Services
We are happy to take on external assignments where we can use our expertise and instruments.
We offer conservation of paintings, sculptures, church furnishings, water-damaged or waterlogged objects (paper/archives, leather, wood and textiles), rock art, and cultural-historical objects made of metal, glass, ceramic, wood, leather and other organic materials.
We carry out documentation and condition assessments, for church furnishings for example, as well as cost estimates for conservation.
We also offer exhibition mount-making and display cases, climate monitoring consultancy, and courier services. 
Please contact the conservation laboratory if you would like to discuss a possible project or have any other questions. 

X-radiography
X-radiography is used to examine the composition of objects and to understand their condition/degradation. The conservation laboratory is equipped with two stationary X-ray machines and a digital X-ray scanner that provides high-resolution digital X-ray images. The X-ray films have dimensions of 40 x 35 cm, but it is possible to assemble several X-ray images digitally for objects that are larger than these dimensions. We are also able to X-ray large objects (up to 100 cm high), such as painted wooden sculptures. 

Freeze-drying
The conservation laboratory has two freeze dryers that are often used for the conservation of wet organic archaeological artefacts, such as wood, leather and textiles. Freeze-drying under vacuum is an important step in the conservation treatment of these types of artefacts and enables drying under controlled conditions in the freeze dryer chamber. The freeze dryers are also used in disaster response, for example when paper archives and books are water damaged and need to be dried. They can also be used to dry scientific samples. 

Air Abrasive Cleaning
The conservation laboratory has recently updated its sandblasting equipment and now uses a COMCO AF10-2 Accuflo micro air abrasive blaster. The equipment is primarily used to reduce or remove soil and corrosion from archaeological metal objects, especially iron. The sandblaster can also be used to remove surface treatments, and for sample preparation. 

pXRF Spectrometry
Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) spectrometry is an analytical method that identifies inorganic elements on the surface of objects without sampling. The instrument can provide an overview of what kind of material an object is made of. It is often used on metals and decorative surfaces, for example, to distinguish silver and tin or gold and brass. The conservation laboratory's pXRF is not calibrated to provide accurate % concentrations of elements in an object. 

ATR-FTIR Spectrometry
The conservation laboratory also uses Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Universal ATR accessories (ATR-FTIR) to identify organic and inorganic materials for analysis and/or documentation. An ATR-FTIR spectrometer can help provide secure material identification. The procedure requires destructive sampling approximately 1 x 1 mm in size depending on the material. 

Ultraviolet (UV)
Ultraviolet (UV) light is used to investigate the surface of paintings, sculptures, objects and documents. It is used to examine substances and observe the different ways they fluoresce under UV radiation. The fluorescence can reveal features such as a varnish layer, overpaint/retouching from past restoration, certain pigments, plastics, tar, wax, differences between ivory and ivory-like materials, and the like. It can provide information about the composition and age of materials of an object or artwork. 

Microscope Photography
Under a microscope, fine details on an object can be viewed. Often, traces of tool marks and evidence of use are more visible under magnification. At the conservation laboratory, we have several Leica microscopes that can be connected to a digital camera to capture high-resolution images of the surface of objects at high magnification.

Freezer Room
The laboratory has a large freezer room of 15 m², which is kept at -29 °C.  The freezer room is used to freeze wet organic archaeological objects before freeze-drying, and for quick freezing of water-damaged material, such as archival material and books, before drying in the freeze-dryer. The freezer room is also used for the eradication of pests, such as insects and moths, that have infested objects, textiles or other things.

Fabrication of Mounts
Objects that will be placed in exhibitions often need to be supported with a mount for both safety and aesthetic reasons. The conservation laboratory produces mounts for its own exhibitions and for its own objects that are loaned to other institutions. We offer mount-making services and can take on various assignments.