[NHCOLL-L:3442] RE: Coal dust removal

[Jean-Marc Gagnon]

Jean-Marc Gagnon, Ph.D.

Chief Collection Manager                          Gestionnaire en chef

Invertebrate Collections                          Collections des invertébrés

Canadian Museum of Nature                         Musée canadien de la nature

P.O. Box 3443, Station D                          Boîte postale 3443, Succ. D

Ottawa, Ontario                                   Ottawa, Ontario

CANADA   K1P 6P4                                  CANADA   K1P 6P4

 

Tel.: 613-364-4066

Fax / Télécopieur:  613-364-4027

e-mail / courriel: jmgagnon at mus-nature.ca <mailto:jmgagnon at mus-nature.ca> 

Steve,

 

A few years back, we tested the use of an ultrasonic bath with distilled water and asmall quantity of biodegradable liquid detergent (Contrad 70; www.deconlabs.com/tds/Contrad%2070%20Tech%20sheet.pdf <http://www.deconlabs.com/tds/Contrad%2070%20Tech%20sheet.pdf>   ). It worked well for many specimens as long as:

- They appear to be solid enough for the treatment (i.e not for thin, brittle or cracked shells);

and

- They did not have a flaky or potentially shedding periostracum;

 

Of course, they had to be small enough to fit in that 4" bath.

 

Some touch-ups were also done with soft brushes and the same solution of water and detergent in areas where dust or soot was more resistant to the cleaning process.

 

Shells that could not be cleaned in the ultrasonic bath were gently wash with the same solution and brushed by hand.

 

All shell were subsequently rinced well with distilled water and allowed to dry for days before returning to the closed cabinets.

 

All in all, it was a long but effectice process. 

 

 

Hope it helps.

 

Jean-Marc

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Lorraine Cornish
Sent: May 10, 2007 1:04 PM
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:3440] RE: Coal dust removal

 

Some material may respond well to laser cleaning although this is an expensive option unless you have access to one. I have successfully removed carbon residue from fire damaged feldspar material using infra red pulsed wavelength laser. It is particularly useful where the object is too fragile for more conventional cleaning techniques e.g. solvent cleaning.

Lorraine Cornish
Senior Conservator
Department of Palaeontology
The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road
South Kensington
SW7 5BD
Telephone-020 7942 5137 
Mobile 07920 007064
E-mail L.Cornish at nhm.ac.uk 

________________________________

From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Steve Sullivan
Sent: 09 May 2007 16:31
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:3436] Coal dust removal

Many of our mineral, shell, and coral specimens have a residue that appears to be coal dust from the old heating system of the building.  In some drawers the specimens are completely black, though most are just lightly soiled, labels sometimes are uniformly dusted along with the specimen and unit tray.  Does anyone have experience methods or materials for removing this sticky dust?

 

--Steve

 

Steven M. Sullivan
Collections Manager
Chicago Academy of Sciences
Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 North Cannon Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60614
P: 773-755-5100x2042
F: 773-755-5199
www.NatureMuseum.org

Maintaining a physical record of Midwestern biodiversity since 1857. 

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