Abstract
The lead leaching from overglaze decoration was greatly reduced after soaking in 4% acetic acid for 10 to 24h. The effectiveness of the treatment in reducing the lead leaching was confirmed. Most overglaze decorations showed no change in gloss or color after the treatment with acetic acid. The reduced gloss in some overglaze decorations after the treatment could be recovered by reheating at 300 to 500°C. The low level of lead leaching achieved by the treatment was retained even after reheating up to 800°C. For studying the mechanism of lead leaching, the surface of overglaze decoration was observed by optical microscopy and EPMA. It was observed that particular regions in the overglaze decoration releasing large amounts of lead were eroded by acetic acid.
