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ART EXAMINATION & CONSERVATION

Detect alternations and restore cultural treasures using Labino Ultra Violet Lamps.

Art examination

The use of UV light is a commonly used to identify the authenticity of works of art or to inspect damaged or repaired paintings. Longwave ultraviolet light (365 nm) helps to detect overpainting, repairs, and forged signatures that are normally invisible to a naked eye. The slightest alteration will stand out with extreme clarity under UV light. Not only paintings can be examined with UV, but also pieces of art made of marble, jade, and ivory.

Modern paint fluoresce under UV - older paints do not

Because of the different chemical properties, modern paint will fluoresce or glow under UV, while older paints will not. Therefore it can be determined whether a painted object is an antique or a newer reproduction. UV can also be used to identify whether a piece of art has been repaired and if so, how extensive was the repair.

Different indications appears in different ways under UV

A piece of art can be easily scanned with a hand-held UV lamp in a dark room. If there are dark blotches, they indicate over-painting and over-cleaning. Bluish-white spots indicate the presence of lining compound, dark bluish-violet indicates picture repair, and very small blue dots are dust. A chartreuse haze indicates old varnish, which shows that no recent restoration work has been done.

Different lamps and filters for different applications

The UV lamp, used in art conservation, should be a professional lamp with all visible light filtered out. Labino lights are perfect for this purpose. There is a wide choice hand-held lamps with special visible light filters. There are portable battery operated models, as well as mains operated. Special fixtures for permanent or studio use can be also provided.

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Handheld with large beam

The BB 2.0 series is designed for non-destructive testing applications that require a large beam. The main difference between the various models are intensity and the choice of power source. All models have penetrant resistant sealing in combination with a large beam, extraordinary cooling and high durability.

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