Consultancy
Conservation Chemicals Consultants Limited (CCC) was founded in 1987 by Tom Wiseman: degrees in chemistry and chemical crystallography at Oxford were followed by research in the chemical industry – x-ray and electron diffraction studies of the structure of non-crystalline materials and the behaviour of their surfaces in aqueous and organic media (such as paints and plastics) provided insight into how solids interact with media and, for example, how this affects and is affected by light, particularly UV light: several years followed of managing work into more fundamental aspects of such behaviour, with the oversight of sponsored projects at several UK universities, including heterogeneous and photo catalytic research, which has led, as a part, to the development of self-cleaning glass, paints and plastics.
Worldwide export sales management of chemical raw materials, then specialist surface coatings, added more experience of the effects of the environment on the behaviour of coatings, stone, wood and concrete and their interactions and to promoting the development of better products for such uses, based on technical understanding of this behaviour – the physics of light scattering guided the development of ‘liming’ treatments that do not ‘disappear’ when oil, eg Danish Oil, is applied to protect timber, and colloid chemistry assisted the development of a range of oil/wax products that enabled a European timber merchant become a worldwide name in such finishes.
A simple question, one afternoon in Hong Kong, from the chief designer of an international land and property company, about the protection of marble and similar stones in luxury hotels – led to the development of a prototype invisible non-discolouring treatment for marble which also prevented attack and staining by acids – previously unattainable – and, shortly thereafter, to the establishment of CCC Limited in 1987. Similar understanding of the chemical nature of ‘wood’ led to our first timber treatments – which behaved like oils but gave long lasting non-yellowing protection against wear and staining.
At CCC, research is in our blood (in today’s jargon, it’s in our DNA!) – one of our areas of ‘expertise’, (another branch of resin chemistry), led to development of specialist grouts and mortars capable of use in very thick sections in very cold conditions – and related materials resistant to severe vibration and flexing, whilst retaining their strengths. Again, this was considered (by others), ‘impossible’, before we developed them.
Our original CEETECT and TIMBERTECT™ brands have been developed continuously, improving technical performance, easier application, better environmental behaviour – enabling users to solve problems previously unsolvable and designers and architects to use materials previously thought quite unsuitable – and in ways quite inconceivable. We get comments like ‘you’ve changed my life’ ‘where have you been all my life’ – we still blush.
