Thursday, August 14, 2014

Brush consolidation


Brush consolidation of pigments in manuscripts is always done under high magnification.

In the case of brush consolidation of flaking pigment, a wetting agent is applied with an extremely fine brush along the edge of a crack. The wetting agent reduces the surface tension of the adhesive -or consolidant- which is applied immediately afterwards. This allows the consolidant to move beneath the loose pigment by capillary action, drawing the fragments back to the surface of the object and reattaching them to the substrate.