{"id":10413,"date":"2014-06-13T16:35:06","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T21:35:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conservators-converse.org\/?p=10413"},"modified":"2014-06-13T16:35:06","modified_gmt":"2014-06-13T21:35:06","slug":"42nd-annual-meeting-objects-session-may-31-pine-pitch-new-treatment-protocols-for-a-brittle-and-crumbly-conservation-problem-by-nancy-odegaard-et-al","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resources.culturalheritage.org\/conservators-converse\/2014\/06\/13\/42nd-annual-meeting-objects-session-may-31-pine-pitch-new-treatment-protocols-for-a-brittle-and-crumbly-conservation-problem-by-nancy-odegaard-et-al\/","title":{"rendered":"42nd Annual Meeting, Objects Session, May 31, Pine Pitch: New Treatment Protocols for a Brittle and Crumbly Conservation Problem by Nancy Odegaard, et al."},"content":{"rendered":"

In this paper presented at Saturday’s Objects Session, Nancy Odegaard, Marilen Pool and Christina Bisulca described\u00a0a new treatment protocol they established, along with their colleagues Brunella Santarelli, Madeleine Neiman, and Gina Watkinson, for treating baskets with deteriorated, pine pitch coatings. \u00a0The treatment protocol was devised after conducting a survey of the basket collection at Arizona State Museum<\/a>, where the majority of the pitch-coated ethnographic baskets (70 out of about 100) had unstable, blanched, cracked and brittle surfaces. \u00a0The baskets required treatment so that they could be moved to a new location.
\n\"IMG_1359\"<\/a>
\nThe majority of the baskets were Apache and were made using a twining or coiling technique. \u00a0The pine pitch, obtained from the pi\u00f1on\u00a0pine <\/a>would have been applied to the surface of the baskets as a waterproofing measure. \u00a0Two colors of pitch were observed on the exterior of the baskets, each with different condition issues. \u00a0Some baskets were covered with a red pitch that appeared translucent. \u00a0The other baskets were covered with a dark brown to black, opaque pitch. Both colors of pitch had suffered degradation due to factors such as UV, temperature and pollutants, however the red pitch appeared more unstable and had a formed a series of fine cracks. \u00a0The darker pitch had deeper cracks.
\nBecause the baskets had to be moved, a treatment protocol was established to stabilize the surfaces so the baskets could be safely transported to a new storage area. Previous treatments for deteriorated pitch had included consolidation with solvents or the use of heat (using a butane torch!) to reintegrate the cracked, crumbly surface. \u00a0The ASM team was looking for another treatment option, and one that took into consideration the vast numbers of objects that required treatment. \u00a0Borrowing from methods used to clean aged varnish in the field of paintings conservation, the conservators\u00a0decided to reactivate the pitch using a solvent to stabilize the flaking material and reattach the crumbly surfaces.
\nPrior to any treatment, the conservators wanted to get a cultural perspective on the treatment since they did not want to add material, alter the pitch or appearance of the basket and wanted to make sure the objected\u00a0retain\u00a0their cultural integrity and significance. Nancy consulted with a Navajo weaver who said that pitch baskets should always look shiny and therefore reactivating the pitch, and the subsequent shiny appearance the material would take, was acceptable.
\nTreatment<\/span>
\nBecause of the success in the use of ethanol in cleaning aged, pine-based varnish from paintings, that was the solvent chosen for the reactivation of the pine pitch on the ethnographic baskets.<\/p>\n