Wood Science for Conservation of Cultural Heritage – Florence 2007

Proceedings of the International Conference held by COST Action IE0601 in Florence  (Italy), 8-10 November 2007
edited by Luca Uzielli
234 pp.  ISBN: 978-88-8453-382-1

Anyone can freely download the full Proceedings as a .PDF file (~ 6,3 MB), by going to the FUP page http://www.fupress.com/scheda.asp?IDV=1990
and clicking on the red words “Accesso aperto all’opera”

To buy paper copies of the volume (? 11,90 + transportation), click on the red word  “prenota” and follow the instructions.
(the FUP page appears firstly in Italian, but you can also click for the English version)

Interaction between Wood Science and Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Izmir, Turkey, 20-22 October 2010
The Conference will be hosted by Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Architecture
(Organiser: Dr. M.Tanac Zeren- Dr.O.Yılmaz Karaman)

Conference Theme

For the past three years, this COST Action has covered a diverse range of wood science applications to understanding, diagnosing, preserving and treating wooden cultural objects.

As already mentioned in the First Announcement, this conference will attempt to reach conclusions, highlight the achievements, identify gaps and discuss future research. We invited papers emphasizing the main theme of the Action – the interaction between wood science and conservation, and papers presenting results of recent research concerning study and conservation of wooden cultural heritage objects.

Sessions will be plenary, in order to foster multidisciplinary approaches; time will be allocated for discussions including general questions, state of the art, future research needs.

Key dates

28 June 2010 Deadline for Authors to answer acceptance message (needed for COST reimbursement)

10 July 2010 Deadline for Registration (Registration form)

04 October 2010 Deadline for Submitting Full Papers

Full papers of all contributions (Orals and Posters) will be posted on the Action’s website approximately 2 weeks before the Conference, so that interested people may examine them and prepare for discussions.

Venue of the Meeting

20-21 October 2010

Dokuz Eylul University Rectorate Building DESEM Meeting Rooms

Map showing location of the Venue:

When you open the link click on ALSANCAK

http://www.deu.edu.tr/DEUWeb/Icerik/Icerik.php?KOD=16482

22 October 2010

Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Architecture Conference Room

Map showing location of the Venue:

When you open the link click on TINAZTEPE

http://www.deu.edu.tr/DEUWeb/Icerik/Icerik.php?KOD=16482

*there will be a shuttle service from DEU Rectorate Building to DEU Faculty of Architecture on Friday morning at 8:00 am

Conference Fee and Accomodation

Registration Fee: 75€

Full Registration Fee:                  125€ (including two dinners 20th and 21st October)

Technical Trip (optional):        50€ (including lunch)

Registration fee covers coffee breaks, 2 lunches and transportation to/from DEU Faculty of Architecture.

Technical Trip is to Birgi Traditional Settlement to visit Timber structured Turkish Houses. The Trip will start at 8:30 am and will end at 17:00pm.

Payments should be made in cash at the registration desk.

Accommodation Option (Blocked Hotel with Reduced Fee, for Registration Forms received  within July 10)

Map showing location of the Hotel:

http://www.izmirpalas.com.tr/izmir_palas.php?sayfa_id=801&kategori_id=801&id=9&lng=2

Preliminary Programme

* Typical duration of Orals:  15’ + 5’ discussion

** Sessions will also include reports from Focused Meetings. Discussions will include general questions, state of the art, future research needs, and will be summarized by respective Chairs

*** Authors of Posters, if willing, may give a short presentation on the screen (approximately 3’) during the Poster Session – Posters will remain hanging during 20th and 21st, and will be accessible for discussions during coffee breaks etc.

List and allocation of Papers (preliminary)

Session 1: Waterlogged wood

Charlotte Gjelstrup Björdal – Strategies for protection of wooden underwater cultural heritage in the Baltic Sea against marine borers. The EU project “WreckProtect”

Marco Fioravanti, G.Gallo, G.Di Giulio, A.Salvini, S.Ceccarelli – Soft Drying Techniques Applied to Conservation of Waterlogged Archaeological Wood

David Gregory, Poul Jensen , Kristiane Strætkvern – Assessment of the state of preservation of the wreck of the Belgica: Implications for in situ preservation and conservation of waterlogged archaeological wood from marine environments

M.P. Colombini, J.J. Łucejko, Francesca Modugno, E. Ribechini – Fast chemical micro-analysis of archaeological wood samples: comparison of different methods based on pyrolysis, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

Session 2: Painted wood – experimental research

Bartosz Rachwał, Łukasz Lasyk, Michał Łukomski, Roman Kozłowski, Łukasz Bratasz – Fatigue fracture of painted wood due to repeated humidity variations

David Hunt, George Jeronimidis – Dimensional changes of wood panels in relation to paintings

Paola Mazzanti – A review on Compression Set Shrinkage related to the mechanics of wooden painted panels

Marianne Odlyha, C.J Bergsten, and M.Scharff – Controlled Environment Dynamic Mechanical Analysis for testing Wood in Heritage  Objects

Boris Pretzel – Predicting risks to wooden artefacts from indoor climates

Session 3: Painted wood – modelling

Julien Colmars, David Durreisseix, Joseph Gril – A 2Dx1D model to simulate the hygromechanical response of wooden panels

Julien Froidevaux, Martina Müller, Renate Kühnen, Marco Fioravanti, Luca Uzielli, Joseph Gril, Parviz Navi – 3D modeling of hydral deformation of panel paintings and its confirmation by the experiments

Session 4: Musical instruments

Iris Brémaud – Wood science approaches to musical instrument making as an intangible cultural heritage

Marco Fioravanti, G.Goli, B.Carlson- The Effect of Mechanical Loading on Conservation of Antique Violins

Sandie Le Conte – The use of multidisciplinary mechanical tools for the reconstruction of the Erard Piano in Musée de la musique

David Mannes, S. Le Conte, E. Lehmann – Neutron vs. X-ray computed tomography: comparative study on the example of a historical violin

Session 5: Deinfestation, deconservation, consolidation

M. Wörle, V. Hubert, E. Hildbrand, Katja Hunger, E. Lehmann, I. Mayer, G. Petrak, U. V. Arx, S. Wülfert – Evaluation of two methods for the decontamination of pesticide contaminated wooden museum objects: An analytical approach

Emmanuel Maurin, Keren Qian, Robert Leroy, Dominique De Reyer – Studies on two physical treatments methods for disinfestation of furniture

