Coating Challenges in Cultural Heritage Conservation

By Stéphanie A. Cretté, PhD, Liisa M.E. Näsänen

In 2008, a project between the National Park Service and the Warren Lasch Conservation Center (WLCC) of Clemson University Restoration Institute was initiated to develop a protocol for conservation treatment on a selected set of ordnance and metal architectural elements at South Carolina’s Fort Sumter National Monument, to include Fort Moultrie.

One of the key purposes of this research, and a factor that sets this project apart in the field of conservation, is the ability to provide comparative testing of several removal methods as well as coating products on historic metal substrates. Preliminary testing on coupons and substrates with no historic provenance has been running alongside laboratory and on-site testing on actual historic artifacts throughout the complex chronology of the project.

The manner in which the project was designed from its inception, as a collaborative research effort, has made this work possible. Continuous, open, and effective communication between the different entities—Federal, State, and private—has been crucial in defining a goal and executing a plan that is achievable and sustainable, while contributing considerably to research and education within the multifaceted field of preservation and stewardship of cultural heritage.