Marble Memorial Plaque

This object belongs to a collection of marble plaques from Kensal Green Cemetery. It was heavily soiled when received (please refer to the image below). The client’s brief was to clean it and build a storage tray.

Challenge: To achieve a cohesive cleaning level without mobilising the iron stains.

The treatment included:

• Dry and wet cleaning with Melanex sponge and Blitzfix.
• Poultices with ammonium carbonate.
• Mora poultice on heavily soiled areas.
• Laser cleaning with Q-switched ND: YAG laser – Working parameters: 0.2J/cm2 – 0.8J/cm2.
• Consolidation of existing paint and toning letters with Gamblin conservation colors.
• Design and construction of storage tray in wood lined with conservation foam.