Ingo Mayer, K. Hunger, U. v. Arx, M. Wörle, V. Hubert, G. Petrak, E. Lehmann – A new approach to cost-effective on-site measurement of pesticide emissions from individual wooden objects

Andreas Treu, Lina Nunes, Sónia Duarte and Erik Larnøy – Electro Osmotic Pulsing Technology (PLEOT) – A new potential solution for protection of cultural heritage

Session 6: Assessment and conservation of Timber structures

Margarita Kisternaya, Valery Kozlov – Achievements and problems in preventive conservation of wooden architectural monuments

René Klaassen – Effect of ponding on the wood quality of Scots pine

Misao Yokoyama, Joseph Gril, Miyuki Matsuo, Hiroyuki Yano, Junji Sugiyama, Bruno Clair, Sigeru Kubodera, Takumi Mistutani, Minoru Sakamoto, Hiromasa Ozaki, Mineo Imamura, Shuichi Kawai – Mechanical characteristics of aged Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) wood from Japanese historical buildings – Comparison between naturally aged wood and thermally treated wood

Posters

Istvan Botar – When was it made? Dendrochronological research of WCHO-s in Romania (state-of the art)

Manuela Capano, Marzaioli F., Terrasi F., Gigli S., Martinelli N., Pignatelli O., Nava M.L. – Preliminary analysis on microscopic characters of wooden carvings from Mephitis goddess sanctuary (Avellino – Italy)

Oana Chachula, Mina Moşneagu – A massive biological attack at Ethnographic Museum, Huşi, Romania. Study case

Joseph Gril, Julien Colmars, David Hunt – Analysing the hygromechanical behaviour of painted panels using various models

Kristina Holl – Research on the impact of climate fluctuations on works of art

Miha Humar, Franc Pohleven, Boštjan Lesar- Use of aqueous wax emulsions for improvement of sorption properties and durability of wood

Julie Lartigau, Emmanuel Maurin, Jean-Luc Coureau, Philippe Galimard – Moisture content and temperature effects on reinforcements in timber structure

J.J. Łucejko, F. Modugno, E. Ribechini, M.P. Colombini – Wood tar and wood resinous extracts as ingredients of Egyptian embalming materials: a GC/MS study

D. Mannes, E. Lehmann – COST IE0601: Report on ADRAM 09 – International Training School on Advanced Radiography Methods in Wood Research

Julien Froidevaux, Thomas Volkemer, Joseph Gril, Parviz Navi – Viscoelasticity behavior of modern, accelerated and natural aged wood

Dulce Franco Henriques, Lina Nunes, Jorge de Brito – Performance of Paraloid B72® combined with the application of biocides on wood degraded by fungi

Alessia Polizzi,  Mauro Sebastianelli, Franco Palla – Restoration of a wooden door carved and painted from Diocesan Museum in Palermo, Italy  by a multidisciplinary approach

Francesca De Vita, Alessandro Mordini, Daniela Pittaluga, Marco Tansini Petrali – Rocca Rangoni Spilamberto (MO), coffered ceiling: a methodological approach to a case of restoration

Ladislav Reinprecht – Effect of natural conservation substances on some moisture and mechanical properties of decayed spruce wood

Ola Storsletten - A replaceable skin of wood

IE0601 “Wood Science for Cultural Heritage”

FP0802 “Experimental and Computational Micro-Characterisation

Techniques in Wood Mechanics”

Modeling mechanical behaviour of wooden cultural objects

Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland – April 12 – 13, 2010

Scientific outcome of the meeting

The meeting was divided into 3 sessions.

The first session was focused on modeling the time-dependant phenomena in wood. Authors of the presentations discussed influence of the dynamics of water sorption and time-dependant response of the wood on its deterioration. The bound water gain or loss is responsible for dimensional changes of the material, which leads to stress development in wooden objects. Therefore, the accurate modeling of bound water transport induced by the air parameter changes is the critical primary step in assessing environmental risks to wooden cultural objects. Developing models which can take into account the mechano-sorptive effects in the damage evolution have been a considerable problem in the damage mechanics. Such models were proposed by two authors who discussed critically their advantages and limitations in application to wooden art objects.

The second session concentrated on modeling mechanical properties of wood and wooden objects. A proper description of the mechanical properties of different wood species as a function of their age, water content and anatomical direction is necessary to predict response of the wood and wood containing objects. Mechanical characteristics and dimensional response of the wood to environmental conditions at the mesoscopic scale was critically discussed in connection with the transverse fracture of the material as well as construction of the historic wooden artefacts. Also the influence of different micromechanical parameters of waterlogged wood was discussed in the context of preservation of archeological artifacts. Finally, a concept of a multi-scale approach for the coupled modelling of mechanical and moisture behaviour of wood was presented and discussed.

The third session was focused on modeling of the environmentally-induced response of historic objects to evaluate risk and develop the best mitigation strategies. The authors presented different models capable of simulating response of objects of different level of complexity: panel paintings, historic pianofortes, or wooden ships. The most important problem discussed during this session was the interaction between different materials constituting historic artifact and consequences of the complex geometry of the object. The authors presented exemplary applications of the computer simulation which supported making practical decision about optimal climatic conditions in the vicinity of analyzed art objects.

Day 1, Monday 12 April

10:00       10:30       Roman Kozłowski / Karin Hofstetter     Introduction of the two COST actions

Session I : Modeling of time-dependant phenomena in wood

Chairperson: Roman Kozlowski

10:30       11:00       Joseph Gril, Julien Colmars, Paola Mazzanti

Time-dependent mechanical behaviour of wood and implication for painted panels

11:00       11:30       Frederic F. Dubois

Differed damage modeling in wooden induced by environmental interactions

12:00   12,30  Callum Hill

Hydratation Kinetics experiments useful in predicting aging of wood

12:30       13:00       Wieslaw Olek

Accuracy of modeling of bound water diffusion in wood induced by variation of ambient air parameters

14:30       15:00       Discussion of posters

Session II : Modeling of mechanical properties of wood and wooden objects

Chairperson:  Karin Hofstetter

15,00   15,30  Kristofer Gamstedt

Beam theory modelling of the performance of medieval yew longbows

15:30   16:00   Loane Bigorgne

Wood transverse fracture analysis at the mesoscopic scale

16:30  17:00  Ingela Bjurhager

Micromechanics of waterlogged oak from the Vasa man-of-war

17:00   17:30   Falk Wittel  Derome Dominique

A multi-scale approach for the coupled modeling of mechanical and moisture behavior of wood

