• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.333-344
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• 2011

Cleaning of foreign matter and corrosion products on surface among conservation treatment of iron artifacts is an important part for looking up a original form. The sand blaster is the most popular equipment when it removes the foreign matter and corrosion products on iron artifacts surface. Current foreign matter and corrosion products equipment, which mostly uses, is sand blaster. Glass dust which sprayed from sand blaster is harmful and causing environmental pollution. In order to solve these problems, we investigated the $CO_2$ snow cleaning that use a eco-friendly equipment to apply for cleaning foreign matter and corrosion products on surface of iron artifacts. It examined by using sand blaster and $CO_2$ snow cleaning to aged steel coupon and iron artifacts. In case of aged steel coupon, the result showed that the sand blaster and $CO_2$ snow cleaning methods were similar to the degrees of cleaning foreign matter and corrosion products, through surface roughness, color measurement and SEM. $CO_2$ snow cleaning applied to aged steel coupons weren't worn out the surface in comparison with sand blaster by SEM. When applied to the iron artifacts, power nozzle of the $CO_2$ snow cleaning was an excellent cleaning effect that surface wern't worn out in comparison with sand blaster. And, it showed that internal structure change of metal was no found before and after cleaning by X-ray radiography. Consequently, we confirmed that cleaning of the sand blaster and power nozzle of $CO_2$ snow cleaning were similar to the effect. But, it's very careful to use this method because of high outlet pressure of power nozzle for applying to the iron artifacts. As a result of experiments, it could be found that the cleaning methods should be selected depending on internal state of the artifacts.