NASA Glenn Research Center Space Environment and Experiments Branch Atomic Oxygen Cleaning Titles

Titles:

• Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip From ‘Water Lilies’ a Fire Damaged Monet  November 2001
   
• Cleaning of Fire Damaged Watercolor and Textiles Using Atomic Oxygen  October 2000
   
• Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering Smoke-Damaged Paintings  2000
   
• Use of an Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Beam for Restoration of Defaced Paintings  September 1999
   
• Recovery of a Charred Painting Using Atomic Oxygen Treatment  September 1999
   
• Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering Smoke Damaged Paintings  June 1998
   
• An Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Source for Cleaning Smoke Damaged Art Objects  June 1998

Miller, S., Banks, B. A., and Tollis, G., “Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip From ‘Water Lilies’ a Fire Damaged Monet,” prepared for the 2001 Fall Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, NASA TM-2001-211326, November 26-30, 2001.

A museum fire in 1958 severely damaged a Monet “Water Lilies” (1916-1926) painting that was on display. The surface of the painting is very dark with areas of blistering and charring. Over the years, traditional techniques have been found to be ineffective at removal of the soot and char from the surface. The painting, which is now in the care of the New York University (NYU) Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, was the subject of a study to determine if atomic oxygen treatment could remove the soot and char without damaging the fragile painting underneath. For test purposes, a small chip of paint was removed from the edge of the painting by a conservator at NYU and supplied to NASA Glenn Research Center for atomic oxygen treatment and analysis. The diffuse spectral reflectance, at three locations on the paint chip, was monitored at intervals during the atomic oxygen treatment process. Photo documentation of the chip during the treatment was also performed. The color contrast was calculated from the spectral reflectance data as a function of treatment duration. Results of the testing indicated that the contrast improved as a result of the treatment, and the differentiation of colors on the surface was significantly improved. Soot and char could be removed without visibility affecting the gross surface features such as impasto areas. These results indicate the feasibility for the treatment of the “Water Lilies” painting.

 
Rutledge, S. K., Banks, B. A., Chichernea, V. A., and Haytas, C. A., “Cleaning of Fire Damaged Watercolor and Textiles Using Atomic Oxygen,” proceedings of the 18th International Congress of the International Institute for Conservation, Melbourne, Australia, NASA TM 2000-210335, October 10-14, 2000.

A non-contact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen to remove soot from the surface of a test watercolor panel and strips of cotton, wool and silk. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of soot removal from test panels of six basic watercolors (alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, cerulean blue and ultramarine blue) and strips of colored cotton, wool and silk was measured using reflectance spectroscopy. The atomic oxygen removed soot effectively from the treated areas and enabled partial recovery of charred watercolors. However, overexposure can result in removal of sizing, bleaching, and weakening of the structure. With the proper precautions, atomic oxygen treatment appears to have great potential to salvage heavily smoke damaged artworks which were previously considered unrestorable.

The non-contact technique that is described uses atomic oxygen, generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen, to remove soot and charred varnish from the surface of a painting. The process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of the process was evaluated by reflectance measurements from selected areas taken during the removal of damaged varnish and paint binder from the surface.

An atmospheric atomic oxygen beam has been found to be effective in removing organic materials through oxidation that are typical of graffiti or other contaminant defacements which may occur to the surfaces of paintings. The technique, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is portable and was successfully used at the Carnegie Museum of Art to remove a lipstick smudge from the surface of porous pain on the Andy Warhol painting Bathtub. This process was also evaluated for suitability to remove felt tip and ball point ink graffiti from paper, gesso on canvas and cotton canvas.

A non-contact method is described which uses atomic oxygen to remove soot and char from the surface of a painting. The atomic oxygen was generated by the dissociation of oxygen in low-pressure air using radio frequency energy. The treatment, which is an oxidation process, allows control of the amount of material to be removed. The effectiveness of char removal from half of a fire-damaged oil painting was studied using reflected light measurements from selected areas of the painting and by visual and photographic observation. The atomic oxygen was able to effectively remove char and soot from the treated half of the painting. The remaining loosely bound pigment was lightly sprayed with a mist to replace the binder and then varnish was reapplied. Caution should be used when treating an untested paint medium using atomic oxygen. A representative edge or corner should be tested first in order to determine if the process would be safe for the pigments present. As more testing occurs, a greater knowledge base will be developed as to what types of paints and varnishes can or cannot be treated using this technique. With proper precautions, atomic oxygen treatment does appear to be a technique with great potential for allowing charred, previously unrestorable art to be salvaged.

Smoke damage, as a result of fire, can be difficult to remove from some types of painting media without causing swelling, leaching, or pigment movement or removal. A non-contact technique has been developed which can remove soot from the surface of a painting by use of a gently flowing gas containing atomic oxygen. The atomic oxygen chemically reacts with the soot on the surface creating gasses such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which can be removed through the use of an exhaust system. The reaction is limited to the surface so that the process can be timed to stop when the paint layer is reached. Atomic oxygen is a primary component of the low Earth orbital environment, but it can be generated on Earth through various methods. This paper will discuss the results of atomic oxygen treatment of soot exposed acrylic gesso, ink on paper, and a varnished oil painting. Reflectance measurements were used to characterize the surfaces before and after treatment.

Soot and other carbonaceous combustion products deposited on the surfaces of porous ceramic, stone, ivory, and paper can be difficult to remove and can have potentially unsatisfactory results using wet chemical and/or abrasive cleaning techniques. An atomic oxygen source which operates in air at atmospheric pressure, using a mixture of oxygen and helium, has been developed to produce an atomic oxygen beam which is highly effective in oxidizing soot deposit on surfaces by burning candles made of paraffin, oil, or rendered animal fat. Atomic oxygen source operating conditions and the results of cleaning soot from paper, gesso, ivory, limestone, and water color-painted limestone are presented.