Day 2, Tuesday 13 April

Session III : Modeling of environmentally-induced response of objects

Chairpersons:  Kristofer Gamstedt Michal Lukomski

09:00 09:30   Bartosz Rachwał

Computer modeling of polychrome wood response to climatic variations

09:30 10:00   Julien Colmars, Joseph Gril, Luca Uzielli

Hygromechanical response of a panel painting in a church: monitoring and computer modeling for risk assessment

10:00 10:30  Julien Froidevaux

Simulation and experimental measurement of induced cup deformation of a panel under humidity variation

10:30 11:00  Susanne Saft Michael Kaliske

Numerical simulation of mechanically and moisture loaded wooden structures

11:30 12:00  Thomas Bader, Susan Braovac

Modelling related to ancient Viking ships

12:00 12:30  Jaan Miljan,  Tonis Teppand

The modelling of the rods for timber structures of the stone church on the island Ruhnu in Estonia

12:30  13:00  closing remarks

and

The International Research Group on Wood Protection

(WG 1.8 Cultural artifacts)

organize a Joint Focused Meeting on:

Deterioration of wooden heritage structures in outdoor exposure:

Diagnosis and conservation

Organizers: Thomas Nilsson (thomas.nilsson@sprod.slu.se)

Wibke Unger (wunger@fh-eberswalde.de)

Local organizer: Marie-France Thevenon (marie-france.thevenon@cirad.fr)

Date: 11 May 2010

Location: Palais des Congrès, Le Bellevue, Biarritz, France

Website: www.irg-wp.com

Report from the meeting

The meeting was affected by the financial situation for COST Action IE0601 and by travel problems related to volcanic ash. This and other events led to some late cancellations. Eight persons from COST Action IE0601 attended the focused meeting. In total, 35-40 persons attended the focused meeting. This demonstrated that the subject attracted a fair number of interested persons. Nine papers were presented. Seven of them had been submitted for the focused meeting, two were papers intended for the IRG conference.

Five of the papers dealt with deterioration of wooden cultural heritage buildings such as churches, castles and manors. Deterioration of wooden material in outdoor museums and reconstructions of wooden cultural heritage was also discussed. It is very clear that many years of almost total neglect has created immeasurable problems for wooden cultural monuments in Eastern Europe. Damage in the form of leaking roofs in most cases leads to very fast degradation, which means that immediate remedies are required. Lack of funds and qualified scientists/conservators may lead to sacrificial of a great number of buildings. A strategy for a qualified documentation of such buildings should be worked out. It was pointed out that the lack of qualified craftsmen is often renders efficient use of limited resources difficult. More information on effective, but environmentally acceptable biocides needs to be disseminated to conservators engaged in caring for historical buildings. Finally, regular monitoring of buildings should always be part of the conservation strategies.

The problems with wooden cultural heritage buildings are so immense that they doubtless merit a new COST Action focused at stimulating cooperation between, wood scientists, conservators and museum or government officials.

Climate change is bound to have influence on conservation of wooden cultural heritage. One invited paper “Impact of climate change on wood deterioration – Challenges and solutions for cultural heritage and modern structures” by Brischke et al. presented one model for calculating deterioration at various climates in Europe. The model is based on a large number of experiments distributed over Europe in such a way that that major climates were represented. The model was described in detail with recommendations on its use. Possible “global warming” effects were demonstrated for two European localities. The fact that the model predicts warming to lead to increased deterioration in Uppsala, Sweden, but less deterioration in Bordeaux, France, demonstrates to complexity of climate factors.

All papers presented at the conference were collected on a CD and distributed to all participants. The papers are also accessible on the IRG webpage www.irg-wp.com following permission by the IRG Secretariat.

The persons from COST Action IE0601 were free to follow the IRG conference and listen to a large number of different projects. IRG has in recent years spread its general activities to wood protection and has become less focused on wood preservation. This was recently also reflected in its change of name from “The International Research Group on Wood Preservation” to “The International Research Group on Wood Protection”. Many of the IRG members are wood scientists and have a broad knowledge of wood protection. Some Management Committee members of COST Action IE0601 are also members of IRG. The interaction has, however, not been very great. This is unfortunate as IRG represents a rich source of knowledge, that conservators could benefit from. COST Action IE0601 is coming closer to its end and it is therefore getting too late for further activities. Any possible follow-up COST Action involving wood scientists and conservators should strive at increased contacts with IRG.

PROGRAMME

Tuesday 11 May 2010

08:30 – 08:45 Opening of the meeting

Introduction to the COST Action IE0601:

Thomas Nilsson

Introduction to the IRG WG 1.8 Cultural artifacts:

Wibke Unger

Moderation by Wibke Unger:

08:45 – 09:30 IRG/WP 10-20441: Brischke, C., Rapp, A.O., Hasan, M. and Despot, R: Impact of climate change on wood deterioration – Challenges and solutions for cultural heritage and modern structures.

09:30 -10:00 IRG/WP 10-20433: Carsten, C., Xie, Y., Xiao, Z, Evans, P.D. and Militz, H.: The use of micro-tensile testing to assess weathering decay and oxidative degradation of wooden items.

10:00 -10:30 IRG/WP 10-20537: Bucşa, L. and Bucşa, C.:

Deterioration of wooden heritage in outdoor exposure in Romania.

Moderation by Thomas Nilsson:

11:00 -11.30 IRG/WP 10-40521: Niculescu, G., Chachula, O. and Nicolaescu, A: Degradation and conservation strategies for an XVIIIth century wooden church from Oltenia county, Romania.

11.30 -12:00 IRG/WP 10-20434: Unger, A. and Unger, W.:

Stained Wood: The identification of natural dyes and mordants in wooden works of art.

12.00-12.30 Discussion

Moderation by Thomas Nilsson:

13:30 -14:00 IRG/WP 10-10728: Irbe, I., Karadelev, M. and Andersons, B:

Qualitative – quantitative analysis of wood-inhabiting fungi in external wooden structures in Latvian Cultural Heritage.

14:00 -14:30 IRG/WP 10-30525: Love, C.S., Freitag, C and Morrell, J.J.: Use of internal remedial treatment to extend wood life at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

14:30-15:00 Discussion

Moderation by Wibke Unger:

15:30 -16:00 IRG/WP 10-40487: Kisternaya,M. and Kozlov, V.:

Chemical protection of historic timber structures: Results and future needs.

