A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE USE OF ADHESIVES AND FILLERS IN THE RESTORATION OF ANCIENT MATERIALS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO GLASS

Abstract

We have reacted Georgia marble in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) enriched atmospheres and calculated the reaction rate constant. This constant was derived from surface reduction data, obtained by leaching thereaction product from samples exposed for different periods of time. Application of this constant to marble weathered in known ambient levels of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and relative humidity, allows the prediction of the thickness of the resulting gypsum crust formed over a given period of time. We have found that the crust grows outwards due to calciumions which migrate from the interior and then react with sulfur dioxide at the sample surface. Thus, anytreatment of the sulfated marble should include the considerations that the crust only masks the marble surface and is not an integral part of the original sculpture, and that cavities exist in the underlying layer of marble from which the calcium ions were selectively depleted.