An Early Medieval Buckle

This buckle wouldn’t look out of place on a belt or handbag today, despite its being well over 1000 years old! It dates to the 6th-7th century AD, and was discovered during excavations at Lair, Glenshee. It would once have been affixed to a leather or textile strap.

Corrosion and soil deposits removed using hand tools and an air abrasive machine, which directs a stream of compressed air containing an abrasive powder towards the object - a sort of exfoliation process for metals! The metal surface was then pacified by applying tannic acid, which reacts with unstable compounds in the metal to create a stable, protective layer.