Conservation and Restoration of Iron Artifacts Excavated from the Jiangkou Battlefield Site of the Late Ming Dynasty

Abstract

This paper reports the conservation and restoration of 100 iron objects unearthed from the Jiangkou late Ming Battleground Site, including swords,spears, arrowheads, axes, and other implements. The investigation focused on the condition of the assemblage, the nature of its corrosion products, and the treatments required for stabilization. The objects display diverse forms of deterioration, notably mineralization, compact surface attachments, pitting,laminar exfoliation, cracking, fragmentation, and deformation. Portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to examine elemental composition and identify corrosion phases. Iron (Fe) was the dominant detected element, together with smaller quantities of Si, Al, P, S, Ti, As, and other trace elements. Goethite (α-FeO (OH)) and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) were the principal corrosion products, while quartz (SiO₂) and cementite (Fe₃C) occurred in several samples. These findings informed a coordinated conservation procedure that included condition documentation, removal of surface attachments, mechanical and chemical rust reduction, controlled drying, tannic-acid inhibition, structural consolidation, repair of damage, and application of a Paraloid B-72 protective coating. The treatment removed harmful corrosion and firmly attachments on the objects’ surface, improved the physical stability of the objects, and strengthened prospects for their long-term preservation. The work also offers a practical reference for conserving iron objects excavated from river environments.