AN APPROACH TO THE CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF

LARGE TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTS

Objects conservators as a group have till recently ignored large technological objects, leaving them in the care of well meaning but often misguided craftspeople and curators.

This paper outlines a systematic approach to the conservation/restoration of technological objects. Some questions concerning the ethics of technological object conservation are also raised.

Examples are drawn from Australia and a recent tour of England and the USA.

David Hallam

Given in 1984 a AICCM conference in Perth

Technological Object Conservation

Technological object conservation falls into a gap between what is considered monumental conservation and art object conservation. Both these have reasonably well accepted ethical standards and approaches to sites and objects. Technological objects have missed out and it is only recently that conservators have been concerning themselves with the technical, ethical and practical problems involved with their conservation. The conservation communities lack of interest in technological objects and associated materials has meant that the responsibility for these objects conservation has been left firmly on the shoulders of the curators and craftspeople in traditional restoration shops. The efforts of these people and the volume of material they have treated, thus preventing there total loss, must never be underestimated nor forgotten. Their-non scientific approach, general remedies, drawing on shop practice, tradition, experience and an intuitive feel for the materials means that many objects have been given inappropriate treatments. Craftspeople will tend to use standard blanket treatment to ensure they "hit" the target and the deterioration will "stop". Much valuable information is thus literally washed down the sink or ends up on the shop floor.

It requires a competent diagnosis based on a knowledge of materials and deterioration processes to treat just the condition problem leaving the object affected to the minimum.

Restoration Re integration of the Object

Restoration is usually made necessary by the need to complete an object so it can convey to it's viewer a better image of what the object looked like or how it performed a task in a previously known state. The decision to restore an object is a curatorial one. Not one made on the shop floor by a restorer.

RE integration may vary from an invisible, but distinguishable mend, right through to a material of different textures. Restoration can easily damage or distort the surviving clues held in an object.

Rather than interpreting them competently the truth is destroyed and future interpretation will be based not on the true evidence but misleading interpretations.

Full interpretation of an object prior to and during conservation/restoration requires the following triumvent.

Introduction

In this paper I intend to:

1. Examine the conservation/restoration of large technological objects.

2. Outline a systematic approach to the conservation/restoration of large technological objects.

3. Outline the conservators involvement in the conservation/restoration of large technological objects.

Definition

First I had better define a technological object for the purpose of this paper.

A technological object is a functional object that reflects certain technologies both in its manufacture and function.

It should be noted that:

1. The object has a technological or applied science content intrinsic to it's manufacture. Hence it is documentary evidence of those technologies, a primary source.

2. The object was designed to perform a function. Any conservation restoration treatment must take this fact into consideration.

3. The object is a document of it's own use, misuse, repair and restoration.

Approaches to Objects

The conservation approach to an object is well documented. Hanna Jedrzejewka gave a typical example in her 1979 Budapest paper (8).

1. Preliminary examination: structure, state, symptoms of decay, losses;

2. Diagnosis of state and needs, and of factors of documentary importance;

3. Statement of the objects requirements;

4. Statement concerning criterion's for materials, methods of treatment and reversibility of the applied processes;

5. Carrying out the treatment according to established normative;

6. Recording of accepted motivation, of results, of examinations of technical operations and of all found factors of documentary evidence.

I am afraid the same cannot be said for technological objects as this example from a book on car restoration show the only (4) mention of approaches or ethics is this statement on the last paper.

"When you come to restore your car, aim to reproduce the state in which it left the factory.

Avoid the use of materials which were not current at the time.

Do not plate things that were originally left in their natural state, and vice versa.

By all means clean metal surfaces, but do not polish them unless you use your car on the race track.

If you carry out this advice, you may not win every Concourse d'Elegance you enter, but will, at least be running a car which has retained its historical integrity as incongruous as a chromium plated penny in a handful of change."

Not the drastic difference from the Conservation approach. Luckily things are improving as a recent article in the April of 1985 Thoroughbred and Classic Cars (3) indicated in a discussion on restoration ethics. Let me quote:

"One might think that you can turn to the museum world to provide the answer. Museums have been with us for more than 120 years and there are many books written and meetings and seminars held to discuss restoration and conservation. The ethics and techniques are well known for anthropology, ethnography and art but relatively little discussion has taken place about restoring objects from the world of technology, particularly when the objects have been worn out in the service of man, something which does not happen with an oil painting for example. However little discussion the museum people may have had on the subject the members of the old vehicle movement hardly ever give it a thought. A number of books have been written on eh subject of restoration itself but they hardly mention the ethics."

It seems that the museum world has turned to, but found lacking. I can sympathise.

It is common workshop practice to abrasive or acid clean metallic objects. Most metallic surfaces on technological objects are coated with conversion coatings, patinas or wear marks which are removed by these processes. Also it is common workshop practice to oxide or conversions coat metals after cleaning, this compounds the problem as the old surface is replaced with a "modern" surface. Although it might be fine corrosion protection for the worst foreseeable environment it will also serve to mislead people in the future and reduce the usefulness of the object as a study piece.

