Addressing Sodium Carbonate Precipitation on a Cannon from the Alamo

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "The Conservation and Preservation of Archaeological Materials", at the 2025 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Last year, a project was undertaken to determine the best option for treating a bronze cannon on display at the Alamo. The cannon was conserved by the Conservation Research Laboratory, but post-conservation it began precipitating a white powder determined to be a mixture of sodium carbonate-based compounds. The problems have persisted despite retreatment, and some green corrosion products have also begun to form. Experiments were conducted to determine which treatments might be effective in reducing precipitation and preventing future problems, and this year we have begun the topical application of dilute formic acid to the cannon. This presentation reports on the practical use and results of such methods to address artifacts showing similar issues.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2025   •
• The Conservation and Preservation of Archaeological Materials

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow