Conservation

On December 2, 2024, Ashlyn Pause and Abbey Francis traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, to retrieve the second half of the Isabella Barnes fragment from Kelly Thomas of Boston Parks and Recreation and visit Daedalus Art to restore the tombstone professionally. 

At Daedalus' lab, the two halves of the Isabella Barnes fragment were reconnected using adhesives and epoxy. This was possible with the assistance of Josh Craine and Gompo Yarmolinsky of Daedalus Incorporated, who guided and assisted in the restoration process and provided all the necessary materials. I would like to extend a huge thank you to the Daedalus crew for there willingness and generosity in assisting with this project. The steps and progress are documented below. 

STEPS

1. Begin with cleaning the fragment by removing dust with spray (air) and, if needed, washing with acetone.

2. Place in a sandbox for support. 

3. Inject B72 into vertically oriented stones, gradually moving up percentages of B72:  move from 5% → 10% → 25%.

4. Add clamps and let sit for approximately 30 minutes.

5. Clean off leftover B72 with Acetone on the surface using cotton swabs and the "rolling" technique.

6. Apply B72 to the broken edges of the fragments that will be reconnected.

7. Prepare the epoxy (Clear Weld), mixing it using the fold-over technique.

8. Apply epoxy with minimal scraping to the broken edges of the fragments that will be reconnected.

9. Prepare the table's surface with painter's tape covered in wax to prevent gluing fragments to the table when connecting the fragments using adhesives.

10. Place pieces evenly and make sure the surface height is balanced.

11. Push pieces together, add weights onto the reattached area, and let the pieces sit for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

12. Add fill (System 45 = mortar mixed with 25% B72) with a scalpel to prevent further water infiltration. Use acetone on the scalpel to clean the edges afterward. 

13. Flip the reconnected pieces and scrape the excess adhesive off of the reattached area.

14. Add brackets with epoxy and use a UV light for quick drying.

15. Package stones up for transport.