Some of the first objects we began working on are 3rd-4th century copper alloy finds from Binchester Roman Fort. As these are archaeological metals, many of them are quite degraded. Typically there is dirt from the burial environment that needs to be removed, and in some cases there are concretions on the surface as well. The conservation process includes removing the dirt first very gently using cotton swabs with an appropriate solvent solution suitable for archaeological metals. Then, if the surface is stable enough, corrosion products can be removed mechanically using appropriate tools. Then the object is consolidated using a suitable acrylic copolymer in order to help prevent further deterioration. I have selected three items which I have worked on so far that display the range of copper alloy finds I have conserved in my first term.
This coin was a very typical example of copper alloy coins found at Binchester. It required lots of swabbing, and some gentle removal of corrosion using mechanical methods.
After conservation, the design on the coin was much more readily visible, including a portrait with helmet on one side and small building with letters on the other.
This was one of the more exciting copper alloy objects I worked on this term. The finds bag identified it as a small stylus tip. There was much dirt collected in the ‘bowl’ of the stylus tip, but two points remained on one side and the other end is curved downwards.
The prongs on the tip of the stylus were stable enough for swabbing, but the metal was quite thin and I did not want to damage the stable patina layer so the dirt was removed carefully and gently using wooden tools along with the solvent solution. This revealed the curved shape of the tiny stylus tip.
These copper alloy objects have provided us with a good first foray into archaeological metals conservation, including giving us practice on record writing, photography, and hand skills on very small finds. They’ve been an exciting start to the term as we look forward to more complex and intricate objects!
Lauren.