| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Mamdouh, A.(*) & El Hadidi, N.
Organic Conservation dept., Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo Univ., Giza, Egypt

Abstract:
Wooden artifacts, like all other objects made of organic materials are susc-eptible to deterioration, and have to be continuously monitored and treated during their exhibition. Prior to the recent opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), all the artifacts that were chosen for display had to be re-treated and prepared for mounting and exhibition. The most prominent attraction in the museum is the Tutankhamun collection, which has been subject to many years of treatment since the discovery of the tomb and during its exhibition at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir (EMC). Over the years several polymers have been used to treat wood, such as Paraloid B72, Klucel G, Methyl Cellulose and Funori. Their application on decayed wood makes some of these polymers susceptible to microbiological decay, which means that there is a probability that the treated wood may degrade again after treatment, if not kept in a controlled museum environment. In this article the decay is evaluated on Ziziphus spina-christi wood treated with the four polymers over a period of 18 months. The results obtained from the light optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy showed that the polymers were affected differently by fungi, and even the same polymer dissolved in different solvents did not give the same results.

Keywords:
Ziziphus spina-christi Paraloid B72 Fungi Methyl Cellulose Klucel G Funori

Statistics :
Article views: 48
PDF Downloads: 19