FESA CONTINUES IN 2021 - alternating between pub & Zoom meetings
Upcoming event information - FESA Meeting (via Zoom)
When: 15th July 2021 5:30 PM, UTC+10:00
EVENT DETAILS:
Recording now available. See recording link below.
Date: 15th July 2021 5:30 PM (AEDT)
Zoom Recording Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/t5YoU_kuh_AUh0L4-HQGNooiuzUIn2D33h3cWHmm3RV372D2dKJZjCAcKcw-qCRB.mTZXpQGpwvmva9fg?startTime=1626334654000
Topic : Forensic Examination of Corrosion Products to Determine the Decay History of Shipwreck Artefacts and to Expose 400 Years of Financial Corruption in Europe and South America
Presenter : Dr Ian D MacLeod AM, BSc(Hons), PhD, DSc, FTSE, FRACI, FRSC, CChem, PMAICCM
Principal, Heritage Conservation Solutions
When objects fall into the sea, they begin to change their nature and the decay processes build up complex matrixes that can be protective or injurious. Shipwreck sites are dynamic systems and analysis of the corrosion products shows up impacts of changing climates and burial environments. Silver coins also reveal official corruption in the Spanish Netherlands in the middle of the 16th century and in colonial Spain in the 19th century. Analysis of corrosion has enabled prediction of future decay mechanisms on oil rigs through the failure of cast iron on Norfolk Island’s wreck of HMS Sirius (1790). The job of a conservator is to take highly reactive objects from the marine environment and move them into a stable state and in so doing, retain the maximum values associated with their original purpose.
Dr Ian Macleod has acquired an international reputation for in-situ corrosion studies on historic shipwrecks, with an emphasis on those made of iron and its alloys. He became a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute in 1986 and is a life member of the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA). He has received an important number of awards recognising his contribution to corrosion science such as ACA Corrosion Medal in 2004 and the ICOM-CC Triennial medal for services to international conservators at the XVIII Conference in 2017. His achievements in the field of cultural materials range from terrestrial and maritime environments which are reflected in the development of new treatment methods and modelling the decay rates of iron wrecks. He was a pioneer in the use of sacrificial anodes on iron artefacts as a method of in-situ conservation he developed successful models of the electrochemical processes involved in corrosion of shipwreck materials. He has trained conservators in ten countries and was recently made an adjunct professor in corrosion at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and Engineering, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the International Institute for Conservation.
He was awarded his Doctor of Science degree from the University of Melbourne in 2007 for his thesis on Chemistry and Conservation of Shipwrecks and Rock Art. He has dived on more than 75 shipwrecks including the ruins of the mighty USS Arizona in Pearl Harbour and has taught metals conservation to a wide variety of academic and community audiences. When nobody wanted to work on conservation of the 5.2 metre megamouth shark and migrate it from 10,000 litres of 70% ethanol into aqueous glycerol for internal exhibition in the WA Maritime Museum Ian worked with the fish curators and successfully treated the massive object and even dived in the tank, to correct a fitting, with the dead shark.
Ian has worked on the conservation of Aboriginal rock art in the wheatbelt of WA, in the Kimberley and most recently in the Pilbara, in the famous Burrup peninsula. He established the connection between surface pH, which controls rock mobilisation and mineral precipitation reactions, and the concentration of micronutrients and moisture in this hot arid zone. There are millions of rock engravings in this heritage listed area which is home to major industries such as iron ore, oil and gas and nitrate manufacturing. Ian recently published papers on the application of electrochemical corrosion measurements to rock art engravings and to the decay of ancient bronzes in 3,800-year-old sites in Turkey. Ian received his AM for significant service to the museum and galleries sector in 2019.
Dr Ian MacLeod is a truly captivating speaker and you will rarely have heard a more passionate one in a scientific discipline. He can bring these corroded artifacts back to life, both figuratively and physically!
A great experience not to be missed!!
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