Reproducing reality. Recreating bonding defects observed in transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) museum objects and assessing defect formation

The most common method chosen by artists, designers, and craftsmen to realize artworks and objects with transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is to bond pieces from premanufactured sheets using solvents or adhesives. This method is considered relatively easy to use, however achieving bonds that are both transparent and strong can be difficult. Artifacts from museum collections made by bonding transparent PMMA often exhibit a variety of bonding defects and failures not yet addressed in depth in the conservation literature.