Editing Index-matching material (section)

==In art conservation==
{{see also|Conservation and restoration of glass objects}}
If a sculpture is broken into several pieces, [[Conservation (cultural heritage)|art conservators]] may reattach the pieces using an adhesive such as [[Paraloid B-72]] or [[epoxy]]. If the sculpture is made of a transparent or semitransparent material (such as glass), the seam where the pieces are attached will usually be much less noticeable if the refractive index of the adhesive matches the refractive index of the surrounding object. Therefore, art conservators may measure the index of objects and then use an index-matched adhesive. Similarly, losses (missing sections) in transparent or semitransparent objects are often filled using an index-matched material.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Controlling the refractive index of epoxy adhesives |author1=John M. Messinger |author2=Peter T. Lansbury |url=http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic28-02-006.html |journal=Journal of the American Institute for Conservation |year=1989 |volume=28 |number=2 |pages=127–136|doi=10.2307/3179485 |jstor=3179485 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>