About this project
The Borough of Millersburg contracted B.R. Howard to conserve their marble Civil War Soldier Monument, which had suffered from weathering.
Before
Before
What we did
Based upon initial on-site observations, weathering of the Millersburg monument and earlier attempts to protect the marble from acid rain had combined to exacerbate the deterioration of the stone and loss of sculptural detail. The surface of the Civil War Soldier Memorial had been worn away by weathering and “peeling” caused by moisture, trapped within the stone, exerting pressure upon the epoxy coating. The surface of the marble was friable when touched; this condition is referred to as “sugaring” because individual grains of stone become detached from the surface and has the feeling of individual grains of sugar.
The sculpture's surface was cleaned and areas remaining with epoxy consolidant were reduced using an industrial grade methylene chloride based stripping gel. Dark fungal staining was reduced using a cleaner and after drying the sculpture was consolidated to form a stable layer before applying a water repelling coating. Fissures and cracks were inspected and repaired as necessary.
After
After