Coatings for outdoor sculpture

Isabel M. Coryat <impa [at] valstar__net> writes

>George Hagerty <ghagerty [at] mfa__org> writes
>
>>I'm in the process of researching any new coatings that people may
>>know of, have tried, or can direct me to publications about for the
>>protection of outdoor sculpture composed of cast iron.
>
>...  Last but not least, I found a very
>intriguing note on Paul W. Bartlett hand written notes (copies of
>which I have on my files) referring to iron, and I quote "the Bower
>Borff process is a method of turning iron permanently black and
>rendering it rustless".

If it is what i'm thinking he is referring the use of tannic acid,
which in fact turns iron and iron oxides black. But that is due to a
corrosion process, and it's "permanency" is limited. It is not a
stabilization method.

Ines Silva
Conservation student


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:42
                Distributed: Wednesday, February 2, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-13-42-006
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