Cleaning and protection of corrosion products in iron based archeological finds

Iron and alloy are the tools that are mostly used for artwork,tool making at present time and in the past. Because of that reason to save culturel and acient work the investigations to prevent these tools of being destroyed with corrosion are important.Especially archaeological finds become more defenseless after surface cleaning is applied. Because during the long years passed under the soil, the corrosion product occured on the surface of the work and all kind of accumulation ( organıc or inorganic) protected the material. After they are taken out to daylight the surface is cleaned before they are exhibited.Henceforth, the risk of corrosion is higher.On materials including iron, depending upon the impurity and ambient conditions, occures oxide layers which have different-coloured appearance.The method that will be applied to protect the object ,must be both easily applicable and not destroying the aesthetics.For this purpose,making a protective film on surface of the object is a sufficient method. In this study , film maker organic( oksalit acit and 3 amino-5-metiltiyo-1H-1,2,4-triazole) and anorganic( sodium molybdate) inhibitors are used to guard the surface of the objects.The protector activities of the created films were tested by electrochemical methods. For that purpose, potentiodynamic measures and electrochemical impedence spectroscopy technics were applied in corrosive test solutions which similates subsoil conditions. Cast-iron-panels and sticks were aged in the prepared simulant soil solutions. The cleaning process was performed by ultrasonic bath which was extremely selective against corrosion products on the surface,sensitive to the metal/alloy kind that the work was produced by.The feature and construction of the films occured were lighted by scanning electron misroscope(SEM).In this way to guard the archeological finds and artworks from corrosion a method that is qualifiable,has no toxic effect towards environment was developed.