Hair

Re: Mark Vine's inquiry about hair in a locket.

Locks of hair were commonly used during the later part of the 19th
Century in various devices.  The hair was commonly attached to its
support with cellulose nitrate adhesive or some form of animal (hide)
glue.  B-72 in acetone should work acceptably although its bond strength
to the metal will be minimal (very little bond strength is required).
If the hair is secured to itself with cellulose nitrate and the acetone
in the B-72 solution dissolves it, the hair could begin to unbraid.
Another choice of adhesive might be 3M #4475 Plastic Adhesive.  This is
another acrylic resin formulation with much higher bond strength and
much greater resolubility than B-72.  In any case use a *minimum* of
adhesive.

Geoffrey Brown
Curator of Conservation
Kelsey Museum
University of Michigan
313-747-0439

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:78
                 Distributed: Thursday, March 23, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-78-004
                                  ***