STRUCTURAL REINFORCEMENT OF FRAGILE ARCHAEOLOGICAL GLASS BY LOSS COMPENSATION USING ACRYLIC SHEETS.

Abstract

The current paper discusses a new technique for restoring glass artifacts with gaps and loss of fragility. Acrylic slides of Paraloid B-44 are the best in terms of use because the degree of glass transition (Tg) is about 60, which suits the temperature in Egypt. The slides were made with 40% Paraloid B-44 w/v in acetone and used to fill the lost parts for structural reinforcement. The paper also aims to study the glass vessel that was discovered in the excavations of the American Research Centre in Fustat in 1966 and kept in the stores of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo. The glass vessel was examined by optical digital microscopy (ODM) and ultraviolet imaging. After that, it was analysed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an EDX unit and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Then, the conservation processes were performed. The conservation of the glass vessel included disassembling the previous restoration, cleaning, reassembling, filling and supporting the lost parts, and consolidation. The study concluded important results about the composition of the glass, deterioration factors, and identifying the materials of the previous restoration that were found inappropriate and required removal and conservation. It also clarified the method and importance of using acrylic (paraloid B-44) slides in strengthening the fragility and thinness of glass artifacts.