Mold on stone

From: Shelley Reisman Paine <*shelley*> Date: Monday, October 24, 2005 · shelley

I am working on a set of oversize outdoor sculpture made from
Carrara marble.  The sculpture stood outdoors for sixty years. After
it was vandalized in 2000 the owner stored them for five years in 4
crates (9.5 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet) filled with straw.  While in
storage large dark gray areas developed.  Mary Lou Florian
identified the material as alternaria or cladosproium.  The fungal
structures are not normal hyphae but sclerotic--heavily pigmented
(melanin ) hyphae.

I have discussed this material with Mary Lou and performed many
tests with very limited success. I would like to know if anyone has
tried to remove this particular biological material, especially from
stone.

Shelley Reisman Paine Conservation
2407 Sunset Place
Nashville, TN
615-269-4247
Fax: 615-269-7328

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 19:23
                 Distributed: Friday, October 28, 2005
                       Message Id: cdl-19-23-023
                                  ***