The Australian War Memorial has several aircraft of German origin. During the pre conservation condition survey it was noticed that the aluminium was coated with a grey blue oxide coating. This has tentatively been identified as an alkaline Chromate conversion coating of Modified Bayer Vogel variety (10, 11, 12,) Treatment was then formulated to take this into consideration. Preservation work on similar aircraft in the United States did not, (5, 6,) resulting in loss of the aluminium's oxide coating. This removal will certainly confuse scholars in the future and could be viewed as unethical by some conservators at present. But without conservation input into the treatment development in this area there were no real options.

Restoration re-integration of the Object

Restoration is usually made necessary by the need to complete an object so it can convey to it's viewer a better image of what the object looked like or how it performed a task in a previously known state. The decision to restore an object is a curatorial one, not one made on the shop floor by a restorer.

Re-integration may vary from an invisible, but distinguishable mend, right through to a material of different textures. Restoration ca easily damage or distort the surviving clues held in an object.

Rather than interpreting them competently the truth is destroyed and future interpretation will be based not on the true evidence but misleading interpretations.

Full interpretation of an object prior to and during conservation/restoration requires the following triumvent.

Large Objects

As well as the normal conservation considerations when a treatment is being contemplated for a large object, the following have to be considered;

1. Size

Our Me 262 will consume 3 4000 hours.

2. Technical Skills Required

eg. Turbine dismantling, engine fitting. Sheet metal acrylic wiring rigging.

3. Special Equipment Required

eg. cranes, pullers, abrasive chambers, large tanks.

4. The Current State of Conservation Knowledge

About the deterioration and treatment of the materials in the object eg; rubbers, acrylics, composites, surface oxide, finishes, alloys, oil systems, greased coolants.

5. Current Maintenance Practice.

In the appropriate industry.

Now let me go through a list of tasks that should be covered in a systematic conservation approach in approximate order;

1. Research literature on object

i Use and history

ii Specifications

iii Techniques of manufacture

2. Research provenance

i Who owned it

ii Where has it been

iii How was it treated

3. Scientifically study object

i Check on accuracy of literature

ii Check provenance

iii Establish how it was made

iv Establish materials used

4. Document objects condition

i Deterioration chemical

ii Deterioration physical

iii Missing parts

iv Operational condition

5. Define restoration aim

i To what period in its `life' will it be restored?

Why?

ii Exactly what does that look like?

iii How do you know this?

6. Proposed treatment

i How to dismantle.

ii How to treat sub assemblies.

iii What is to be repaired and how?

iv Chemical processes proposed.

v Physical processes proposed for correction

vi Protective schemes proposed.

vii Proposed maintenance program.

viii Proposed maintenance program.

7. Materials required

i Chemicals

ii Shortage list

8. Restoration work

i Discuss proposed treatment.

ii Do work.

iii Document work process and alterations.

iv Record observations. Sample object for records.

v Record `special techniques' developed.

vi Record sub assemblies and parts on a photographic blow-up.

vii Record stages photographically.

viii Record person hours.

9. Object restored

i Record photographically

ii Write up report.

iii Implement maintenance program.

iv Publish findings.

v Monitor storage and display conditions.

Conclusion

Conservators have till recently ignored our technological heritage and its associated conservation problems. In Australia technological objects document a large part of our post 1850's development. We cannot afford to leave the conservation of these objects to fate and well meaning restorers.

Conservator's working with curators and appropriately skilled craftspeople can tackle technological objects, even large ones, so long as they use a systematic approach, guided with a large dose of ethics and common sense.

Just look at the America's cup and remember problems the future has in stall for us.

Bibliography

1. J Wood

"The Restoration of Vintage and Thoroughbred Cars",

Haynes Publishing Group UK 1977

2. R Wheatley & B Morgan

"Restoration of Vintage & Thoroughbred Cars"

B T Batsford Ltd London 1957

3. Jonathan Wood

"The Restoration and Preservation of Vintage and Classic Cars"

Haynes Publishing Group Sparkford UK 1977

4. Richard C Wheatley & Brian Morgan

"The Restoration of Vintage and Thoroughbred Cars"

B T Batsford Ltd London 1957

5. W Boyne

Historical Aircraft Preservation - View from NASM

"Aerospace Historian" Spring - March 1984

6. Robert C Mikesh

"Aircraft Preservation"

Transport Museums Vol. 7 Gdansk 1980

7. Hanna Jedrzejewska

"Basic Problems in the Conservation at Stone Objects"

Second International Restorer Se3minor - Veszprem Hungary

Problems of Completion of Art Objects

Institute of Conservation and Methodology of Museums Budapest 1979

8. Hanna Jedrzejewska

"Problems of Ethics in Conservation Practice"

Second International Restorer Seminar - Veszprem Hungary

Problems of Completion of Art Objects

Institute of Conservation and Methodology of Museums Budapest 1979

9. Bernard Feilden

"The OCCROM for the Imification of the Principles at Restoration"

Second International Restorer Seminar - Veszprem Hungary

Problems of Completion of Art Objects

Institute of Conservation and Methodology of Museums Budapest 1979

10. G H Kissin

"The finishing of Aluminium"

Reinhold Publishing Corp. New York

11. Anon.

"Oberflachen Verfahren fur Aluminium"

Aluminium Zentrale GMBH Berlin 1941

12. J W Gailer & E J Vaughan

"Protective Coatings for Metals"

Charles Griffin & Company London 1950