A large collection of ochre painted ancestor carvings were brought from Papua New Guinea to the British Museum in 1980. These had suffered damage not only to the timber but also to the friable painted surfaces. Termites had eaten the bases of the carvings, and the mechanical strength of the timber was much reduced. During the sea trip back to the UK the damp carvings had been further damaged by mold; on return the carvings were fumigated with ethylene oxide gas in a vacuum chamber; the paint was then cleaned and consolidated with a spray application of Paraloid B72 in xylene 2% solution. The damaged bases were consolidated with Paraloid B72, and strengthened with B.P.K. setting dough, (Butvar B98, paper dust and kaolin). -- AATA