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On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 21:23:35 +0100, "Michael Kuettner"
<miksbg@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>"Peter Alaca" <p.alaca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>news:45844530$1$99323$dbd49001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Michael Kuettner <miksbg@xxxxxxxx > wrote:
>>
>>> "Peter Alaca" <p.alaca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
>>> news:45820518$0$20618$dbd4d001@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <snip>
>>>
>>>> Some years ago we excavated a Roman horse from
>>>> very havy clay. Quite a job.
>>>> Afterwards it must be cleaned of course, before it
>>>> could be prepared. That was almost worse than the
>>>> digging. It must be done very careful, because most
>>>> of the bone was very soft. Very frustrating because many
>>>> bones crumbled in your hand or broke when you broke a
>>>> lump of clay. The skul looked nice, but in the end the
>>>> skeleton was in a too bad condition for proper preparing.
>>>> After all that work! That do I call the hard way.
>>>>
>>> Why didn't you use hot steam ? A custom hot steam cleaner with
>>> a specially made nozzle (for thin jets of steam) should have worked
>>> well.
>>
>> Dunno, never seen one here. Our group is not that rich,
>> and our professional colleagues didn't offer one. Don't
>> even know if they have one.
>
>Don't tell me I'm the first one to think of that method.
>I've built it myself. Basically, it's just a pressure cooker with two valves
>and an adjustable nozzle.
>Very handy for cleaning small things.
While I would be cautious about using it on soft materials, 'dry ice'
cleaning can be very effective in some cases. Do you know if it has
been used for archaeological purposes?
The equipment used to be expensive but I see that now Karcher is
making a machine which should be somewhat cheaper to buy.
http://www.karcher.de/int/Products/Industrial_cleaning_systems/Industrial_cleaning_systems/Dry_Ice_cleaning/15741000.htm
>
>> But the horse was in a bad condition anyhow, and it was
>> not the only one. In hindsight I think that the photographing,
>> drawing and measuring we did was enough.
>> But at least I now know how Roman Age horse bones feel.
>> Not many people can say that.
>>
>I've felt two of the eldest "Celtic" swords and the bones of
>their owners ...
>I can understand you.
>
>>>
>>> That method would have avoided the braking and crumbling,
>>> and I can't think of any negative effects.
>>
>> Cooked starch?
>>
>Nope. You clean at 90 degrees to the bone. And the steam isn't that hot.
>That's what the nozzle is for.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Michael Kuettner
>
Eric Stevens
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