dk nkf - Nordisk Konservatorforbund Danmark

5. Conservation options: Preserving the thin iron
sheet metal and its text and line ornaments are
important for the machine’s general appearance.
Even though best corrosion resistance of the
iron would be obtained by full removal of rust
and repainting much genuine look would be
lost. As it is to be displayed indoors, protection
is not so critical but the general appearance of
the rusty iron parts is important to the rest of
the machine.
6. Weighing conservation options /
Considerations: A minimum conservation
done on the machine’s iron will preserve its
authenticity. Both oil and wax-like coatings
will, however, reveal and brighten the
painted parts. The coating should not be too
shiny since the painted wood parts have lost
brightness over time. A clear, waxy coating
for iron available to us, Dinitrol 4010, seems
not to have been tested on rusty iron, but has
performed very well on outdoor bronze [5].
More or less transparent coatings brighten the
appearance of rust-look. A later analysis of the
painted iron after applying the clear coating
seems possible. The mechanical parts do not
need extra lubrication.
7. Proposed treatment: A clear coating will make
the paint-remains on the rust layer more obvious.
The mentioned Dinitrol 4010 is the best proposal
for stability at the moment. It has an acceptable
wax-like appearance on corroded iron and can be
sprayed on in a thin layer (Fig. 8).
As I do, others might find the sections with detailed
subsections of the decision-making model for modern
art a bit too much for our purpose (subsections from
4a-d and the following). Practice should overcome
this. The model structure makes the considerations
more precise and though before action is taken. This
model, however, seems to focus very little on the
suggested treatment’s ability to preserve. Also for
us is the importance of an object’s age and what,
thereby, are acceptable features for things that old.
Also not seen noted would be the difference in the
choice of conservation treatment depending on an
object’s importance in the exhibition: as part of a
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whole set-up as the bicycle (Fig. 4) became, or the
exhibition’s main attraction.
Conclusion
Reviewing the main aspects of protection of
historical iron and as here pointing out the necessary
changes of surface is not merely a discussion
conservators should keep to themselves. Both in
obtaining results with other museum staff and when
collaborating with external authorities, the practical
and ethical issues involved should be presented.
When coating cleaned iron objects for changing
outdoor climates, the conservator at present has
to apply reliable paint systems of several layers.
Surfaces looking much as the originals did can be
made by means of artistic retouch in the top paint
layer. In sheltered unheated locations such as the
National Museum’s Open Air Museum’s houses the
needed protection should be the same as for outdoor
conditions or a drying semi-transparent oil product
that has been found reasonably reliable.
The task for iron under nearly controlled climate
conditions will differ from case to case. Under
sheltered and climate-controlled conditions, the
conservator can apply a clear or semi-transparent
coating hoping it is protective enough or just leave
the object untreated. Important is the possibility
here of letting most of the object’s original textures
Fig. 8 Nearly visible in the picture is that the text information
and line ornamentation on the machine’s rusty thin panels are
more easily seen now after treatment.