Aquazol® — Water-Soluble Resin for Conservation (Kremer)

Aquazol® (poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline), CAS No. 25805-17-8 — the international registry number that identifies each chemical substance) is a thermoplastic resin soluble in water and in polar organic solvents. It is manufactured by Polymer Chemistry Innovations (Tucson, Arizona) as a technical polymer for industrial use. Its use on artworks is backed by the literature of the field, starting with the Getty Conservation Institute study of 1994. The manufacturer specifies it as a light-yellow solid, and the shade varies from batch to batch within that specification.

Why choose Aquazol?

• Applied in one solvent and removed with another. Soluble in water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, methylene chloride and methyl ethyl ketone.
• It ages by depolymerising, not by cross-linking. In the Getty study, after a dose equivalent to some 24 years of museum exposure the films were still completely resoluble (study on grades 50 and 500).
• Colour behaviour: under filtered light it holds up very well. Pigmented and in an opaque film it is among the most stable tested.
• pH of the aqueous solution: neutral, according to the manufacturer.
• Versatile: consolidant, adhesive and retouching medium depending on grade and concentration.

Grades available

• Aquazol 50: target molecular weight 50,000 and kinematic viscosity 5-7 cSt — penetration and consolidation of powdery, sensitive surfaces.
• Aquazol 200: target molecular weight 200,000 and 18-24 cSt — the most versatile grade, for general use and adhesion.
• Aquazol 500: target molecular weight 500,000 and 60-80 cSt — greater adhesive strength and film formation.

Target molecular weights, as declared by the manufacturer.

Uses and applications

• Consolidation of polychromy, water gilding and gesso ground — documented in the conservation literature, which notes that some water in the solution improves the bond with the gesso.
• Setting down and fixing colour on works on paper, wood or canvas.
• Adhesive for securing layers where moderate adhesive forces are enough.
• Binding medium for pigmented, opaque chromatic reintegration.

Where it performs best

• Indoors, with relative humidity below 65-70 % (Muros, Cotsen Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, 2012). If you are working in a church, a crypt or an unconditioned space, write to us and we will look at it with you.
• In bonds of moderate adhesive strength, such as securing layers or readhering polychromy.
• In pigmented reintegration and opaque films.
• It is hygroscopic: store airtight and dry.

Aquazol® is a registered trademark of Polymer Chemistry Innovations, Inc. (Tucson, Arizona, USA). The 1 kg size of grades 200 and 500 has its own page, Aquazol (1 kg).

Product on request — estimated delivery 1-2 weeks. Questions about the grade or the concentration for your treatment? Write to us: WhatsApp · innovart.art · info@innovart.art