FUTURE ANALYSES

5 FUTURE ANALYSES

BEVA 371 solution and film have been adopted by objects and ethnographic conservators as adhesive options for treatment repairs, in part because of their known stability. It would

be useful to have more information on their long-term aging properties when in contact with skin and leather, specifically the effect the adhesive has on the physical properties of these materials. Additionally, though it has been used successfully for many years on other acidic substrates such as aged canvases, more testing and analysis of its properties when in contact with the acidic environments provided by skin and leather are critical. Conservators at the AMNH and scientists at CCI have begun discussions concerning future efforts to further understanding of the long-term properties of BEVA 371 film when used for skin and leather repair. Three goals have been developed: to determine how BEVA 371 ages in be useful to have more information on their long-term aging properties when in contact with skin and leather, specifically the effect the adhesive has on the physical properties of these materials. Additionally, though it has been used successfully for many years on other acidic substrates such as aged canvases, more testing and analysis of its properties when in contact with the acidic environments provided by skin and leather are critical. Conservators at the AMNH and scientists at CCI have begun discussions concerning future efforts to further understanding of the long-term properties of BEVA 371 film when used for skin and leather repair. Three goals have been developed: to determine how BEVA 371 ages in

6 CONCLUSION

The literature on adhesive repair treatments using BEVA 371 was reviewed to provide an overview of the broad range of applications that the adhesive has had with skin and leather objects over the years and the many variables that can affect the outcome of the treatment. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of BEVA 371 solution and film has allowed conservators the ability to manipulate the adhesive and its application methods to accomplish the needs required by a wide range of materials. Comparing results of the literature survey to actual assessments on collections has provided insights into how the repairs actually respond over time to these variables as well as to external forces. In the rare cases where failures were observed, it was concluded that these were due to poor treatment decisions and an underestimation of the bond strength required to withstand handling, not to chemical deterioration of the adhesive. A CCI-AMNH collaborative project is planned to further investigate the properties of BEVA 371 film used in contact with acidic skins and leathers.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank those conservators and conservation scientists who have published their experiences and research concerning the use and properties of BEVA 371 in paintings, textiles, and objects conservation. Making these results available has allowed for

a more comprehensive understanding of this material. In addition, the following colleagues who reviewed this article and provided useful

comment are gratefully acknowledged: Debra Daly Hartin of the Canadian Conservation Institute, Elisabeth Forest of the Centre de conservation du Québec, and Monika Harter of the Adelhauser Museum in Freiburg, Germany. Most especially, we extend our appreciation to Gustav Berger for the development, introduction, and analysis of an adhesive very useful to the field.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

LISA KRONTHAL received a B.A. in art history from the University of Rochester in 1988 and an M.A and certificate of advanced study in art conservation from the State University College at Buffalo in 1993. She began working at the American Museum of Natural History in 1994 as a conservator in the Anthropology Division specializing in archae- ological and ethnographic objects and is currently the conservator of Natural Sciences Collections working out of the Office of the Associate Dean of Science for Collections. She is a professional associate of AIC and currently cochairs the conservation committee within the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC). Address: American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, N.Y. 10024.

JUDITH LEVINSON received a B.A. with honors in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania (1973), a master's of fine arts (1977) from the Cran-brook Academy of Art, an M.A. in art history and a certificate in conservation from New York University, as well as a certificate in objects conservation from Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum. She has worked as head conservator in the Anthropology Department at the American Museum of Natural History since 1985 and has been an adjunct professor of conservation at the Conservation Center, New York University, since 1989. Address: Anthropology Department, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street at Central Park West, New York, N.Y. 10024.

CAROLE DIGNARD has a B.Sc. in physics and Italian (1981) and an honors B.A in classical studies (1983) from the University of Ottawa, and a master's degree in art conservation (1986) from Queen's University. She has been working in the objects section of the Canadian Conservation Institute since 1988. She is a professional associate of AIC (1993) and an accredited member of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators (1994). She was one of the instructors of the Canadian Conservation Institute's workshop “Adhesives for Textiles and Leather Conservation: Research and Application,” which was delivered four times between 1999 and 2001. Address: Canadian

Conservation Institute, 1030 Innes Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0M5 ESTHER CHAO graduated summa cum laude from the University of Arizona with a B.A.

in anthropology and a B.A. in art history in 1996. She received an M.A. in art history and a certificate in art conservation from the Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, in 2001, specializing in objects conservation. She completed her fourth- year internship at the American Museum of Natural History and is an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. She is currently working in the conservation laboratory at the Peabody Museum, Harvard University. Address: Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Conservation Department, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge, Mass. 02138

JANE L. DOWN graduated from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, with an honors B.Sc. in chemistry and mathematics in 1973. In 1978, she joined the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and is the senior conservation scientist who is responsible for all adhesive research done at the institute as well as answering the numerous adhesive- related inquiries that CCI receives worldwide each year. She has published many papers and articles on adhesives, presented her work at various national and international conferences, and organized and taught several adhesive workshops, including CCI's “Adhesives for Textile and Leather Conservation: Research and Application.” She is an accredited member of the Canadian Association of Professional Conservators and a Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Address as for Dignard.