Conservation

MAI offers the complete range of stabilization and conservation methods for perishable archaeological materials, including textiles and basketry, wood, leather, ceramics, paper (books, manuscripts, parchments), metals, bone, and wet-site and marine environment materials. Expert specimen lifts and specimen stabilization are conducted in the field for removal to the laboratory. Among the outstanding features of MAI's conservation facility are a Vertis 36DX66 freeze dryer capable of freeze-drying objects up to the size of a human body and a NOVA TRAN Parylene Deposition System Model 1050 coating device. One of only three such models in the world used for archaeological conservation, the 1050 provides permanent conservation of perishable materials through the use of a space-age polymer developed by Specialty Coatings Systems. This technology is ideal for the treatment of very fragile objects that cannot be conserved by other means.

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