Nettoyage et stabilisation de surfaces métalliques peintes: application à la restauration d'une voiture autochenille

Abstract

Examination of the painted metal parts of a Citroën catelpillar car known as ‘Le Croissant d'Argent’, which took part in the Sahara Crossing of 1922–23, revealed that despite widespread corrosion the original paintwork had survived. A procedure was devised to clean and stabilize the painted metal surfaces, using pads soaked in a complexing solution of the tetrasodium salt of edta to dissolve surface corrosion products, and stabilizing oxidized iron alloys with an alcoholic acid mixture. This method is offered as a useful alternative for those responsible for automobile collections when minimal intervention is judged sufficient. The tests carried out to develop the treatments are also described.