4 Generally speaking, most water-based glues used for rejoining are removed easily from a paint
surface while they are still moist. It is important to remove them as soon as possible after they
contact the paint, since paint losses can result from swelling or solvent effects. Also, strong
hygroscopic glues that expand and contract, such as animal (collagen) glues, though soluble
when dry, can easily detach underlying paint (see Mecklenburg 1982:figs. 9, 11). Because even
a thin remnant of such a glue can detach paint, it should be thoroughly and immediately
removed from the paint around the joint.
5 This characteristic has probably been the salvation of many poplar panels subjected to stress-
ful framing and reinforcement structures.
6 Like many conservation considerations, the determination of what constitutes overstress in
the manipulation of a panel painting is generally a matter of judgment, based on experience
and common sense.
7 Rather than leaving one side of a joint higher than the other, an earlier conservation might
have graded a putty or filler between the two levels. Such a grade, or ramp, is often a sign of
inaccurate rejoining or ofa break that has been superficially treated without structural work.
8 The screw clamp’s potential was suggested to the author by Professor I. S. Hodkinson of
Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, where it was applied for this purpose. The first appara-
tus used at HKI was designed and built in winter 1987. See Materials and Suppliers below, for
the supplier of the hold-down clamps used in this apparatus.
9 This is also known as slotted angleand is found in various forms in laboratories in many
countries.
10 Cornelius Janssens (or Johnson). Portrait of the Third Earl of Moray,seventeenth century. Oil on
oak panel, 807 3640 3 7 mm thick. Private collection, Scotland. HKI treatment no. 1475.
11 Polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) film.
12 Acondition in which insufficient glue remains in the joint after drying.
13 Marco Palmezzano, The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine,1537. Oil and egg tempera on
poplar (visual identification) panel, 2560 31805 3 20 mm thick. Signed and dated. Property of
the Marquess of Northampton. HKI treatment no. 1302. (See Brewer, “Practical Aspects,”
herein, and Brewer 1994.)
14 The foam was used as a thin padding to distribute the weight of the panel. Use of a hard
surface, which would have concentrated the weight on too few points over the warped panel
surface, would have risked damage to the paint during the relatively long treatment period.
15 Acurvature typical of substantially thinned panels.
16 See the author’s discussion of the removal of reinforcements from large panels (Brewer,
“Practical Aspects,” herein).
17 Anton Raphael Mengs, Noli Me Tangere,1771. Oil on walnut panel, 2915 31785 3 20 mm
thick. The Warden and Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford. HKI treatment no. 73.
18 See Brewer, “Practical Aspects,” Figures 7, 9a, 9c, herein.Hold-down clamps,Trend Machinery and Cutting Tool Ltd., Unit ‘N’, Penfold Works, Imperial
Way, Watford WD2 4YY, England.Bergeon, S.
1990 Science et patience, ou La restauration des peintures. Paris: Editions de la Réunion des
Musées Nationaux.Brewer, A.
1994 A consolidation/filler system for insect-damaged wood. Hamilton Kerr Institute
Bulletin2:68–72.References
Materials and Suppliers
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