37439
Accession Number
30451
Title Of Article Chaper
What’s Old is New: B-72 and the Treatment of Degraded Furniture Finishes
Title Of Journal Book
Postprints of the Wooden Artifacts Group; Furniture in France
Pages
41-56
Collation
16 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Monograph
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
This paper presents a number of case studies in which Paraloig B-72 was used successfully in the treatment of furniture surfaces. The case studies address two general topics: the use of B-72 as a saturating varnish in the treatment of degraded finishes, and the use of B-72 as a binder for the imitation of aged pigmented stains or paints. Old and degraded finishes on furniture many appear hazy, dull, and opaque. Judicious cleaning of the surface can remove dirt and soil along with waxy and oily accumulations. Even after cleaning, an aged finish may still appear dull and opaque due to light reflection and scattering at the surface as well as in the body of the degraded film. Common remedies for this problem have included the application of film-forming coatings over the degraded finish, reforming the finish with solvents, or a combination of both. While each of these general methods can saturate the degraded finish and restore gloss and transparency, they can also considerably alter the macroscopic surface characteristics of the finish and may not be reversible. The use of B-72 dissolved in a very slow evaporating aromatic solvent and applied by brush in a very thin layer, is presented as an alternative method for the re-saturation of degraded finishes. The ease, controllability, reversibility, and aesthetic qualities of the method are discussed and illustrated. In addition, two case studies in which B-72 was used as a binder in the re-creation of pigmented stains or paints are briefly presented. In these instances, furniture which was known to have been originally stained or painted had been stripped of its original coatings. For didactic purposes, it had been deemed desirable to replace the coatings so that the pieces could be displayed in a state which reflected the maker’s intent. The use of B-72 allowed a convincing appearance to be created with a coating which is easily reversible and unlikely to be mistaken for an original coating in the future.
Keywords
b-72; b72; treatment; degradation; furniture; finish; paraloid
pub_id
37439