[Nhcoll-l] Air-abrasive kits for field work

[Dirk Neumann]

Dear Rebecca,

you need to consider two aspects when shipping this unit as air freight:

1. The machine/compressor must either be new (with a respective 
certificate of the manufacturer) or the tank of the machine needs to be 
clean(ed). Otherwise the (used) compressor has to be sent as air 
dangerous goods which would require to hire a specific company for 
packing & marking if you / your institution does not have a IATA 
certified person that could offer the consignment for shipping.

We did ship once a new compressor to re-fill scuba diving tanks to 
Cameroon, and once we tackled down all (potential) IATA issues, the 
shipment got stuck at Cameroon Customs and was not released, until the 
field team had to return. After this, all traces of the machine 
disappeared, and we never got it back.

2.  The Aluminium (oxide) powder might be mistakenly considered to be 
restricted either as Aluminium powder, coated (UN1309) / Aluminium 
powder, uncoated (UN1396) or as Metal powder, flammable (UN3089) or 
self-heating (UN3189); metal oxides should be stable and non-reactive. 
It might be worth to check this with your air line / air cargo carrier 
and to make sure that no pure metal powders are included. Otherwise fine 
glass powder used as abrasive might offer an alternative in case of 
troubles with the carrier.

Hope this is of help

Dirk


Am 14.05.2013 18:09, schrieb Rebecca Bennett:
> Dear all,
>
> We are thinking about options for an air-abrasive system for overseas 
> field work. The main application will be removing the closely-adhered 
> layers of sediment from the surface of lithics and fossils.
>
> Does anyone have experience of any kind of portable air abrasive 
> system or other set-up for this sort of application which might be 
> suitable to take on an international flight from the UK to Tanzania? 
> Ideally the pressure should be be adjustable between c. 40 and 80 psi 
> and the system should be capable of firing 29 micron aluminium oxide 
> powder.
>
> The only option identified so far is a geological preparation 'air 
> abrasive blaster' supplied by UK GE, which would require a compressor 
> to be purchased on site but could be transported on a plane. If anyone 
> has experience with the UK GE model or any other solution, we would be 
> very grateful for your comments.
>
> Rebecca Bennett
> Project Conservator
> Olduvai Geochronology and Archaeology Project
> Institute of Archaeology, University College London
>
>
>
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-- 
Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
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81247 München

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---------

Dirk Neumann

Tel: +49-89-8107-111
Fax: +49-89-8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

postal address:

Bavarian Natural History Collections
The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
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