Laser cleaning applied to metal, wooden and plaster objects

BILMES, GABRIEL MARIO; MORITA, MARÍA MERCEDES

Florencia

Congreso; Convegno APLAR 6 - Applicazione laser nel restauro; 2017

We present results on the application of Laser Cleaning (LC) on copper archaeological plates; decorative pieces of antique furniture and plaster sculptures that belong to Argentine museum collections. By using pulsed Nd:YAG lasers at 1064 nm we remove active corrosion, surface dirt and marks for classification on these pieces. We compare the results with traditional cleaning methods and we show the advantages in the case of fragile pieces or objects with carved surface. We also show cases in which the combination of LC with standard techniques is the best option for the restoration of the pieces.