16:00 – 16:30 IRG/WP 10-20431: Gelbrich, J., Kretschmar, E.I., Lamersdorf, N. and

Militz, H.:

Simulation and investigation of wood degradation by erosion bacteria in laboratory experiments.

16:30 – 17:00 Final discussion by Thomas Nilsson

17:00 Closing of the meeting

‘ALLOWABLE MICROCLIMATIC VARIATIONS FOR POLYCHROME WOOD’

February 18-19, 2010, Oslo, Norway

This Focussed Meeting was organized in conjunction with the final workshop of the research project ‘Establishing standards for allowable microclimatic variations for polychrome wood’ implemented by the Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow and the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research in Oslo, supported by a grant from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway through the European Economy Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism.

The meeting brought together 18 COST experts from 9 countries to discuss the particular issues of the preservation of painted wood. The meeting had additional 2 experts from USA and 48 attendees from 6 countries inscribed in the COST action.

Scientific outcome of the meeting

PROGRAMME

DAY ONE            February 18

09.15 – 10.00      Welcome and introduction to the COST Action and the EEA project

Tone Marie Olstad (Workshop organizer), Carsten Paludan Muller (Director NIKU), Luca Uzielli (COST Action) and Roman Kozlowski (The EEA project)

SESSION 1       THE EFFECT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON PAINTED WOOD

Chair: Tone Marie Olstad

10.00 – 10.40 Structural response of painted wood to variations in relative humidity and temperature

Marion Mecklenburg, Smithsonian Institution, Museum Conservation Institute, Washington.

10.40 – 11.20     Fatigue fracture of paint layers from repeated cycles of humidity fluctuations

Michal Łukomski, Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow

11.20 – 12.00     Computer modelling of dimensional response and stress fields in wooden artworks

Łukasz Bratasz and Bartosz Rachwał, Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow

SESSION 2       CONDITION SURVEYS AND MONITORING OF PAINTED WOOD

Chair: Michal Lukomski

13.30 – 14.00    Monitoring the impact of microclimate on panel paintings

Luca Uzielli, DISTAF – Dept. of Forest Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Florence

14.00 – 14.30    Condition surveys of painted wood in the church of Hedalen, Norway: a support from the advanced optical techniques

Tone Marie Olstad, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research NIKU

14.30 – 15.00     3D microscopy for monitoring dynamic environmental impacts on painted wood

Harald Garrecht, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Chair of Building Materials, Building Physics and Building Chemistry

SESSION 3       MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Chair: Roman Kozlowski

15.30 – 16.00     Climate control measures in churches minimising disturbances from heating systems; strategies and experiences in northern Scandinavia during the last 100 years

Annika Haugen, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research NIKU

16.00 – 16.30     Low- energy climate control in historic buildings

Poul Klenz Larsen, The National Museum of Denmark

16.30 – 17.00     Microclimate packages for polychrome wood

Mervin Richard, National Gallery, Washington

Visit to Gol stavechurch at Norsk Folkemuseum, Museumsveien 10, Bygdøy

DAY TWO          February 19

09.00 – 10.00     Coffee and a possibility for informal discussions

SESSION 4       EXISTING GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS – FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS

Chair: Luca Uzielli

10.00 – 10.30     Standardisation activity on the protection of sensitive materials like wood within CEN Technical Committee 346

Roman Kozlowski, Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences

10.30 – 11.00     Correction to the proofed fluctuation principle by stress relaxation and fatigue

Stefan Michalski, Canadian Conservation Institute

11.30 – 12.00    Standards in a changing climate (References)

Jonathan Ashley-Smith, Consultant in conservation and collections risk

14.00 – 14.45     Discussion Session.

Strategies for painted wood preservation – developing policies and future research needs. Moderators: Roman Kozlowski, Marion Mecklenburg, Stefan Michalski, Tone Marie Olstad, Luca Uzielli

POSTERS

Some microclimatic aspects related to polychrome wooden objects from Romanian museums

Bogdan Constantinescu National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering POB MG-6, Bucharest, Romania

Design of ASTRA Center for Heritage, Sibiu, Romania (References)

M.Guttmann, A.Bernath, I. Teodorescu, V. Oralu, A.Avram, M.Rhyl-Svendsen, L:Aasbjerg Jensen, P.Klenz Larsen, R.Radvan, C.Balan, S.Popa, V.Grigorov

Influence of coatings on diffusion and sorption properties of wood

K. Kránitz, P.Niemtz, K. Anheuser

Acoustic emission for assessing risk of climateinduced damage: monitoring the altarpiece in the church in Hedalen, Norway

M. Łukomski1 , S. Jakieła1 , M. Strojecki1 , A. Haugen2 , T. Olstad2

1 Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland

2 The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research Oslo, Norway

A 16th Century Wooden Polychrome Crucifix: From A Passive To An Active Microclimate

Michael, Formosa Conservation Division, Heritage Malta, Malta – Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage, University of Malta, Malta

Linking climate to observed damage – assessment of storage conditions for polychrome sculpture & frontals at Museum of Cultural History (KHM).

Jeremy Hutchings (Associate Professer, Conservation Studies IAKH, UiO), Kaja Kollandsrud (Senior conservator of paintings & polychrome sculpture KHM, UiO)

Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry (DSPI) for condition survey of panel paintings in the National Museum in Krakow, Poland

L Lasyk, M Lukomski, L Bratasz

Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

The impact of the environmental conditions and conservation treatments on the condition of panel paintings case study on the basis of the panel painting “concert” from the 16Th century, Venetian school

Wawel Royal Castle Oliwia Buchwald-Zięcina Conservator

Advanced X-ray studies and related sample preparation

European training school on the synchrotron analysis of ancient materials

IPANEMA – Synchrotron SOLEIL

Saint-Aubin – BP48 – 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex – France

The SOLEIL synchrotron is a large scale facility dedicated to the characterisation of matter. SOLEIL is currently building a research plateform dedicated to ancient materials studies, IPANEMA, due to open late 2011.

http://www.synchrotron-soleil.fr/ipanema/Formations/NewLights2010/

The course will ideally be suited to young professionals, including postdocs and PhD students. Grants will be available for selected participants. Candidates are invited to apply through the IPANEMA web site.

Deadline for reception of the applications: 12 March 2010.

