The X-MET8000 Expert handheld X-ray fluorescence analyser is regularly used at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford for the non-destructive elemental analysis of historical artefacts and works of art.

When acquiring new items and collections or when studying existing ones, the museum’s conservation department uses a variety of techniques to analyse and characterise the artefacts or objects. One technique used is handheld X-ray fluorescence (HHXRF). HHXRF is a non-invasive, non-destructive, fast technique to determine elemental composition. The compact, lightweight X-MET8000 Expert allows analysis of valuable objects in situ. The X-MET helps answer curatorial and conservation questions on manufacturing materials and techniques, provenance and dating, identification of restoration materials, authentication studies, and characterisation of corrosion processes.

Dr Kelly Domoney, Objects Conservator at the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, and Research Fellow at Cranfield University, UK, who uses Oxford Instruments’ X-MET8000 Expert on a regular basis said, “The portability and non-destructivity of the technique is essential to the analysis work at the museum. Many objects are immovable and the insurance costs involved in taking objects to a laboratory are often prohibitive. The ability to conduct analyses in-house means that a broader range of research projects can now be performed. In the past, the characterisation of materials and identification of corrosion products were often done by eye. The X-MET enables us to assess collections in a far more in-depth way, meaning that we can accurately document and compare materials in the collections, and identify further research needs.”

For further details about how the X-MET8000 Expert is used at the Ashmolean Museum, read a recently published case study: www.oxford-instruments.com/archaeometry

The X-MET8000 Expert features a variety of analysis programs for the analysis of a wide range of materials and an integrated camera to pin-point and image the analysis area. A clever range of accessories includes a light stand for the analysis of small items such as coins.