[NHCOLL-L:2196] RE:

[Steve Sullivan]

I talked to a friend of mine who has significant experience with problems
like this.  I thought it might be of interest to all.  Here is his response:

I would be hesitant to place the work in a freezer unit for a number of
reasons.  First of all, I do not know the material used for the mannequin
and if it is resin paper or other porous material, freezing may expand the
moisture and cause delamination or worse.  Secondly, Freezing may cause for
varied expansion and shrink rates which could cause an effect called,
"shivering" wherin the hide could separate from the form and fracture or
corrugate.

Freezing or lyophilization drying will probably not remove moisture from a
porous substrate in sufficient quantities to accomplish more than moisture
retention.

I often rehydrate skins on forms to correct old errors or to do other repair
work.  Assuming that the skin was tanned prior to mounting, and that other
than an alum/salt process was involved, the best method for drying would be
by circulating air around the mount by way of baffles and a couple of floor
fans.  You would need to check the mount daily as it dried to make sure that
no shifts occurred and that the skin dried in place.  If the glue used was
water based, more material, such as Elmer's white glue could be injected
under the hide in critical areas to bond the skin back to the form if
needed.

Hell, man, treat the mount as if it were an old pair of boots that got wet
while crossing a damp field or creek.  It is leather, in all likelihood and
will dry sooner or later....sooner is preferred.  If mildew or mold is a
concern, use a commercial anti-fungal agent to spray the area in question to
prevent mold from forming.

Good luck with your saturated bison.

Regards,

Bill Gaither

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu]On Behalf Of Greenan, Michele
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2004 1:13 PM
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:2195]


Hello all --

We had a horrible leak in our biology storage unit and some waste water
saturated the bottom of one of our bison mounts! We are not exactly sure of
what the best method is to dry the mount, but one suggestion has been to put
him in our freezer.  Will this work, or will freezing the fluid on the mount
cause the tissue to expand?

Any advice on this would be great.
Thank You,
Michele Greenan





Michele Greenan
Natural History Collections Manager
Indiana State Museum
650 West Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 233 - 8971
mgreenan at dnr.state.in.us