scottb
09-29-2002, 05:38 PM
Laser Cleaning Restores Shine to Old Paintings
Wed Sep 25, 2:25 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Cleaning with lasers can remove decades or even centuries of dirt and grime from old paintings and give masterpieces a new shine, according to Spanish scientists.
Art restorers have traditionally used scalpels and solvents to reveal a painting's true colors -- a painstaking process which can sometimes harm the paint beneath the varnish.
The Spaniards say laser cleaning works better.
"The effect of the laser is restricted to the surface being treated," Marta Castillejo, of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in Madrid, told New Scientist Magazine on Wednesday.
Using a UV laser, Castillejo found it removed the outer surface of varnish without interfering with the chemical composition of the paint underneath.
When the laser hit the painting, the scientists used a separate tool to remove the gas it created. They knew they were getting close to the surface of the painting when the system began to detect traces of paint molecules.
Castillejo said a prototype laser has been developed and trials carried out on paintings showed it produced startling results.
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Cheers.
Scott
Wed Sep 25, 2:25 PM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Cleaning with lasers can remove decades or even centuries of dirt and grime from old paintings and give masterpieces a new shine, according to Spanish scientists.
Art restorers have traditionally used scalpels and solvents to reveal a painting's true colors -- a painstaking process which can sometimes harm the paint beneath the varnish.
The Spaniards say laser cleaning works better.
"The effect of the laser is restricted to the surface being treated," Marta Castillejo, of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in Madrid, told New Scientist Magazine on Wednesday.
Using a UV laser, Castillejo found it removed the outer surface of varnish without interfering with the chemical composition of the paint underneath.
When the laser hit the painting, the scientists used a separate tool to remove the gas it created. They knew they were getting close to the surface of the painting when the system began to detect traces of paint molecules.
Castillejo said a prototype laser has been developed and trials carried out on paintings showed it produced startling results.
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Cheers.
Scott