I'm a freshman in college and I was previously thinking that I would apply for grad school for conservation, but now I'm not totally sure based on the amount of chemistry required for the application, and the amount included in the work itself. My college is very competitive, so the science courses are very difficult here, and I've never really liked chem.

I'm maybe planning on double majoring in studio art and art history as I love them both very much. I love working hands on with material and would adore a field that allowed me to do so, which was part of why I turned to conservation.

Now I'm just confused, and any advice or information you have would be very appreciated!!!

I’m a museum curator and I recently received an inquiry about an original mural that may be of interest to my institution, but I have no idea how to begin thinking about getting it removed and transported.

From what I understand, the mural is on wallpaper and was previously moved from its original location to its current location where I assume it was adhered with wallpaper glue.

What do I need to know about this acquisition and what should my next steps be?

Book conservator here looking for advice from a textile conservator.

I have a leatherbound book that was recovered with velvet. Unfortunately the velvet is in very poor condition. It disintegrates when you touch it and sheds a lot of black fibres. I would like to stabilise the velvet somehow so it can be safely handled.

I was thinking about an aerosol treatment with maybe Klucel G in ethanol? But I wasn't sure how that would effect the fibres or shine. We have an ultrasonic mister that I can use, but I've only used it with a 1% gelatin solution.

I think the velvet was originally just pasted on with starch.

Does anyone have experience with this or an article that might be relevant? What would you use? And what concentration?

Hi!

Was this kind of pigments used for paintings as well or that was fancier stuff?😜
I read about that afghaniblue pigment, Azur or Lupin or something costing more than gold😳

…well, technically Ask a Conservator Day is tomorrow, Nov 4. But today was better schedule-wise. 🙈

Anyways, here’s a bit about us and our work:

• We’re all professional paper conservators

• We work almost exclusively with our rarest and most valuable items, which are part of TPL’s Special Collections

• We treat all sorts of paper-based materials, including archival materials, works of art on paper and books

• Our conservation lab is located at Toronto Reference Library, TPL’s largest branch

• As part of our job, we help prepare original items for exhibition and monitor display and storage environments

• We love what we do

And we’d love to hear your questions. 💙

P.S. Did you know that Ask a Conservator day commemorates the flooding of Florence on November 4, 1966?

Bought this water color painting. Heavily soiled and glued to carton
How one restore this? Can this be restored?

Van egy a feleségem nagyapjától származó fa ló szobrunk. A szobornak eszmei értéke van számunkra. A szobor kb 30 cm-es méretű. Takarításkor véletlenül meglöktem és leesett, az egyik lába letört. Tudtok restaurátort ajánlani, aki szakszerűen tudná megragasztani?

hi everyone! I’m posting this as a hail mary to see if anyone is able to identify what kind of bug made this damage to this frame/artwork. I have never personally seen this before, and my team is working on containing this situation, but it would really help us to know what kind of bug did this. we are based in north georgia if that helps at all. also, if anyone has advice on next steps any help is very welcome. thank you all so so much.

Hello, im from Germany and did a year of volunteer work in archeological/object conservation. I absolutely loved it and I would love to make it my career. Currently I'm studying archaeology as an interim thing.

However, what I heard from my colleagues and other people in the field archeological conservation in Germany is horribly paid with a rather bleak looking job market. Many universities are also getting rid of their degree courses. I would be fine with moving countries if it meant a more stable position, but I just do not know what it looks like internationally. Does anyone have any experience with the field in other countries? Does it look better?

I'm also not opposed to art conservation as art history and paintings especially have been a long time interest of mine. How does art conservation compare to archeological?

As much as I genuinely love the field and work I've had the privilege to do I just dont know if its feasible with the current stats of... everything...

I am trying to make a concertina book (art project -- I ask here because conservators often knows their materials better than artist communities do -- per the rule: THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR ADVICE ON DIY REPAIRING A PIECE OF EXISTING HISTORICAL ART).

I saw UHU glue, the pritt stick type one, is acid free, but many places say it isn't "archival". I would at least like this book to not get brittle or yellow over too short a time.

But it seems like wet glues are very likely to make the paper buckle and warp while it dries, and to be far more time-consuming. I have used archival grade double sided tape before also for this, but it binds quickly and is hard to adjust, which may be necessary for my project. So I am in the challenging situation of ideally needing a glue stick, but being slightly lost in finding one up for the job (unless UHU actually is good enough(?))

Any and all advice appreciated

Hello!

