Teaching and lecturing online over the past year and a half has proven to be a great way to reach conservation students, emerging professionals, and colleagues. Earlier this year I also began doing online conservation consultations.
Those have ranged from quick chats with students and private conservators, to long-term research consultations and treatment walkthroughs with preservation departments at the Getty Museum, Library of Congress, and National Park Service. It has been a lot of fun and very rewarding.
Photo Courtesy of W. Patrick Edwards: (BT) Louis XV Kingwood Clock, Gilt Bronze, c. 1730-1760.
Recently I was working via Zoom with my teachers and good friends, furniture conservators William Patrick Edwards and Patrice Lejeune, on cleaning solutions for a suite of rare (and very dirty) Louis XV gilt bronzes.
The cleaning problems they presented were complex. The delicate nature of the thin gold surface required a solution that would effectively remove stubborn grime without any mechanical action that might abrade the surface (including swab cleaning that can leave micro-scratches in the soft gold surface). The process of working on cleaning solutions together in real-time, with video feedback, enabled us to develop an excellent cleaning system.
I could design solutions on my computer 400 miles away using the Modular Cleaning Program, Patrice and Patrick prepared them, then gave me their observations on the cleaning results (did the surface feel tacky? was there a coating swelling or detaching? how did it look under different light?).
With the new Modular Cleaning Program microemulsion module, and ultra-concentrated testing solutions coming out, I thought it might be a good time to open up conservation consultations more broadly.
The standard consultation rate is $100/30min, but if you’re a student or emerging professional special arrangements can be made. If your studio or institution is interested in an online lecture or class, this is a brief sample of topics I’ve covered in the past:
Microemulsions & Nanostructured Fluids: Physical Chemistry, Surface Science, and Formulation
Targeted Conservation Cleaning System Design
Wooden Artifacts Conservation
Conservation of Marquetry Furniture
Chemistry of Cellulose & Natural Dyes
Chemistry of Solvent & Protein Film Interactions
Matte Paint Cleaning Methodologies
Material Characterization Tests
If you or your institution have any questions on the new version of the MCP, or any other conservation problems I may be able to help with, just send me an email and we can set up a consultation, class, or lecture.