[NHCOLL-L:5293] Re: Sealing wet collection jars

[John E Simmons]

This has been an interesting discussion with some very good advice offered
all around.  Bear in mind that although the most obvious issue here is
preservative evaporating from jars, the underlying issue is one of
collections management and cost-effective solutions.  I would like to offer
the caution that there there is no single solution that is best for
everyone.

If you have the resources to replace the undesirable closures with the
reliable polypropylene lids with teflon or polyethylene foam liners as
advocated by Andy, that is a great solution, especially if you can
standardize container sizes in the process.  In the long run, that is a very
good, effective use of collection care resources, particularly if the jars
in the collection are opened frequently as those in Andy's collection are
(due to the volume of research use his collection has).  On the other hand,
if you don't have the resources to replace the lids, and/or the jars are not
opened as frequently, Judith's advice to use SPEC tape is excellent (I have
used the SPEC tape applied as Judith describes with extremely satisfactory
results).

In summary--for some collections, it will be more cost-effective in the long
run to replace lids and jars; for other collections, it will be more cost
effective in the short run and probably the long run as well to enhance the
seals with SPEC tape.

Bear in mind also that not everyone has access to the polypropylene lids
that Andy describes.  I have worked with collections in Europe and in Latin
America in countries in which the polypropylene lids are only available as
an expensive import item, far beyond the resources available in the museum.
Particularly in Latin America, where most jar lids are made of low-quality
polyvinylchoride (PVC), such measures as using a layer of parafilm or a
sheet of polyethylene film to enhance the closures are the most
cost-effective in both the short run and the long run.

We all have limited collection care resources, and it is important to
consider the best way to expend those resources taking into account the
materials that are available, the cost of the materials, the cost of the
personnel time necessary to implement the improvement, and the improvements
effectiveness in the long run.  One size does not fit all.

--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania


On Wed, Feb 23, 2011 at 12:01 PM, Ashley Henderson <AshleyH at cctexas.com>wrote:

>  Thanks everyone for the suggestions!  It's so great to have so many
> knowledgeable people out there!  I have read that the Bakelite lids are an
> issue.  Unfortunately, this is only one of several types of lids in the
> collection.  There are also several variations of jars.  I would like to
> standardize the entire collection at some point.  But for now, it will be
> the cheaper tape.
>
> Ashley
>
>
>
> From: Ashley Henderson <AshleyH at cctexas.com<mailto:AshleyH at cctexas.com>>
> Reply-To: <AshleyH at cctexas.com<mailto:AshleyH at cctexas.com>>
> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:45:54 -0600
> To: "NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu<mailto:NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu>" <
> NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu<mailto:NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu>>
> Subject: [NHCOLL-L:5277] Sealing wet collection jars
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I am searching for a supply to seal the jar lids in our wet collection.  I
> purchased polypropylene sealing tape that is advertised for use with wet
> collections.  However, it has proven about as effective as wrapping scotch
> tape around the lids.  The lids were previously sealed with what appears to
> be very thin paraffin wax that came in tape form.  However, I cannot find
> this supply.  This link has an uploaded picture of the wax/tape substance
> http://i.imgur.com/uZUlM.jpg  Does anyone out there have any ideas on this
> or another way of sealing the lids?  Whatever I use must go on the exterior
> of the jars because many of the jars have a plug type lid.  Thanks in
> advance!
>
>
>
> Ashley Henderson
>
> Collection Manager
> Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
> www.ccmuseum.com
> (361) 826-4659
>
>
> Visit us on Facebook!
> Discover La Belle at www.corpuschristimuseumlabelle.blogspot.com<
> http://www.corpuschristimuseumlabelle.blogspot.com/>
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/private/nhcoll-l/attachments/20110223/560b4742/attachment.html