The Church of St James the Great

in the Parish of Morpeth

Conservation Report - Treatment - Paint Relaying and Fixing

Relaying and fixing the flaking paint were the main objectives of the treatment programme. These views of the painting scheme from above illustrate how severe and extensive the problem was before treatment.

Stage 1 (left):

lens tissue was applied over the lifted paint flakes with misted water, in order to secure and relax them before fixing. IMS was then injected as a pre-wetting agent before applying the adhesive

Stage 2 (left):

an acrylic dispersion (Primal AC33™) was applied under the paint flakes and/or through the lens tissue by pipette or syringe. Varying concentrations were employed, depending on the severity of flaking

Stage 3 (left):

The deformed flakes were gently rolled and pressed back in place with a cotton pad wrapped in silk. Excess adhesive on the surface was removed with dampened swabs Afterward, the lens tissue was peeled back and removed. Typically, the whole relaying and fixing process needed to be repeated a number of times, particularly for severely deformed areas of flaking

An ultrasonic humidifier was also employed as an additional means of relaxing the severely deformed and lifted paint flakes. An extremely fine, cold mist produced by the humidifier is heated by the held-held pencil (above) to a desired predetermined temperature, which remains at a constant level.

Treatment materials and procedures
material procedure/purpose

industrial methylated spirit (IMS)	pre-wetting agent, injected prior to adhesive to reduce surface tension

Primal AC33™ (10% in water	initial adhesive injection (to enable maximum application and flow behind flakes)

Primal AC33™ (25% in water	second adhesive injection, if necessary

Primal AC33™ (50% in water	third application, if necessary (behind flakes only)

Scotchlite™ glass microspheres	added to Primal AC33™ solutions as a bulking agent, in order to bridge gaps between permanently deformed flakes and the plaster ground

The materials and procedures shown in the table (left) formed the basis of the conservation treatment. Primal AC33™ is an acrylic dispersion with the following chemical composition: ethyl acrylate 60%; methyl methacrylate 40%; and ethyl methacrylate (unknown). Its non-volatile concentration is about 46-47%. Scotchlite™ glass microspheres are synthetic spheres resembling borosilicate glass, with a particle size averaging 5 –100µm. Being chemically inert, they make ideal fillers to add to adhesive mixtures.

© Stephen Rickerby
© Stephen Rickerby	After relaxing and relaying the flakes with water (above), a heated spatula was frequently passed over the treated area at about 70ºC, with an intervention layer of silicone-release paper placed between the spatular head and the painting (left). The aims of this procedure were to further relax the deformed paint flakes, and to distribute the thermo-plastic adhesive more evenly behind the flakes.
© Stephen Rickerby
© Stephen Rickerby	© Stephen Rickerby Certain areas of flaking paint – especially the green backgrounds – proved very difficult to relay and fix. In such areas, tensioned presses with cushioned pads were employed to hold the flaking areas down until the injected adhesive had fully dried.

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The Church of St James the Great

in the Parish of Morpeth

Treatment materials and procedures