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Repairing Steel Dies

June 27, 2016
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Damaged printing plates made whole

By Stephanie Shank, Conservator and Collections Manager

In May 2013, the National Currency Collection acquired over 650 engraved steel dies (printing plates) from the British American Bank Note Company. After careful selection by our Chief Curator Paul Berry, the dies were delivered to the Bank of Canada Museum’s collection facility, each wrapped in kraft paper. There were labels to be detached and then each die was wiped clean with mineral spirits and soft cotton swabs to remove a dark, greasy substance covering the surface—evidence of their past use as security printing plates. During this cleaning process, we discovered that eight dies were broken in half, likely from past printing activity. Before they were to be placed in collection storage, these broken dies were evaluated for further conservation treatment. Ultimately, the decision was made to repair the breaks.


Prior to treatment, the plate shows a clean break.



This engraving is of an early coat of arms for the City of Ottawa.


In heritage conservation, broken metal objects can be reassembled with an adhesive most commonly used for repairing glass and ceramics. This adhesive, known as HXTAL, is a two‑part epoxy resin which, through a chemical reaction, hardens after mixing. It works well with dense materials as it creates strong, tight bonds and has the added benefit of neither swelling nor discolouring over time.


HXTL is called “hextall” by conservators.



No, the plates weren’t taped together; just held together while the adhesive cured.


Each die was reassembled and held together with thin strips of painter’s tape, then placed upright in clamps. Small drops of HXTAL were then applied along the break with the tip of a wooden stick. When it is freshly prepared, HXTAL is a very thin liquid and through capillary action, it can penetrate into narrow cracks and join pieces together using very little material. The next day, any remaining adhesive was removed with swabs and wooden sticks lightly dampened with acetone. This is important because after 24 hours, HXTAL will become too hard to be removed without potentially damaging the object. The dies were then left in the clamps for an additional week until the adhesive had fully cured.


The beaver plate after reassembly with epoxy.



The Ottawa coat of arms put back together.


Now that they have been repaired, the final step is to create custom mounts for each die to ensure they are properly supported while in collection storage.

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Content type(s): Blog posts

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The Museum Blog

February 26, 2025

New acquisitions—2024 edition

By: David Bergeron, Krista Broeckx


Bank of Canada Museum’s acquisitions in 2024 highlight the relationships that shape the National Currency Collection.
Content type(s): Blog posts
February 11, 2025

Money’s metaphors

By: Phillipe Audet-Cayer, Graham Iddon, Patricia Marando


Buck, broke, greenback, loonie, toonie, dough, flush, gravy train, born with a silver spoon in your mouth… No matter how common the expression for money, many of us haven’t the faintest idea where these terms come from.
Content type(s): Blog posts
August 6, 2024

Treaties, money and art

By: Krista Broeckx, Frank Shebageget


Photo, collage, a photograph and a drawing of an elderly White man in a high collar and old-fashioned suit.
The Bank of Canada Museum’s collection has a new addition: an artwork called Free Ride by Frank Shebageget. But why would a museum about the economy buy art?
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Arts, History
July 16, 2024

Rai: big money

By: Graham Iddon


An item is said to have cultural value when it can be directly associated with the history, people, beliefs or rituals important to a society. It’s the same with a rai—its value can be greater depending upon who authorized it, who carved it and who subsequently owned it.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Economy, Geography, History Grade level(s): Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
April 18, 2024

Lessons from the Great Depression

By: Graham Iddon


A welfare coupon and piece of stock ticker tape over a 1930s black and white photo of unemployed men gathering to protest.
What the stock market crash of 1929 did was starkly reveal the weaknesses of economic systems that had evolved from the unregulated capitalism of the late 19th century.
Content type(s): Blog posts Subject(s): Financial literacy, History Grade level(s): Grade 09 / Secondary 3, Grade 10 / Secondary 4, Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5 and CEGEP
March 25, 2024

Welcoming Newfoundland to Canada

By: David Bergeron


Newfoundland’s entry into Confederation marked the end of an era when Canadian provinces issued their own coins and paper money.
Content type(s): Blog posts

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