[NHCOLL-L:3000] Fwd: Sintra PVC archival attributes

[Emily Kaplan]

We have tested Sintra for use inside exhibit cases. It has passed our Oddy
tests as well as the National Archives tests. 



Emily Kaplan
Conservator
National Museum of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution
Cultural Resources Center
4220 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, MD 20746
tel (301) 238-1418
fax (301) 238-3201
kaplane at si.edu

www.AmericanIndian.si.edu

>>> kwellspring <kwellspring at amherst.edu> 03/09/06 10:56AM >>>
Greetings List,

We are considering using a PVC material (produced by Alcan Composites,
marketed under the name Sintra) to line shelves in  closed display cases
for
some new exhibits. The MSDS for Sintra lists its components as polyvinyl
chloride, lead compounds, calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide and 15-25%
"other". It is advertised variously as "acid-free" "archivally sound" and
as
having "little out gassing".  The cases will contain primarily
vert/invert/paleobotantical fossils, and some osteological material, and
some specimens may be in direct contact with the Sintra liner.

Does anyone have experience in working with Sintra in exhibit cases? Can
you
suggest ways in which I could determine whether it is an appropriate inert
material for exhibiting specimens for the next 20 years?

Many thanks,

Kate Wellspring

______________________________
Kate Wellspring
Collections Manager
Amherst College Museum of Natural History (formerly the Pratt Museum)
Amherst College
Amherst MA 01002
(413) 542-2165
www.amherst.edu/museumofnaturalhistory