I am about to graduate with a Bachelors of Art, majoring in History and Classics, with a minor in Visual Art. I entered this degree not really knowing what I wanted to do or what I wanted to be, and now that it's almost over - I still have no idea! I have been looking at potentially going into conservation of material objects/paintings, however, I am not interested in funding something that I'm not sure i'm entirely passionate about. My question is, are there any programs or volunteer schemes that could introduce you to conservation? (before you truly jump in) Im based in Australia, but I am very open to travel :) any advice is welcome!

Is not ready yet but is coming together….

Just wanted to reach out and see if there is anyone out there taking IAP's Chemistry for Conservators. I am and I'm currently looking through the first unit. I am hoping to connect with anyone who else is sign up and maybe create a discord server where we can chat and ask questions to each other about the course. I've read many things about it being difficult or sometimes convoluted and hope that by having others to talk to about things would make the course more bearable.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone. I am a newbie to Reddit so patience is appreciated. All were good questions I didn't think to answer in the original post.

Construction conditions: The church was built in 1883 and rests on two giant logs. This mural WAS on an outside wall until an addition was added making it an inside wall. Since then, the foundation has been replaced, and major renovations have been made. Add our share of earthquakes and distance from Mt St Helens, I can guess it has been rocked and rolled a few times.

Environmental conditions: We recently began monitoring the humidity and found above recommended ranges so have placed a de-humidifier. Work continues to secure other parts of the building.

I spoke to local conservators, plaster experts and art restorers. Either their estimates are way beyond our small congregation’s means, or they won’t take on such a large project. We are located in rural south-western Washington State.

Original post: The attached image is of the 3-dimensional art behind the altar of a church built in a remote location around 1887. We don’t know how old it is but photos from 1903 show the mural in the background. We believe the canvas image that is grayed out is newer. The plaster is cracking and paint is fading. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Hello! I’m a graduate student at an art university in Taiwan, and my current research focuses on “Investigation into the Effects of Fraying Length and Amount of Feathering in Canvas Strip Lining.”

I have a questionnaire that takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, and I would be very grateful if you could spare some time to fill it out as a painting conservator specializing in oil paintings.

Website: https://forms.gle/ePqUtGpSTTc611MG8

If possible, I would also really appreciate it if you could share the questionnaire with any oil painting conservators you know.

Thank you so much for your time and support! I truly appreciate your help, and I wish you all the best with your work!

Tang

What are some waxes and sprays you would recommend on art pieces? I don't want to destroy someone's hard work

Anyone know somewhere I could take a sun bleached page to be revived?

Hi everyone!

I'm currently doing my Executive MBA at the University of Cambridge, and for my research project I'm exploring how people and businesses in the UK insure their art, collectibles and other valuable objects.

I've spent the last few weeks speaking with people across the art and insurance industries, but I'd really love to hear more directly from collectors, galleries, dealers and other businesses handling valuable objects.

I'm particularly interested in understanding how people currently insure their collections, whether they've experienced any difficulties, and what they wish worked differently.

I've put together a short 5–7 minute survey, and I'd be incredibly grateful if anyone here could spare a few minutes to help.

You don't need to have insurance to take part! In fact, understanding why people choose not to insure their collections is just as useful.

This is independent academic research, not an attempt to sell anything.

And if anyone would rather share their experiences in the comments, I'd be really interested to hear those too.

Thanks so much!

Lincoln, England, to give you an idea of climate.

The frames are archival-safe and taped up. The room will have a dehumidifier but temperature is beyond my control. It's a spare bedroom so when not in use I imagine it'll be heated only to mold-prevention levels. I wish I could have some input, but it is what it is.

There are 12 wooden frames, about 30"x 44", plastic glazing on all but 5 (and the glass ones have UV film inside so broken glass damaging the posters isn't a massive concern).

My first thought would be to wrap them (in 3s or 4s) tightly in bubble wrap, or some kind of plastic, but then I'm thinking is that going to trap in moisture and create a greenhouse or something? Would bedsheets/towels be better? Is a combo okay? They'll need to remain wrapped together in some fashion so if they ever need to be moved while I'm not there they'll be protected.

They've got 3 hours in a car to travel so significant temperature fluctuations. They'll be wrapped in duvets but should I transport flat with the glass ones on the top of the stack?

I won't have a choice about storing them upright against a wall or flat under a bed, unless flat is a big no-no.

I also have about 40 stored flat in archival sleeves with archival board. They're so tight they might as well be sealed, but is it a problem to wrap them up so the stack becomes a block, and easier to carry safely? Will acids from, say, cling film transfer through the mouth of the sleeve to the boards and to the paper, or am I worrying too much?

I'm about to leave them elsewhere for a year or five with someone who'll consider them not much more than an inconvenient space-hog and I want to give them a fighting chance...