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conservator cleans and massages the paper in a shallow, metal bath. The chemicals rinse off and drain into the trough at the end. Water selection is significantboth tap and spring water contain trace minerals themselves, so art conservators should use filtered water to remove the by-products that might interfere with the chemicals in the art. Distilled water is used for pigment mixing and glue creation, to retain their purest forms.

Art conservators at institutions usually have a specialty medium they revive. Very infrequently will a diversified conservator exist. The individual must wear many hats. He must have the skills of an artist, and some training in art school. He must have a sense of color, design and understanding of the syntax of paintings. He must have an understanding of art history, for knowledge of the past is completely invaluable in order to delineate from what period, style, or era a work of art is derived. A traveler, too, has the upper hand, because he has frequented the regions a piece was created, and can do international work more readily. He must be a mechanic, because of the multiple simultaneous tasks. He must be a chemist. Different solvents absorb into the material and critical to proper solutions is a comprehension of chemistry, solvents, coatings, molecular bonding and other scientific material. He must be a businessman. The ability to run a business, purchase material, establish contacts, and maintain an inventory is essential to sustaining the practice. Finally, he must be an entrepreneur. Working without a boss is a dream, but independence must be balanced with motivation and productivity.

An art conservator's work is rewarding, but controversial nonetheless. Some will say the value of artwork will diminish when its original character is revamped. Others value the restored beauty high above the antiquity. Conservation creates a rock and hard place: which direction does the price migrate after art has been retouched? Most conservators would agree that art accrues in value by nature of being restored.

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