Portable Antiquities Scheme and our 3% Solution

New Product

Preserving your finds (excluding potential treasure items) is a very personal choice.  Some use crystaline wax (or an alternative) to seal, polish and protect their coins and artefacts, others use beeswax and some even use hairspray!  A large majority prefer to just leave them as they found them.

We've recently expanded our range to include the new 3% solution in the 50ml, 100ml and 150ml variants.

ArteSeal 3% collection of 50ml, 100ml and 150ml bottles surrounded by artefacts and blue cloth

Why 3%

In 2018 the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) produced a document titled 'Conservation advice for finders' which offers various suggestions and guidance for preserving your finds.  One product mentioned is Paraloid B72™ which is the raw material used in our products.

Portable Antiquities Scheme Logo

PAS suggest using the 3% solution as a coating which would provide the minimum amount of protection, they also suggest using the 15% solution as a glue to bond broken artefacts.

We decided to offer the 3% solution to serve our customers who prefer to adhere to the PAS guidance.

The Finish

The finish of your preserved items is important and some prefer a matt/satin finish which is what the 3% version would provide.

As you know we also provide a 10% version which brushes on easily and evaporates leaving a coating of Paraloid B72™ that is described a soft gloss finish.  This is by far our best seller and provides a good balance between protection and finish.

Our 20% version is ideally suited to artefacts or coins that require some form of surface consolidation.  This could be a Roman Bronze or infact any artefact that has a crumbly, delicate or powdery finish where handling could potentially damage the item even further.  The 20% can even be used on coins to provide a glossier finish.

Check out our 3% solutions in our online store.

Whatever you decide, we're here to answer any of your questions and don't forget all of our premixed solutions come with Free UK Standard Shipping.

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