Second fiddle: a review of lesser-known volatile binding media in conservation

Abstract

This paper is published in the book ‘Subliming Surfaces: Volatile Binding Media in Heritage Conservation’, ed. Christina Rozeik (University of Cambridge Museums, 2018), pp. 13-20.While cyclododecane (CDD) is well known to conservators as a versatile material for temporary treatments, other volatile binding media have also been tested for use in conservation. Camphene, tricyclene and menthol have all been suggested as alternatives, each having slightly different properties that can make them more suitable for some applications. This paper reviews the literature about these materials and summarises what is known about their characteristics. Concern about possible health effects from CDD has led to recent interest in the alternatives, particularly menthol. Menthol is inexpensive, has good working properties and forms a fine-grained film. It has potential uses particularly for moulding and on archaeological sites, where it may even perform better than CDD in slightly damp conditions. These benefits need to be offset against its strongly irritant vapour. Camphene and tricyclene sublime rapidly and once seemed promising materials for very short term treatments. However, camphene is unstable and requires an antioxidant additive, which may leave residues after sublimation. It is also now recognised as more hazardous than previously thought. Recent research suggests that menthyl lactate and cyclododecanone also have potential as alternatives to CDD, though more work is needed to understand these materials fully.Non