The strength of glass is largely dependant upon the state of its surface and in particular the edges. Damage is readily introduced by contact or though cutting operations which leads to a substantial reduction in he strength of an artifact compared to its undamaged form. By using a flexible polymeric coating, damage may actually be repaired and the strength of coated articles accordingly restored. Wang, et al, demonstrated an epoxy resins coating system which is capable of significantly strengthening glass containing large defects introduced by a Vickers indenter. A major disadvantage of the system used was that the coating was applied as a solution in acetone. To eliminate this volume use of organic solvents a water based, thermally cured system has been developed.
