Title: New Materials for the Coating of Outdoor Bronze
Description: Bronze surfaces exposed to an outdoor environment face many conservation challenges. Dramatically varying conditions of temperature, moisture and pollution typically result in material loss (as pitting and dissolution) and chemical alteration, accompanied by color change. Without intervention, bronze left to weather outdoors will continue to deteriorate until little remains of the physical substance and appearance of the original patinated surface. However, the processes of decay can be slowed significantly through the use of coatings. While waxes and lacquers have long been available to conservators, these coatings typically require annual maintenance to retain a high level of performance. With the development of a number of new treatment systems, there seems to be the potential to combine improved protection with enhanced coating durability, considerably extending the time between conservation interventions. Several innovative coatings were evaluated, in comparison to current practices.

This research has involved the preparation of coated coupons for testing with the use of QUV accelerated weathering. A number of ASTM standard test methods were used to study the samples before and after QUV exposure.