X-Radiography in Archaeology and Conservation

Francis Lukezic

At the March 8 CCASM meeting Francis Lukezic shared several projects in which X-Radiography had been used to determine more about the inside of an object.  X-rays indicated that a really rusty object wasn't a nail but the remains of embroidery scissors.  X-rays are also used to determine whether or not a Civil War musket was still loaded so that any black powder could be removed before the pistol was conserved.

X-Radiography is a technology that has been around for over one hundred years and is a cost-effective and non-destructive tool used by conservators and archaeologists to investigate artifacts where the exterior hides what's inside. 

Francis Lukezic is a conservator at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory in Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.

Attendance: 8