Laser cleaning of gilded bronze surfaces

The physicochemical processes that accompany laser cleaning of metallic objects with gilded surfaces have been investigated. The thermal processes have been numerically modeled, and experiments have been carried out on the cleaning of comparison surfaces made from gold, as well as of works of art made from gilded bronze, which showed the need to optimize the pulse width of the laser radiation. Using the successful solution of some difficult problems of restoration as an example, practical recommendations are given for choosing the output parameters of lasers intended for the cleaning of gilded bronze.