As you can see I started reconstructing the glass urn.
Prior to this process I evaluated what kind of adhesive I would be using to reconstruct
the urn.
So one of my choices was cellulose nitrate,
which the glass urn was previously reconstructed with this adhesive in the 1970's
so I decided that this particular adhesive
although it's easier to use and apply during the construction process
may not be so strong to actually withstand the whole traveling and handling process for
the urn.
The second adhesive I thought about and evaluated was epoxy resin
because the edges of the glass fragments were really really thick
I would have to use a lot of epoxy resin,
so in order not to create a stronger bond than the glass itself
because it's an archaeological object, it is really old
and we do not want to introduce anything stronger than the glass itself,
I decided that this would not be a good option either.
The third choice was the paraloid b72 which is an acrylic adhesive
again we often use it in ceramics and glass objects conservation
and as I talked to colleagues and discussed and evaluated the strengths of the adhesive,
paraloid seems to be creating quite a good bond
for the object to be traveling and being handled within the next five years.
So my decision was using conservation friendly paraloid b72
as you can see here
I have been working on the object for the last three weeks now,
it's a bit like a jigsaw puzzle really.
So basically I either put individual fragments together
like small fragments together to build up bigger fragments
or I kind of just add the whole large fragment on to the base of the glass urn
and start building up from it.
I use for example sand trays like this
sometimes to put the glass in if I'm adhering a fragment on.
I put cling film to actually protect abrasion from the sand
so obviously it creates this kind of support mechanism.
The good practice is that we pour a little bit into the little glass jar,
so this prevents the contamination in the bigger jar
so I can just use the adhesive in the small jar here,
then I actually take a little bit of it with a bamboo skewer
and I put it along the edge of the glass fragment
and I apply it along the edge of the glass fragment
and during this process I'm trying not to interfere with the adhesive much
because I don't want to create any kind of air bubbles within the adhesive
because if that happens,
it may actually create an aesthetically undesirable effect.
Once I actually place the fragment on the larger fragment and find the correct position
I try not to move it
and then because my adhesive is thick enough to hold it together as well,
it's around 40-50%
I can use scotch tape to actually apply along the join
to give some strength to the join and then I leave it
and if necessary sometimes I may need to use these clamps
to hold it in certain areas to give more strength and support.
And I leave it until the adhesive completely sets,
around maybe two or three hours,
I prefer not to touch it
before I start adhering or applying the other fragments on to this one
because you do not want to introduce any kind of movement on to the fragments
and spoil the join before the adhesive is set.