The IBIX® system is an air-abrasion equipment especially designed to clean delicate wooden artefacts and/or those of historic-artistic value in a controlled and selective manner. The IBIX ® system is extremely useful for a selective cleaning that protects also the coating film finish of artefacts since its operation parameters (pressure; inert material/air mixture control) can be perfectly adjusted to the work to be performed, and eco-friendly inert material of suitable nature and grain size (walnut shells, mineral garnet of 200-mesh grain size, etc.) is used.
The dry IBIX® system is suitable for blasting bare wooden artefacts as it cleans off those hard-to-remove paint coats. In this case, it is advisable to use the IBIX air-abrasion equipment with almandine Garnet natural inert material, grain size: 120 mesh or 200 mesh. Instead, if you try wish to slightly 'brush' a piece to softly remove pollutants but without scratching the coating film, you should use vegetable or mineral media of very fine grain size (200-250 mesh).
The dry IBIX® system is especially useful to give wooden artefacts the proper porosity needed for further conservation treatments. In particular, the IBIX® System is successfully used for micro-removal so that intumescent paint can be later applied: the artefacts to be treated should be free of dust, grease, oils, silicones or any other substance that may cause paint not to hold well to the surface.
