Proceedings of the conference Gels in Conservation, organized jointly by International Academic Projects (IAP) and Tate, and held in London, England, 16-18 October 2017.

xi, 400 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 30 cm

Gels, green chemistry, gurus and guides / Richard Wolbers -- Polysaccharides: agar, gellan, xanthan and methyl celluloses -- A study of commercial agar gels as cleaning materials -- Thermo-reversible rigid agar hydrogels: their properties and action in cleaning -- The treatment of Barnett Newman’s Shining Forth in the MNAM Pompidou collection -- Coupling gellan gels and electrochemical biosensors: real-time monitoring of cleaning and enzymatic treatments on a paper artwork -- Rigid polysaccharide gels for paper conservation: a residue study -- The use of agar gel for treating water stains on an acrylic canvas -- Gellan gum and agar compared to aqueous immersion for cleaning paper -- Measurement of surface pH of paper using agarose gel plugs: a feasibility study -- Cold, warm, warmer: use of precision heat transfer in the optimization of hydrolytic enzyme and hydrogel cleaning systems -- Cleaning the Adolphe Roger murals at the Church of Notre Dame de Lorette, Paris -- Investigating the ability of phytate gel systems to treat iron gall ink at the British Library -- Evaluation of leather cleaning with a rigid hydrogel of gellan gum on two composite Amharic shields from the Museo Nazionale Preistorico Etnografico ‘Luigi Pigorini’, Rome -- Challenges of a virgin water-sensitive surface: designing a cast agar gel cleaning system for Patrick Heron’s Still-life against the Sea: 1949 -- Gelling predictions: the challenges of taking research into practice -- A study of thickened protein glues for the readhesion of absorbent flaking paints with methylcellulose and wheat starch paste -- Agarose-enzyme gels in paper conservation -- Agarose gels with methyl ethyl ketone for cleaning a 19th-century document -- Treating chromatic alterations on barkcloth with agar gel -- Local cleaning of tidelines on paper using rigid gels: the influence of pH and conductivity -- Chelating soluble iron(II) from iron gall ink using calcium phytate in agar gel -- Biocleaning of wall paintings on uneven surfaces with warm agar gels -- The removal of lead-and oil-based overpaint from a plaster cast of Hermes Fastening his Sandal -- Solvent gel versus solvent poultice: evaluating two techniques for the removal of pressure-sensitive tape stains from paper -- Using rigid gellan gel for the stratigraphic cleaning of a canvas painting -- The use of agar gel for cleaning and overpaint removal from Romanian ecclesiastical tempera paintings -- Washing works of art on paper using rigid hydrogels containing chelating agents -- Use of a rigid gel for adhesive removal from an early 20th-century poster -- An initial assessment of local stain reduction using chelate-containing gellan gum gels in paper conservation -- Getting into the (sea)weeds: the use of rigid agar gels for the cleaning of a birch bark canoe -- Micro-fragmented agar gels in wall painting conservation: the chapel of Saint Michael in the Royal Monastery of Pedralbes, Barcelona -- Towards the sustainable use of agar/agarose in conservation: a case study of the Izu peninsula, Japan -- Polyacrylic: Pemulen and Carbopol --Resurrecting a giant: using solvent gels and aqueous systems to restore Villanova University’s Triumph of David -- The influence of organic and inorganic alkalis on the formulation and properties of Pemulen TR-2 gels -- Giant sequoia: an extraordinary case study involving Carbopol gel -- Revisiting a shipwrecked felt hat for Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust: a multidisciplinary approach -- Carbopol gel as a carrier for oxidizing agents in discoloured lead white conversion treatment -- From brown to bright: removing several varnish and dirt layers from a 17th-century ceiling painted on wood -- Pemulen emulsions for the removal of overpaint, discoloured remains of lining adhesive, and remnants of older varnish layers on a 17th-century group portrait -- Silicone emulsifiers -- Particle-based silicone cleaning emulsions: studies in model paint systems for the cleaning of water-sensitive artworks -- Conservation of murals by Eugène Delacroix at Saint Sulpice, Paris -- Gels: evolution