Kate Wight Tyler
Abstract
New materials and creative strategies are needed to combat the deterioration of elastomers in 20th-century collections. Unstable and actively degrading polymers are commonly observed in aging mass-produced objects, and a large percentage of these are elastomers. As the first round of inquiry into the suitability of reinforcing or replacing elastomeric components in works of art, design, and historical collections, samples of various materials (silicone rubbers, hot-melt adhesives, Neoprene, and other proprietary products) were evaluated for their working and archival properties with the expectation that advances in polymer technology now provide more stable options with similar properties. Two well-performing materials (Neoprene sheet and Versimold silicone rubber) were used in the treatment of two objects from the Brooklyn Museum.