• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.5
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• pp.37-41
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• 2004

The immersed ancient wood relics excavated from the low swampy area of historic site in Shinchangdong, Gwangju are extremely weak. Since they are quickly dried inducing shrinkage when exposed to air, special preservative treatment is required to exhibit and preserve such items. In the case of the heavily varnished lacquerware such as the lacquered sheaths, in particular, it is extremely difficult to preserve them because chemicals are not easily penetrated and the coating might swell or come off during the process of coating. The lacquer sheaths have been preserved by carrying out freeze-drying after impregnating them in aqueous solution with low concentration of PEG#4000 40%.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.12
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• pp.1-7
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• 2011

The seated stone Buddha(Bon5190) of National Museum of Korea initially consisted of some 90 fragments, making it difficult to guess its overall appearance. Under a restoration work which lasted four months, the fragments were joined together, giving shape to a seated Stone Buddha in Bhumisparsa(earth touching) mudra and an associated figure of Bodhisattva missing the face. The statue was made from a single stone block by digging out the center. Traces of lacquer coating and a gilded layer above the lacquer coat were found in various parts. Polarizing microscopy and XRD analysis revealed that the stone was zeolite, a mineral formed through diagenesis of volcanic glassy ashes from trachytic tuff (Nuldaeri) and dacitic tuff (Guryongpo). In Korea, zeolite deposit found mostly in Gyeongsangbuk-do, in places like Yeonil, Guryongpo, Gampo and Ulsan. The restored statue of seated Buddha proved very similar in appearance to the seated stone Buddha of Deoksa Temple in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do (housed in Yeongsanjeon Hall). The scroll inside the statue, containing information about the background and circumstances of creation of this Buddhist sculpture, indicates that the monk Seung-ho took part in it as the head sculptor-monk.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.105-114
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• 1998

In this study, 108 thinners were analyzed to identify their composition. The purposes of this study were to provide the data for MSDS and worker exposure levels. Thinners were collected from manufacturing industries, distributors and users. Wide ranges of thinner components were found ; Toluene, xylene, and ethyl benzene were most often found. Next, MIBK, cellosolve acetate, butyl cellosolve, and butyl acetate were found in 20-40 thinners. Others, such as acetone, n-hexane, cyclohexane, heptane, methylcyciohexane, octane and nonane were also found. There were about 5-6 components in each thinner. In the view point of Industrial Hygiene, Benzene was the most important component of thinners, which procures leukemia. Benzene was found from 8 kinds of thinners out of the total 108 surveyed. Thus, Content of benzene in thinners must be evaluated when industrial hygiene surveys are performed. Aromatic hydrocarbons were identified from 71 kinds of thinners out of total 108 and their contents were 10-87%. Alkanes were not contained in automobile painting, spraying, degreasing, urethane and epoxy thinners but lacquer, enamel and coating thinners.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.19
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• pp.69-82
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• 2018

The gilt-bronze standing Buddha and bronze standing Buddha statues excavated from Yeongguksa Temple in Yeongdong, currently held in the collection of the Cheongju National Museum, underwent conservation treatment after scientific study. Materials analysis showed that the gilt-bronze statue was made with a ternary alloy of copper, tin, and lead, while the bronze statue is of a binary alloy of copper and tin. The analysis also revealed that the bronze statue contains gold, and it is therefore recommended to change its description to gilt-bronze standing Buddha. The gilt-bronze statue appears to have been made with lead produced in Korea. The material observed on the surface that is presumed to have been used as an adhesive for the gold coloring is thought to be lacquer. For conservation treatment, the statues were minimally cleaned using physical and chemical methods and were treated through consolidation and protective coating.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.158-171
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• 2023

Pottery filled with organic materials was excavated from the G-2 building site of Yongjangseong Fortress, Jingo, a relic of the Goryeo Dynasty. In this study, the characteristics of organic material were confirmed by a scientific analysis of organic material in pottery found at the palace in Yongjangseong, Jindo. In addition, it was intended to review the analysis method to identify the natural resin and to secure characteristic components(biomarkers) for each natural resin and use them as basic data in the future. The organic materials in the pottery were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The infrared spectral characteristics were estimated to be natural resin, and biomarkers of organic materials were identified as sesquiterpene-based compounds(C₁₅H₂₄, MW 204) and derivatives. The lacquer(T.vemicifluum) is composed mainly of alkenes, alkanes, and catechol. Pine resin(P.densiflora), on the other hand, is primarily composed of diterpenoid(abietic acid, pimaric acid) and Whangchil(yellow lacquer) is identified to have sesquiterpenes(such as selinene, muurolene, calamenene) as its main components. So, the organic material in the pottery can be identified as Whangchil by comparing their compounds with modern resin materials from Dendropanax. morbifera that correspond with the results. Whangchil, which is exuded from the Dendropanax. morbifera, has been used as a natural coating materials since ancient times, and it has been confirmed that the characteristic components are well preserved even 700 years later. It can be assumed that the interior Whangchil was stored not for use as a coating, but rather for ritual purposes when the building was constructed, because the pottery was found near the cornerstone. Furthermore, based on simplified sample preparation using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry(Py-GC-MS), the thermal decomposition products were found to be similar to the characteristic components, suggesting that this method can be applied to the identification of natural resins used in historic artifacts.