Hardener

Description

An unstandardized name for a substance that is mixed with another to make the second material harder and more durable. Hardeners are used in paints, varnishes, adhesives, cements, and metals. A hardener may also be added to a photographic emulsion to raise its melting point. Other more specific names for materials that may be considered hardeners are: Catalyst, Accelerator, Drier, or Filler.

Authority

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000

• Website address 1 Comment: Conservation termlist at www.hants.org.uk/museums