Synchrotron SOLEIL, Saint-Aubin, France 27 May – 2 June 2010

COST Action IE0601 “Wood Science for Conservation of Cultural Heritage”

International Conference on Wooden Cultural Heritage:

Evaluation of Deterioration and Management of Change

(Hamburg/Germany; October 7-10, 2009)

List of papers which will be presented – update 06 October 2009

Abstract booklet

Keynotes

Koch G MacroHOLZdata wood ID Innovative digital tools for macroscopic wood identification and information retrieval for educational facilities and professionals in wood utilization

Singh A Role of electron microscopy in understanding deterioration of wooden objects of cultural heritage

Wadum J Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings: Tradition, Innovation, Initiatives.

Orals (presenting Author is underlined)

Session 2

Kozlowski Diagnosis and conservation of wooden cultural heritage : necessary European standardisation within CEN TC 346 ‘Conservation of Cultural Heritage’ ; Krakow, 2-3.4.09

I Kucerova T Olstad Consolidation, reinforcement and stabilisation of decorated wooden artefacts ; Prague, 30-31.3.09

Uwe Noldt Wood-destroying insects and decay fungi in and moulds on wooden cultural heritage objects and constructions (Training School); Hamburg, 16-20.3.09

Fioravanti M Structural typologies and conservation of roof timber structure; Florence, 20-23.5.09

Thickett D, Kozlowski Managing environmental risks to wooden interiors and collections in historic buildings and churches; Cambridge, 27-28.4.09

Session 3

Christensen I V, Ottosen LM, Jensen P, Bojesen-Koefoed I, Kutzke H, Braovac S, Sandström T, Christensen M The use of an electric field for the removal of alum from treated wooden objects

Christensen M , Hansen FK, Kutzke H New materials used for the consolidation of archaeological wood – past attempts, present struggles, and future requirements

Jelen E, Wiedemann G, Püschner K Laser cleaning of contaminated wooden objects

Mayer I, Hunger K, Wörle M, Hubert V, Arx U von Destructive and non-destructive methods for the evaluation of pesticides concentration and emissions from wooden art objects

Sperantza C, Papadimitriou M, Pournou A Risk management: a case study of the wooden collection held in storage at the folk art museum of Athens

Session 4

Fioravanti M, Togni M, Bertolini C, Ceresa F, Ronzon L, Iezzi M. How physical and mechanical damages might affect conservation of wooden ships in Museum environments: the case of Ebe schooner

Klaassen R KWM Factors that influence the speed of bacterial wood degradation

Yokoyama M, Gril J, Matsuo M, Yano H, Sugiyama J, Clair B, Kubodera S, Mistutani T, Sakamoto M, Ozaki H, Imamura M, Kawai S Mechanical characteristics of aged Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa Endl.) wood from Japanese historical buildings – Comparative analyses with accelerated aging wood

Gereke T, Anheuser K, Lehmann E, Niemz P Moisture behaviour of recent and naturally aged wood

Saft S, Kaliske M. Numerical Simulation of Historical Pianoforte

Session 5

Touza Vazquez MC Case study: assessment the mechanical properties from an old “pitch pine” timber structure

Uzielli L, DionisiVici P, Cocchi L, Zazzeri D, Scudieri M Monitoring actual deformations of an original painted panel by Beato Angelico in the San Marco Museum, Florence

Sandak A, Sandak J, Zborowska M, Prądzyński W, Negri M Characterization of archaeological oak (Quercus sp.) with mid and near infrared spectroscopy

Session 6

Michette AG X-Ray Microscopy of wood based products

Bielecki J X-Ray Tomography

Pina L High Energy Tomography of wood and trees

Short Orals (presenting Author is underlined)

Abdel Rahman Medhat; Yassien Zidan; Nesrin M.N. El Hadidi Study on the use of polymers in the treatment and conservation of historical wood

Jiri Bláha , Kloiber, M., Frankl, J., Drdácký, M., Valach, J., Růžička, P The Conservation of the Historic Timber Roof of the Royal Palace at the Tocnik Castle

Susan Braovac , Hartmut Kutzke The Presence of Sulphuric Acid in Alum-conserved Wood – Origin and Consequences

B Constantinescu Catalina Pauna, Daniela Stan Authentication of ancient stringed musical instruments – the contribution of X-Ray Fluorescence analysis

Helena Cruz, Pedro Palma Fire risk and protection of old timber roofs – need for focused meetings

J Gelbrich, Carsten Mai, Holger Militz Evaluation of bacterial wood degradation by FTIR measurement

Boštjan LESAR, Franc POHLEVEN and Miha Humar Use of boron compounds for treatment of wooden historical objects

Angela Karsten, Graeme Earl Stirling castle wood recording project

Margarita Kisternaya Valery Kozlov Wood-science approach to the preservation of historic timber structures

Liljana Kovachovska Deterioration of wood: Biological Degradation; detection and Control

Sandie Leconte, M. Vion, C. Clarke Attempt to find the ancient sound: from the modelisation to the reconstruction of the Erard Piano in Musée de la musique

Miyuki Matsuo Misao Yokoyama, Kenji Umemurai, Junji Sugiyama, Shuichi Kawai, Joseph Gril, Ken’ichiro Yano, Shigeru Kubodera, Takumi Mitsutani, Hiromasa Ozaki, Minoru Sakamoto, Mineo Imamura Evaluation of the aging wood from historical buildings as compared with the accelerated aging wood and cellulose – Analysis of color properties.

G. Giachi, S. Bugani, J.J. Łucejko, F Modugno, F. Tatti Different techniques (SEM, DR-µCT,FIB/SEM) for the evaluation of the deposition of consolidants into waterlogged archaeological wood

Kalle Pilt, Vello Pallav, Matis Miljan Diagnosis of Timber Structures and Archaeological Wood of Cultural Heritage.

