Conservation and Restoration

Adhesives and Consolidants

Consolidation and adhesion are two of the most delicate decisions in any intervention: what you apply today must be stable, compatible with the original and, above all, reversible. In this collection, we bring together the adhesives and consolidants of reference in conservation-restoration, the same ones used in workshops, museums, and institutions.

Each family addresses a different problem—fixing a powdery layer, joining a fragment, re-lining a canvas, stabilizing a paint layer, or gluing paper—and making the right choice begins with understanding what each one does.

Types of Adhesives and Consolidants

Paraloid B-72 and Acrylic Resins

Paraloid B-72 is the reference acrylic consolidant: stable, reversible, and water-free. It is prepared in solvent at the concentration required for the intervention, from a 2-3% fixative to a 15-30% adhesive. The family also includes aqueous acrylic dispersions such as Primal AC-33, Plextol, or Lascaux Medium for Consolidation. If you want to delve deeper, we explain it thoroughly in our technical guide on Paraloid B-72.

BEVA Adhesives

The BEVA range (in film and gel) is a classic for re-lining and consolidating textile and pictorial supports, valued for its heat reactivation and tack control.

Animal Glues

Animal glues (rabbit, sturgeon, fish, and gelatins) are traditional adhesives in restoration: essential for gilding, preparing layers, and works where compatibility with historical techniques is sought.

Cellulosic Adhesives

Cellulose ethers—hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel), methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and ethyl cellulose—are consolidants and adhesives in an aqueous medium, widely used on paper, porous supports, and fixations where water is acceptable.

Starches and Natural Adhesives for Paper

Wheat starch (Aytex-P, Jin Shofu) and funori / JunFunori are the reversible natural adhesives par excellence in paper conservation, graphic works, and consolidation of matte paint layers.

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and Polyvinyl Acetates (PVAc)

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is water-soluble and used in aqueous adhesions and consolidations. Polyvinyl acetates (PVAc)—"white glues" and resins like Mowilith or Jade—cover gluing and mounting depending on the support and the required reversibility.

Epoxy Resins and Special Consolidants

For transparent structural bonds in glass and ceramics, we have conservation epoxy resins (like Hxtal NYL-1). And for specific cases, special consolidants such as Aquazol (soluble in water and polar solvents) or cyclododecane, a volatile temporary fixative that sublimates at room temperature.

How to choose

The choice depends on three factors: the support (textile, paper, wood, stone, ceramic), whether the intervention allows water or not, and the degree of reversibility you need. If you have a specific intervention in mind and are unsure which product fits, write to us at info@innovart.art and we will give you a specific recommendation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Aquazol 50, 200 and 500?

Molecular weight, and with it viscosity. The 50 is around 50,000; the 200, 200,000; the 500, 500,000. In kinematic viscosity that is 5-7, 18-24 and 60-80 cSt respectively. The practical consequence is straightforward: at the same concentration, the higher the grade, the more body the solution has. Which grade suits a given treatment is the conservator’s call.

What does Aquazol dissolve in?

Freely in water. And above 25 % by weight also in acetone, ethanol, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone and methylene chloride. It is practically insoluble in toluene and n-pentane, below 2 %. In aqueous solution its pH is neutral (6.5-7.8 at 10 %).

Can it be removed after application?

Aquazol redissolves in water and in the polar solvents listed above. That is the physical basis for removing it. How far it can be recovered from a particular object depends on the object, not on the product.

Who makes Aquazol?

Polymer Chemistry Innovations, Inc., in Tucson, Arizona. It is poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), CAS number 25805-17-8. Kremer Pigmente and CTS distribute it, but the manufacturer is PCI. Its safety data sheet does not classify it as a hazardous material and assigns no signal word.

What does the “A4M” in Methocel mean?

The code states the viscosity. The number is the value in mPa·s measured at 2 % in water at 20 °C, and in that nomenclature “C” stands for 100 and “M” for 1,000: hence A4M is around 4,000 mPa·s and A4C around 400. The manufacturer’s specification is 3,500 to 5,600 cP. Note that this 2 % is the test concentration, not a recommended working strength.

What happens to Methocel when it is heated?

It gels. Methylcellulose shows reversible thermal gelation: above roughly 55 °C the solution sets, and it flows again on cooling. This is not degradation, it is its normal behaviour.

What is filmoplast P made of?

A transparent special paper with a water-based acrylic adhesive: solvent-free, phthalate-free and acid-free, permanently elastic and slightly alkaline, with buffering capacity against acid deterioration. Also APEO- and BPA-free. It has passed the PAT to ISO 18916, and its ageing resistance has been tested by the Papiertechnische Stiftung. It is made by Neschen.