Arms 

Before

The arms were covered in dust and fingerprints, and a dull lacquer finish indicated previous light damage. Both had surface scratches and abrasions to the lacquer.

The right arm had lacquer losses, with unstable edges, and a white opaque residue on the outer edge of the forearm.

The left arm had opaque red-paint surface residue on the upper forearm, as well as water staining that blanched the lacquer surface on the inside edge of the forearm.

After

Surface dust on the suit was removed with a brush made of sable hair and a specialist vacuum cleaner called an aspirator, as anything harsher would have further scratched the lacquer. A non-aqueous (non water-based) solvent was identified to remove grime.

The most obvious damage was to the lacquer - splits, breaks, and losses caused by light. Pieces that had fallen off were reattached and, where necessary to prevent further losses, loose pieces were reattached and infilled with acrylic resin and glass micro balloons (a bulking agent) - all stable and reversible materials.

The fibres of the textile elements were relaxed by controlled humidity so they could be realigned to their original shape.

X-ray

The x-ray revealed, unexpectedly, small metal hexagons in the shoulder sections, which would have given extra protection to the wearer.

Fine chain metal between the lacquer plates or ‘lamella’ can also be clearly seen in the x-ray, another relatively light and strong element.