Ladislav Reinprecht, Miloš Pánek Detection of rot in wood beams by ultrasound method – model and practical studies

Laszlo Tolvaj Monitoring of photodegradation for wood by infrared spectroscopy

Eleftheria Tsakanika-Theohari, G. Pavlopoulos, A. Pournou Diagnosis of the preservation state of timber structural elements: A case study of a post-Byzantine mansion in Greece

Reports from STSMs (presenting Author is underlined)

Maaike De Ridder Changes in density and moisture content of archaeological waterlogged wood

E Feci Termites attacks on ancient timber structures: diagnosis, identification and methods of control

Eric Fouilhé, Giacomo Goli, Anne Houssay, George Stoppani Modal analysis and vibrational behaviour of tailpieces in stringed instruments

Michal Lukomski Implementation of a portable ESPI to the characterization of damaged areas in painted wood

Daniel Constantin Negut Nuclear Techniques for Conservation of Painted Wood Cultural Heritage

Renate Kuhnen Measurements of hygroscopic deformations in panel paintings

Posters (reference Author is underlined)

Jan Bosselaers Contributions of Janssen PMP towards preservation of wooden (and other) cultural heritage.

Livia Bucsa, Corneliu Bucsa The Study of Biological Decay with Church Icons on Wooden Support from Romania

Mirel Bucur Physical-mechanical degradation of support and paintings layers of the icons on wood from Romania.

Pruna Mariana, Ileana Chirtea Monitoring Xylophages Insects in the Outdoor Section of “Dumbrava Sibiu”, NMC (the national museum center), ASTRA

Ana Calvo, Joana Salgueiro, Salomé de Carvalho The wooden supports in Portugal: the Pentecost in different altarpiece structures

A. Baldit, D.Dureisseix, F. Morestin, H. Maigre Follow-up of a panel restoration procedure through image correlation and finite elements modelling

A Fejo H. Cruz Inspection Techniques and Rehabilitation Solutions for Ancient Wooden Structures: some Portuguese Case Studies

Michael Formosa On 18th and 19th Century Sacristy Furniture in the Maltese Islands: Preservation

Migdonia Georgescu, Veturia Chiroiu The Design of Wooden Churches Roof; an Empirical Solution against Wind and Rain Damages, Mathematically Confirmed. Case Study: Budeşti-Josani, Maramureş County, Romania

Dulce Franco Henriques, Lina Nunes, Jorge de Brito Preliminary testing of timber consolidants applied by impregnation

Frederico Henriques, Alexandre Gonçalves, Ana Calvo, Ana Bailão Application of spatial analysis operations for the characterization of wood painting features

Aleksandra Hola An artwork: alterable – not unalterable. A critical analysis of the restoration process as a creative factor within an artwork’s new structure. The case of the collection of western panel paintings from the Museum in Tarnowskie Gory.

Erich Jelen 3D-confocal-microscopy: New advantages for non destructive measurements

Ozgul Yılmaz Karaman, Mine Tanac Kiray Improvement and Structural Strengthening of Old Timber Elements by Use of Supplementary Timber Supports “Case Studies in Turkey”

Jullien Colmars, Bertrand Marcon, Joseph Gril Hygromechanical response of a painted panel in a church: monitoring and computer modelling

Paola Mazzanti, Luca Uzielli Time to reach the equilibrium moisture content: in laboratory tests on Poplar (Populus alba L.) mock-up panels

J Lucejko, F. Modugno, E. Ribechini, M. Zborowska, M.P. Colombini Characterization of archaeological waterlogged wood by pyrolytic and mass spectrometric techniques

Mariapaola Riggio, Maurizio Piazza In-situ evaluation of timber members in historic structures: approaches and application of non-destructive techniques for the decay characterization.

Flavio Ruffinatto, Nicola Macchioni, Guido Boetto, Roberto Zanuttini Potential of reflected light microscopy as a non-invasive identification tool on wooden cultural artefacts

Misao Yokoyama, Shuichi Kawai, Junji Sugiyama How to gather aged wood samples from historical buildings in Japanese context

Magdalena Zborowska, Anna Sandak, Jakub Sandak, Sławomir Borysiak, Wlodzimierz Prądzyński Characterization of archaeological wood degradation with selected nondestructive methods

Focused Meeting of COST Action IE0601 and CULTURA Project “Les Toits de l’Europe II”

Joint meeting Florence (May 21-22, 2009)

Structural Typologies and Conservation of Roof Timber Structure

Short Scientific Report

The meeting, organised by DISTAF (a Department of Florence University), was structured according to three presentation sections (Structural typologies, dating and intervention techniques) and visits to important timber structures of the City. In two days, about 20 presentations (orals and posters) have been given by Delegates. At the end of the meeting, during a plenary discussion, the following major outcomes and addressing remarks have been settled:

1) Ancient timber structures are not only a static problem to be managed in order to guarantee structural safety, but they also must be considered as depositaries of many further and important cultural values. As consequence, when  historic timber structures, whether buildings or parts of a building, or their components or members, are being assessed in connection with a project of development or modification, there is a risk that after the assessment, and perhaps as a result of it, the structures or components will be destroyed or significantly modified. It is therefore essential that the assessment include an archaeological record of the structures or components, and of their context, and including both photographs and measured drawings with scales, and if relevant, video material, all clearly dated and labeled.

2) Within technical information to be recorded, structure dating is a very important issue, both for the indication of building construction phases and for information that could be contained in old timber element (i.e. climatology and ecology).

3) Assessment of both structure and members is another key aspect for structures conservation and safety. Visual inspection is emerged as a fundamental step of the processes (both for assessment of biological and physical/mechanical damages). Of course the inspection effectiveness can be significantly improved by means of different non-destructive techniques (i.e. ultrasound, stress waves, sonic tomography, drilling devices) and especially from combination of two or more of them. Determination of both MOE of the whole structural elements, and identification of residual cross section of the beams, are two aims satisfactorily achieved by current knowledge, while still open, and necessary of further research work, are:

Assessment of actual residual strength of old timber;

Identification of classes of damage;

Determination of strength classes for old timber (even if it is really possible).

4) The necessity of developing a data base of experimental results, and to set material banks in which collect old timber elements, have been highlighted as two of the most important needs for development of future research works.

5) A brief summary of the most important outcomes of the focused meeting on standards for wooden cultural heritage, held in Krakow on April 2-3, 2009, has been presented by H. Cruz. The need of developing Guidelines and Standards for assessment and conservation of historical timber structure has been confirmed as a priority task to be developed in this field.

