[Nhcoll-l] Vault - off gassing

[Anderson, Gretchen]

Dr. Fourie,

I am not sure what "super wood" is.  Is this a wood product that has been laminated or processed like plywood or high density wood boards (ground up wood that has been adhered together.  Or is it a plank of wood?

Wood never completely off-gasses.  Some woods off-gas more strongly than others, with more acidic vapors. Wood products, such as ply wood, have adhesives in them which also off-gas - the severity of which is dependent on which adhesives are being used.  Then there is the "varnish" or coating.  The type of varnish will determine how much of a barrier it is for the wood off-gas. And some varnishes (or paints) take longer to cure than others. Some are more damaging to both the staff and to the objects. This is due to their chemical make-up.

Are these cabinets newly made or are they older and being reused for your purpose?


Gretchen Anderson
Conservator
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org<mailto:AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org>
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__carnegiemnh.org_&d=AwIFAg&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=01DB2vy2NRDo6Qa5jNV3VtYXY3hMf7lj73aZc0u-Rmc&s=ABWvl73-kfeMCL0yLX5twSHizs6Jm3wUeb6APyOaAWU&e= 


From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Heidi Fourie
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 2:02 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vault - off gassing

The museum (DNMNH) have a fire-proof vault that houses one of the palaeontology collections. The section recently purchased custom-made wooden cabinets. These have drawers and shelves with glass doors. The material used is super wood that has been varnished. The vault does not have a ventilation system and the collection manager has noticed that during the times that the door is closed an odour builds up. Once the door has been opened for a while and the room ventilated with a fan, the smell disappears. The off-gassing caused some eye irritation and the question is, is it bad for one's health, is the smell from the varnish used on the cabinets and what is the solution? Will the gas reacts with the Paraloid or Glyptal?

Thanks in advance, kind regards.

Dr H. Fourie
Karoo Palaeontology Section
Department of Vertebrates
Ditsong: National Museum of Natural History
012 0000040




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