Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering Smoke-Damaged Paintings

Rutledge, Sharon K.; Banks, Bruce A.; Forkapa, Mark J.; Stueber, Thomas J.; Sechkar, Edward A.; Malinowski, Kevin

doi:10.1179/019713600806113248

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Disinfection and consolidation of bio-deteriorated paper [22], soot removal on paintings damaged by smoke [23] and the removal of superficial organic coatings from paintings [24] by means of plasma demonstrated the challenging potentials of this technique. Nevertheless, all these applications were carried out under vacuum conditions, suitable for cleaning small and firm objects, which fit into the vacuum chamber and withstand low pressure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of plasma torches as innovative tool for cleaning of historical stone materials

Voltolina

Nodari

Aibéo

et al. 2016

Journal of Cultural Heritage

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of plasma torches as innovative tool for cleaning of historical stone materials

Voltolina

Nodari

Aibéo

et al. 2016

Journal of Cultural Heritage

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“…A variety of unvarnished [6] and varnished oil paintings [5,9] have been treated to remove soot and char from fire exposure using atomic oxygen. All of the described paintings were able to be restored following treatment.…”

Section: Oil Paintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic Oxygen Treatment and Its Effect on a Variety of Artist's Media

2004

Self Cite

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Atomic oxygen treatment has been investigated as an unconventional option for art restoration where conventional methods have not been effective. Exposure of surfaces to atomic oxygen was first performed to investigate the durability of materials in the low Earth orbit environment of space. The use of the ground based environmental simulation chambers, developed for atomic oxygen exposure testing, has been investigated in collaboration with conservators at a variety of institutions, as a method to clean the surfaces of works of art. The atomic oxygen treatment technique has been evaluated as a method to remove soot and char from the surface of oil paint (both varnished and unvarnished), watercolors, acrylic paint, and fabric as well as the removal of graffiti and other marks from surfaces which are too porous to lend themselves to conventional solvent removal techniques. This paper will discuss the treatment of these surfaces giving an example of each and a discussion of the treatment results.

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“…Atomic oxygen is of interest for cleaning fine art because the process is in the gas phase, therefore there is no mechanical contact, and the reaction is confined to the surface, which reduces the risk of damaging the underlying paint or canvas. The atomic oxygen cleaning technique has been used to effectively remove soot from canvas, acrylic gesso, a watercolor, and several oil paintings [5,6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip from “Water Lilies” a Fire Damaged Monet

Miller¹,

Banks²,

Tollis

2002

MRS Proc.

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A museum fire in 1958 severely damaged a Monet “Water Lilies” (1916-1926) painting that was on display. The surface of the painting is very dark with areas of blistering and charring. Over the years, traditional techniques have been found to be ineffective at removal of the soot and char from the surface. The painting, which is now in the care of the New York University (NYU) Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, was the subject of a study to determine if atomic oxygen treatment could remove the soot and char without damaging the fragile painting underneath. For test purposes, a small chip of paint was removed from the edge of the painting by a conservator at NYU and supplied to NASA Glenn Research Center for atomic oxygen treatment and analysis. The diffuse spectral reflectance, at three locations on the paint chip, was monitored at intervals during the atomic oxygen treatment process. Photo documentation of the chip during treatment was also performed. The color contrast was calculated from the spectral reflectance data as a function of treatment duration. Results of the testing indicated that the contrast improved as a result of the treatment, and the differentiation of colors on the surface was significantly improved. Soot and char could be removed without visibly affecting the gross surface features such as impasto areas. These results indicate the feasibility for the treatment of the “Water Lilies” painting.

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Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering Smoke-Damaged Paintings

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

Assessment of plasma torches as innovative tool for cleaning of historical stone materials

Assessment of plasma torches as innovative tool for cleaning of historical stone materials

Atomic Oxygen Treatment and Its Effect on a Variety of Artist's Media

Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip from “Water Lilies” a Fire Damaged Monet

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