Scientific Program

Thursday May 21, 2009-

09,00 – 09,45 Uwe Noldt, (Germany) – Warm air treatment in the roof of Aachen Cathedral (Octogon and two Chapels) Monitoring and Control of Wood destroying insects

10,00 – 13,00 Visit to roof timber structures of S.Marco Church

14,00 – 14,30 Eleftheria Tsakanika (Greece) “Restoration problems of historical timber roofs in Greece”

Dating of wooden members and structures

14,30 – 15, 15 P.Hoffsummer (Belgium), “Dendrochronology appllied to dating of timber structures

15,15 – 15,35 O. Pignatelli (Italy) Venice: from the origins of the city to the magnificence of the Serenissima Republic

15,35 – 15,55 I.Botar (Romania), Potentials and role of dendrochronology for the interpretation of the historical timber structures in Transylvania

Assessment of structural members and structures

16,15 – 16,45 H.Cruz (Portugal), What one needs to know for the safety assessment of timber structures. Is there a need for guidelines?

16,45 – 17,15 M. Riggio (Italy) Recommendations for nondestructive testing of structural timber: the activity of the RILEM TC 215-AST”

17,15 – 17,45 J. Saporiti Machado, (Portugal) “Strength assessment of old timber structural members. Strategy proposed within the framework of a National project”.

17,45 – 18,15 C.Colla,(Italy) “Diagnosis of structural beams from Cultural Heritage roofs: experimental comparison of sonic tomography and drilling penetration resistance.”

18,15-18,45 P. Palma (Portugal) Structural performance assessment and repair of carpentry joints

Friday May 22, 2009

Structural Typologies and Conservation

09,00 – 09,30 O.Storsletten (Norwey), Roof Construction in the Norvegian Stave Churches: Structural Typologies and Maintenance

09,30 – 10,00 M. Tanac Zeren (Turkey), Structural Typologies and classic costruction details of timber structures “case study – traditional Turkish Houses”

10,00 – 10,30 O.Yilmaz Karaman (Turkey) Importance and conservation of timber elements of structural system within masonry buildings

10,30 – 11,00 V. Rodriguez (Spain) Architectural and structural comparisment of South American and European timber frame structures

11,30 – 12,00 H. Diskaya (Turkey) Types of firewall settlement and structural properties of traditional timber houses in Istambul

Intervention and restoration: cases studies and guidelines

12,00 – 12,45 G.Tampone (Italy) Metodologies and techiniques of intervention

14,00 – 14,45 C.Bertolini Cestari (Italy) Timber roof structures of historical interest: survey methodologies and proposals of interventions. Case-studies.

14,45- 15,30 M.Togni, L.Uzielli (Italy) Assessment and conservation of old timber structures in the Italian Standards

15,30 – 16,00 Posters

16,00 – 17,00 Final discussion and closure of the meeting (Chair H.Cruz (Portugal)).

>

Focused Meeting within the WoodCultHer COST ACTION IE0601, Prague 30-31 March 2009

snapshots from the meetin

Consolidation, reinforcement & stabilisation of decorated wooden artefacts

Institute of Chemical Technology in Prague, Czech Republic. 30-31 March 2009 

Report

Tone M. Olstad, Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, Norway 

 & Irena Kucerova, Institute of Chemical Technology, Czech Republic 

Introduction

The meeting was initiated because there was a need to look into “the state of the art” for the topic: Consolidation, reinforcement & stabilisation of decorated wooden artefacts. The meeting primarily dealt with “non-archaeological”-wood

The outcome of the meeting should give bases and suggestions both for improving present practices, and for clarifying practical research needs on how to consolidate the wood as a carrier for a decorative surface; for example panel paintings, wooden polychrome sculpture, carved and/or painted wooden details in a building or on a ship.

The main objectives for the meeting 

• To present a “state of the art” for the topic
• To improve mutual knowledge and acquaintance between professionals interested in the topic of the meeting
• To provide an arena for exchange of experience and research results among professionals working with the conservation of the wooden cultural heritage, especially conservators and scientists
• To discuss techniques and materials, the criteria and methods applied for evaluating a treatment, as well as the objectives and philosophies used when deciding the aims of different treatments and how to treat an object
• To provide an occasion of discussing interdisciplinary subjects, which are very important for study and conservation of wooden cultural heritage objects (WCHOs)
• To identify the research needs

Participants in the meeting – the target group for the meeting

Participants in the meeting were conservators, conservation scientists, wood scientists and engineers dealing with the consolidation of wood in wooden decorated objects and other wooden objects. The meeting did bring together experienced professionals who still ask questions about the methods used and about the current philosophies when it comes to conservation of cultural heritage objects made of wood.

In total 29 participants attended the meeting, coming from 12 countries, all being COST-members.

The Contributions

• Keynote lectures by:

Achim Unger, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Germany

Jørgen Wadum, National gallery of Denmark, Denmark and

Irena Kucerova, Institute of Chemical Technology Prague, Czech Republik

• 9 orals. In addition: Achim Unger’s presentation on consolidated wood samples.
• 6 posters were presented during the Poster session.

Achim Unger gave a historic survey on wood consolidation treatments in Germany starting from about 1912. He discussed the composition of the consolidants used, the damages they have caused and different ways of extracting the consolidants by use of organic solvents and carbondioxide. Among his conclusions were:

• Consolidants containing mixtures of drying oils with addition of resins or resins alone causes strong damage after about 100 years.
• Leaching and extraction procedures with organic solvents or supercritical carbon dioxide can remove the aged consolidants in a limited extent only.
• New consolidants should include a potential reversibility, compatibility and re-treatability.

The problem of removing former treatments is a general problem within the field of conservation. The system showed by Unger on how to extract the consolidant is quite complex, and there is a question if an eventual paintlayer or vulnerable surface, will suffer from the “detreatment”.

s”.

Jørgen Wadum discussed the The Panel Paintings Initiative – a multi year collaborative project initiated by the Getty Conservation Institute. The initiative is a response to the growing recognition that significant collections of paintings on wood panels may be at risk in coming decades due to the waning numbers of conservators and craftspeople with the highly specialized skills required for the conservation of these complex works of art.

The objectives of the Initiative are to:

• enhance understanding of the structural conservation of panel paintings;
• provide expertise in the structural stabilization of panel paintings to a new generation of conservators through focused residencies, workshops, and other training opportunities; and
• disseminate references and learning resources on the structural conservation of wooden panels.

Irena Kucerova’s lecture covered one of the main questions asked by the group attending the meeting: how to know the flow of the consolidant into the object? She discussed how to study penetration of acrylic solutions (Solakryl BMX, Veropal, Paraloid B72) into the wood.  The concentration profile of acrylates after wood impregnation was studied with Raman spectroscopy, while Neutron radiography allowed the monitoring of liquid penetration in real time. The study was done on samples of poplar and pine wood (20×20x30mm). Among other conclusions, Kucerova said that the results gained from both methods are in agreement and complement each other well, but more research is needed. An interesting aspect was that the solution used in her experiments was of a higher percentage than what would normally have been used for conservation purposes. This was a  good example on how important this cross disciplinary Cost Action is.

