National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

working | NOS home | the NOS framework | NOS map |

Section A | Section B | Section C | Section D | Section E | Section F | Section G | Section H | Section J | Section K

AE8 Implement routine interventive conservation procedures for archaeological items

AE8.2 Implement routine cleaning and repair

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. Working to a conservation plan agreed by a conservator
2. Treating the item, without compromising its integrity, in accordance with the agreed conservation plan
3. Removing or reducing material which inhibits the interpretation of the items
4. Adding materials to effect repair
5. Only making additions that are reversible, appropriate and identifiable
6. Assessing the application and effect of the intervention, and notifying the appropriate person in the event of unforeseen effects
7. Evaluating what is required in the future to maintain the condition of the treated item
8. Recording the treatment procedure accurately and correctly in the appropriate format

Occupational Context

1. Materials
   • Chemical / Structural
   • Altering / Supportive
   • Additional / replacement
2. Repair
   • Restoration / Renewal
   • Chemical / structural
   • Surface / compositional
3. Appropriate person
   • Conservation / materials scientists
   • Item specialists
   • Health and safety advisors / emergency staff
   • Site officials / management
   • Organisational / professional representatives
   • Funding / statutory /regulatory bodies
4. Unforeseen effects
   • Chemical / structural
   • Damage / disintegration / decay
   • Unexpected stabilisation, exacerbated renewal
   • Behavioural / functional / visual / compositional change

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Monitor the item's treatment
• Evaluate the effect of the treatment

You need to know about:

What is routine

• What is in the conservation plan and the parameters for action
• Who is the recognised conservation specialist

Cleaning and repair processes

• What material can be removed from the item, and from where on the item
• The methods and materials that should be used for removing or reducing materials and accretions on the item

Evaluating treatment

• What tests can be applied to the item
• The type of data that should be recorded
• The health and safety procedures for the available treatments
• The methods and materials that could be used for repair

Required Skills

You should demonstrate:

• Dexterity in cleaning and repair skills and use of technical material
• Handling with due care and attention
• Observation, analysis and attention to detail

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can implement routine cleaning and repair

The candidate should be questioned, based upon the documentation provided, to explore how they

• clean and repair items that are moderately or seriously degraded and at least one unstable item in order to aid their interpretation.

Evidence Rules

The candidate should have been involved in

• Implementing routine interventive conservation procedures to a range of items typical to their work area

This site will look best in a browser that supports web standards, but is accessible to any browser or Internet device. Further information

TORC is a service of the Archaeology Training Forum, operated by the Council for British Archaeology and supported by English Heritage. Further information

Today's date: 31/7/2010
This page last updated: 6/8/2007 11:58