"Yukon Seasons" Restoration - Phase 7 - by Valery Monahan, Conservator
November 25, 2008 Filed in: Yukon Seasons Heist
The work is essentially done. I have finished the repair and it went as I had hoped. The fit isn't perfect, but by making small reductions to the uneven, inner surfaces of the break, I have reduced gaps and increased the contact between the two pieces. I re-attached the tine with Acryloid® B-72 adhesive (ethyl methacrylate copolymer resin in acetone) and have bridged remaining gaps with more of the same adhesive. The break will be visible if anyone looks closely, but its location will make it unobtrusive when the work is on display. Acryloid® B-72 has been researched extensively as both an adhesive and as a consolidant. It dries clear, is tough, but flexible, will not yellow and is reversible in acetone. It is also very chemically stable, so it should remain clear, strong and reversible in acetone for the foreseeable life of Yukon Seasons.
Garnet Muething has finished re-working the mount. She is local heritage contractor with considerable mount-making experience and carpentry training. She deepened the grooves in the wooden uprights supporting the antler beams and then used an epoxy putty to build in so that the grooves match the shape of the antlers. We lined the contact points with black framer's felt. It's a fabric tape with polyester felt on one side and an acrylic, pressure-sensitive adhesive on the other. It is used to line the rebates (inner edges) of frames to keep paintings from sticking to them. You can buy it in a range of widths and colours and it's a great way to add discreet padding to mounts and supports. Garnet also replaced the block under the upper jaw tip with one made from Ethafoam® covered with black cloth. It fits the jaw's new shape and is very discreet. The sculpture sits very solidly on the mount now. The changes are quite subtle and I'm really happy with the way it looks.
Valery
(moose antler skull carving, moose antler skull sculpture)
