The Goodyear Polymer Center at the University of Akron
Scientists have now announced the development of a new material intended to replace Beva 371, an adhesive product widely used in the field of art conservation and preservation.
For decades, Berger’s Ethylene Vinyl Acetate 371, popularly abbreviated as Beva 371, was one of the art world’s most popular conservation materials. The Austrian conservator Gustav Berger developed the substance in 1972. It was the preferred adhesive among art conservators and restorers as it was not only stronger than other similar materials but it also did not bleed through and stain canvases. It, therefore, was the preferred tool for relining a canvas, the process of placing a new canvas on the back of the original to reinforce the painting. However, Beva 371 has started to fall out of use among conservators because manufacturers discontinued two of its main ingredients: Laropal K-80 resin in 2005 and Cellolyn 21E tackifier in 2020. Soon after, researchers at the Conservation Center of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts partnered with the University of Akron’s School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. Both institutions received a grant from the Getty Foundation’s Conserving Canvas, a project that provides funding to advance research for art conservation and preservation.
The product these scientists created is called Beva 371 Akron, and it has several highlights. Some adhesives are not particularly safe for continuous use over long periods of time. But the NYU and Akron researchers developed Beva 371 Akron to be durable without the use of phthalates, making it safer for people to use. Much of the coverage surrounding Beva 371 Akron’s development describes the new substance as “spaghetti-like”. However, this is only its solid form, which can be broken into smaller, pellet-like pieces that are easier to transport. It can also be produced in a pre-mixed, heat-seal form, similar to the original Beva 371. A third, solvent-free formula is also currently in the works. Chris McGlinchey, the NYU project director and former senior MoMA conservation scientist, commented on the team’s success, “It’s a big win anytime you enable a conservator to do their work more safely and effectively.”
The research team will present their complete findings at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Conservation being held in Minneapolis from May 29th to May 31st.