Paraloid B 72 was the most often mentioned product during the two days as a consolidant for wood, and also mentioned by Ladislav Reinprecht , Technical University Zvolen, Slovakia, who  shared with us his experience on conservation of wood with acrylics. He has among other things looked into the synthetics influence on decay processes in wood. He found that Paraloid B-72 do not increase the resistance of wood against brown-rot fungi.

When it comes to the consolidants possibility of strengthening decayed wood he concluded that Solakryl BT 55 (polybutylmethacrylate) had a slightly positive effect on the mechanical properties of biodamaged spruce wood and that it slightly increased the MOE of spruce wood intentionally damaged by the brown-rot fungus Coniophora puteana.

The conservation of two wooden sculptures (lime tree) with Solakryl BT 55 in a 22,5 % toluene solution were given as a case study. He had calculated that the theoretical solids left in the sculptures after treatment was  respectively 31.7 and 32.5%. Also in this case the percentage of the added Solakryl BT55 solution seems to be higher than usually wanted by the conservator.

To save an important surface, deteriorated wood often has to be replaced, or tunnels  and voids in the wood have to be filled. Stefan Demeter, Technical University Munich, Germany, presented the conservation and reconstruction of a Painted Wooden Tomb Chamber dating from 480 BC. This was a case were the treatment of the wooden support clearly could interfere with the paintings on the surface. The surface was treated with rabbitskin-glue as a mist, which consolidated both the paint and the wooden surface. The gaps or rather tunnels just beneath the surface of the wood caused by insects were filled with wood or putty designed for the purpose. The wooden beams are now in a museum in Munich and the fluctuating RH is not a main problem for the future conservation of the objects or the choice of treatment. Replacement of wood in various ways was also shown as a method to save the surface layer by Elżbieta Jeżewska and Krzysztof Chmielewski, from the Academy of fine Arts, Poland. Adding new wood were the old was lost was discussed as a technical as well as an ethical problem by Aleth Lorne, Private conservator, The Netherlands.

The change in material properties of the consolidated wood was an important issue in the discussions in the meeting. Arnold Truyen, Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg, The Netherlands argued that consolidation of wood is based on experience more than research based knowledge. His questions were in line with the important issues for the meeting; how do we know where the consolidants go, how do we know how deep into the structure it goes? What about possible internal tensions when a solvent is added? The drying times of solvents remain long and how do we know when the consolidation is complete? He also discussed the problems of discoloration of the wood and the “Plasticification” of the wood when consolidants like Paraloid B 72 are added.

Truyen listed some ideas and some possible research areas for consolidation of wood:

• Is it possible to develop “self healing” materials for use in wood consolidation?
• May the frass of the wood be used?
• Is it possible to use gas polymerisation; – to achieve polymerization through the introduction of individual monomers in a gaseous phase?
• Carbon-fibre (nano tubes): Can micro- or nano balloons be used?
• Can air pockets be generated in the polymer to achieve an open structure in the damaged areas without expansion pressure?

The importance of the surface layer as possible vapour barrier to reduce the influences of environmental climatic variations was another issue at the meeting. Ottaviano Allegretti CNR-IVALSA Italian research Council- Timber and Trees Institute, Italy, introduced an ongoing project on how the consolidation of a painted surface on wood influences the water vapour transport to and from the wood. The project aims at developing models for the prediction and understanding of the hygroscopic and deformative behavior of wooden, painted artifacts. He had looked at how various consolidants, among them: skin rabbit glue, sturgeon glue and Paraloid B72, influences the barrier effect of tempera and “oil-painted” surfaces. Allegretti concluded that the use of consolidants on the painted surface to control the permeability is not effective, and that the use of consolidants does not alter the existing equilibrium between wood and environment. Allegretti emphasizes that further research is needed.

Also Nanke Schellmann, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden, Germany /Victoria & Albert Museum London and Imperial College, London, UK,   discussed a method for evaluating the efficiency of consolidants for decorated wooden artifacts. Her method was so far used for evaluating the treatment of the surface layer, but according to Schellmann, it also appears to be a promising mean for analyzing the changing toughness characteristics of wood consolidated with various adhesives. This is a new method and more work is needed.

The examination of the condition of the objects is often not easy as an undestroyed surface may hide defects in the structure below. Jochen Aderhold, Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Germany, presented a method for non-destructive evaluation of decorated wooden artefacts with active infrared thermography.

The conservation of built structures was dealt with by Iben Christensen Danish Technical University, Danmark who introduced a new method on electrochemical in situ impregnation of wood with copper. The results so far imply that the method could be useful in achieving faster protection of wood already in construction.

The results of the meeting

The state of the art resulting from this meeting has some obvious limits, like the limited number of persons attending, and the limited geographical spread of the contributors. So when talking about the state of the art, it is the state of the art resulting from this meeting, not the state of the art of the topic in general.

A meeting place for professionals interested in the same topic was created during the two days. Likewise was sharing of information, of research results and other important issues made possible during the two meeting-days and for the future. This Meeting was an important arena for defining the future activities within one area of the COST-Action. A very good atmosphere, full of enthusiasm and of availability towards cooperation, emerged in this occasion, and hopefully will be maintained during future meetings and activities. The delegates expressed interest in keeping the group together and facilitate communication among the delegates.

New ideas came up at the meeting, but still there is a way to go before the newly introduced methods may be launched and proved useful for the consolidation, reinforcement & stabilisation of decorated wooden artefacts.

There is definitely a need for research within the field. During the meeting the following were the main questions or topics for further research that emerged:

• The idea of consolidation – what do we want? A “plastification” of the structure through added synthetics, or a support of the structure perhaps by a some added ”selfgrowing” open structure?
• The consolidant – what to use – how to apply it – how to control it
• The problem of the interface between the consolidated and non consolidated area
• The material knowledge and the skills and of the woodworker
• The need for mutual understanding and communication between conservators and scientists.

Day 1, Monday March 30

Day 2, Tuesday March 31

(ADRAM-09)

16^th – 20^th November 2009

Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland

Flyer_Training-School