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Queen
Anne's RevengeLaboratory Excavation Report UAB Conservation Laboratory, Greenville Sarah Watkins-Kenney QAR Project Conservator Wendy Welsh, QAR Laboratory Manager Eric Nordgren, Project Assistant Conservator March/April 2005
Cannon C4
`Bertha` Update'
Cannon C19 and C21 - Did Hell Freeze Over?
After multiple coats of 10% tannic acid the cannon were
coated with 5% Paraloid B-72
AIC X-Radiography Course at MAC Lab
The American Institute of Conservation (AIC) held a course
titled, Cultural Heritage X-Radiography: Image Quality, Enhancement
and Interpretation at the Maryland Archaeology Conservation Laboratory
in Jefferson Patterson Park March 22nd-24th. Sonia O'Connor, Department
of Archaeological Sciences and Jason Maher, Edutech Ltd of the University
of Bradford along with MAC Lab Conservator, Howard Wellman were the
instructors of the course. Students traveled from New York, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, and Virginia to learn the X-radiography techniques developed
by O'Connor and how she has applied them to conservation. Laboratory
Manager, Wendy Welsh was fortunate to attend the course as well, and
obtained X-rays of three concretions recovered in October 2004.
Two days of intense classroom instruction provided a wealth of information. Instructors explained the basic mechanism of x-radiography, types of x-ray sources that are available, health and safety regulations involved with having an X-ray unit, different uses of x-radiography and its applications in conservation, the pros and cons of film verses digital images, and the variables one can manipulate in the process to get a desired image. Sonia and Jason set up an exercise to view x-ray images that demonstrated the different topics discussed. Digital imagery was also a focus in this course, Jason explained the pros and cons of different storage media and also provided free software for digital imagery manipulation. The last day was dedicated to taking actual X-radiographs. Both digital and film x-rays were taken which gave a good comparison and also illustrated a few keys points learned in the course. Howard operated the X-ray unit and developed the film x-rays while Thomas Dunn and Emilio Lucertini of Fuji Medical Systems demonstrated the Fuji digital processing unit. Digital x-rays were processed in a matter of minutes and film x-rays were scanned in the digital processor at the highest resolution possible, digitizing allows one to manipulate the image. By the end of the day all the images were available to take home on CD. X-radiographs of the three concretions revealed what was inside: QAR
523.000 contains one double-headed barshot and two nails. ECU Industrial Technology
April 1st the ECU Industrial Technology Department completed the camera stand they were working on for the QAR Conservation Lab. The stand is made out of spare parts and re-cycled material. It will make photographing larger objects much easier as the stand enables the camera to be held directly over the object and can be moved vertically, horizontally and sideways without moving the object itself. The apparatus has already been used to photograph cannon including `Bertha` and to document C19 and C21 prior to going to the museum. Much appreciation goes out to Dr. Craig Sanders, Mr. Thomas Rassau and Katie Griffin, for their construction of the stand. We hope they can help us again on the next challenge - constructing the definitive tool to clean out eight-foot cannon bores . ..Back to Conservation On to May/June 2005... |