TAA i.2.3.107

Nov. 27^th 1925 - Dec. 14. 1925

Have been spent upon cleaning and restoring objects

discovered upon the King's mummy. I do not think we

have succeeded up to date in doing more than ¼ of the material.

It was a terrible job extricating the third innermost Coffin of gold

from the interior of the inlaid wooden Second Coffin, where it was

firmly fixed by the congealed anointing substance. Originally

something like two buckets full of the liquid had been poured

over the Third Coffin. The main part of which has flowed between

and filled up the space between the two coffins, where it dried

and became a solid mass. In the same manner the Mask

of the King was stuck to the interior of the Third innermost Coffin.

It was found that this pitch-like material could be melted

under great heat, and that was really the only means of

successfully getting the coffins and mask apart. Thus, so as

to apply sufficient heat as was necessary without causing

damage to those wonderful specimens of ancient Egyptian

arts & crafts, the Third Coffin was completely lined with plates

of zinc which would not melt under a temperature of

500 centigrade. We then reversed the coffins by

turning them upside down upon trestles, covered the outside

(Second) Coffin with heavy wet blankets for protection

against fire, and placed under the hollow of the Third

Coffin primus paraffin lamps burning at full blast.

The temperature was naturally carefully watched so that

it did not exceed the melting point of the zinc plates.

It took some three hours before any real effect in

the way of movement took place. The moment signs

of movement became apparent, the lamps were turned

out and the coffins left suspended upon the trestles

when after an hour they began slowly to fall apart -

the movement at first almost imperceptible owing to the

tenacity of the material which when heated was of an