in practice -- Cleaning assessment of a vinyl dispersion paint: comparing Velvesil Plus Gel, microemulsions and aqueous solutions -- Silicone polymers for the removal of grime from a selectively varnished oil, graphite and ink painting -- Novel methods -- Poly(vinyl alcohol)-borax ‘gels’: a flexible cleaning option -- Novel surface-attached gels from photo-crosslinkable polyacrylamides for the cleaning of works of art -- Innovative techniques for treating the reverse of paintings: gel systems and Aquazol 500 pre-impregnated facing pads -- A comparison between gel and swab cleaning: physical changes to delicate surfaces -- Moving on up: a review of results from SRAL’s tissue-gel composite approach -- From biomass to restoration: a new green tool for the cleaning of artworks -- Testing a potassium polyacrylate aqueous gel for the pretreatment and storage of wet marine iron and organic composite artefacts -- The use of Nanorestore gels in the conservation of lime-based wall paintings -- New gel formulations for removal of adhesive residues and cleaning of paper and parchment -- Poly(vinyl alcohol)–borate gels as carriers of microemulsions -- Using a ‘gel’ made from nano-lime and nano-silica to repair badly damaged glass mosaic tesserae -- Improved PVA gels for the cleaning of paint surfaces -- Trials of agar gels and task-specific salts for the electrochemical reduction of silver sulphide on silver leaf -- Gels for removing varnish and surface stains from Bulgarian icons -- Responsive bio-based gels for the preservation and treatment of archaeological wooden objects -- Comparable studies (multi-gel use) -- Conservation of a white Louise Nevelson installation: gel systems explored 300 -- Gel formulations coupled with mechanical cleaning techniques to remove old overpaint and pigmented coatings on a large altarpiece by Piero di Cosimo -- Time-dependent ATR–FTIR studies on the release of solvents from cleaning gels into model systems of oil paint binding media -- Gels at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation: a retrospective review of student projects, 1978–2016 -- A study of water mobility in hydrogels suitable for biocleaning mural paintings: a unilateral NMR study -- The effect of gelling agents and solvents on poly(methyl methacrylate) surfaces: a comparative study -- The case of Capogrossi in Rome: trials and tests using gels for the cleaning of a contemporary wall painting -- Removing iron stains from wood and textile objects: assessing gelled siderophores as novel green chelators -- Layer by layer: the removal of complex soiling on a collection of modern art bronzes using buffered pH-adjusted aqueous gels -- The use of gel systems for cleaning water- and solvent-sensitive paintings -- Releasing St Peter -- The removal of Paraloid-B72 coatings with aqueous gelled systems: Roman frescoes from Empúries, Catalonia -- Statistical evaluation of surface roughness measurements to evaluate rigid and mouldable hydrogels for cleaning unvarnished oil paint with heavy impasto -- Comparison of three hydrogels for cleaning tarnished silver threads using electrochemical treatment -- The removal of dirt and coatings from heavily restored medieval painted ceramic socarrats from -- València, Spain, using gelled systems --Paintings on canvas in the rooms of St Aloysius Gonzaga at the Roman College, Rome -- Glossary -- Terminology and properties of selected gels.

The texts in this volume represent the current theory, research and practice on the use of gel materials for treatment processes in the conservation of objects of art and surfaces in the built environment. The range of gels featured includes those drawn from the biological, cosmetic and food industries, as well as emerging products created specifically for conservation purposes. The growing importance of these materials, and their positive impact on conservation and environmental practice in terms of the use of fewer solvent-based, less toxic materials represents one of the conservation professions contributions to the green movement. Some of the gel treatments discussed make for significantly safer working conditions, and all of them seek to manage and reduce risks to artworks and objects undergoing treatment.helping to shape the path of future research in the specific area of cleaning fine art surfaces.