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Powder-post beetles damaged some of the most detailed areas of paint, necessitating the conservation. The beetle's tunneling caused areas of deteriorated wood to be exposed, weakening the paint surface and causing losses in some areas and jeopardizing the overall condition and interpretation of this important 20th century artifact.
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after
The goal of the treatment was to give support to areas of structurally compromised wood surface while retaining as much original material as possible and allowing for reversibility. The repairs ranged from minor surface consolidation with paper reinforcement, epoxy consolidation with a low-viscosity acrylic consolidant, existing void repair with a structural acrylic epoxy, and surface removal for reattachment. The team covered each repair with an archivally stable Japanese paper and tinted each with watercolor to hide the repair in the surrounding painted surface.
