings Associate directly at aallen@conservation-us.org or 202-661-8063
Condition surveys of plastics in collections conclude that 75% exhibit degradation and need either preventive conservation to slow their rate of degradation or invasive treatment to stabilize or strengthen them. Before developing a conservation strategy, it is essential for the conservator to identify the cause and pathway of degradation and the properties of the problem plastic.
Participants will learn to understand the causes and recognize the manifestations of degradation in the major plastics types found in cultural heritage collections, through use of a damage atlas and case histories. The latest research on the effectiveness of activated carbon, silica gel, and zeolites will be covered. Participants will learn how to produce low-oxygen microclimates and use adsorbents to remove degradation causes or products. Participants will also learn the least damaging techniques to clean plastics. The course will include the latest findings from the recently concluded research project POPART (Preservation Of Plastic ARTefacts in museums), which included 11 institutions from 8 countries. Both instructors were actively involved in POPART.
Participants are strongly encouraged to bring objects or images of objects to the course for discussion.
