Keyhole Sink, Kaibab National Forest. Photo Kaibab National Forest.
Keyhole Sink panel. Photo Kaibab National Forest.
A sad incident of vandalism occurred at Keyhole Sink, in Arizona's Kaibab national Forest occurred in August 2010. Some hero (or heroes) with a can of silvery-white paint added their work to a petroglyph panel.
Keyhole Sink panel vandalized. Forest. Photo Kaibab National Forest.
"Keyhole Sink is a canyon in the shape of a keyhole near Williams, Arizona. The canyon is best known for its petroglyphs, which were created about 1,000 years ago by the Cohonina people, and the seasonal waterfalls that flow into the canyon." (Wikipedia)
Restoration crew with wire brushes. Photo Kaibab National Forest.
In November, 2010, a team of National Forest personnel led by rock art restorer Johannes Loubser and Kaibab National Forest archaeologist Neil Weintraub performed a restoration on the panel. Several materials and techniques were tested before they decided on their final strategy.
Restoration crew with butane torch and Munsell chart. Photo Kaibab National Forest.
According to Weintraub "for thousands of years and for thousands of visitors - both recent and prehistoric - Keyhole Sink was a serene place to make a connection with nature and the past. I feel that all changed in late August when someone decided to hike in three-quarters of a mile to the petroglyph panel with a bucket of paint." (Banks 2010)
Restoration crew spraying Elephant Snot.
Photo Kaibab National Forest.
The process that they used to remove the paint involved both chemicals and heat. The paint used was an aluminum roofing cement and much of that could be removed from the background rock surface (not the petroglyphs proper) with butane torches. Within the lines of the petroglyphs the butane torches were used to heat "very fine steel brushes just enough to get the brush to help us peel back the paint." (Weintraub 2019)
Keyhole Sink panel after restoration restoration.
Photo Kaibab National Forest.
Remaining traces were removed with a biodegradable cleanser marketed under the name of Elephant Snot. "In 2013, we used our Youth Conservation Corps crew of local high school students to use 'Elephant Snot' to clean up the mess created by the vandals. It worked beautifully and visitors can no longer tell that the site was vandalized. 'Elephant Snot' is a biodegradable cleanser that works on certain paint materials better than others. We have had great success with it, especially in our volcanic landscape." (Weintraub 2019)
I am pleased to note another successful rock art restoration, as well as the materials and techniques used in this endeavor. Another marvelous job.
NOTE: The images in this posting were provided by the Kaibab National Forest. I wish to thank South Kaibab Zone archaeologist Neil Weintraub for his cooperation with RockArtBlog in providing this information, and for the good work of restoring this site. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.
NOTE: The weird effects in some type are the result of changes Blogger has made in their style and formatting. As they do not have an instruction manual it may take me some time to master these. Please bear with me.
REFERENCES:
Banks, Jacqueline
2010 Vandalized Keyhole Sink Petroglyph Panel Receives Restoration Work, Kaibab National Forest News Release, November 19, 2010
Weintraub, Neil S.
2019 Personal Communication, December 6, 2019.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyhole_Sink
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