[Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes

[Sergio Montagud]

Hello all,
Thanks for all information apport here. I see the ethanol treatment is the best practice recommended for clean the specimens.

Some years ago someone tell me that for clean the lenses and photographic material he employed isopropanol (2-propanol 99,9%).  The technicians that work with electronics gadgets use it regularly for cleaning. It seems that the isopropanol can clean very similar than ethanol but it evaporates more quickly because is all pure (99%) and no water residual can oxidate the metal and electronic contacts.

Since then, I use it regularly for clean my photographic material with best results. And one year ago we had a mold problem in the museum with a bird eggs collection. I used the isopropanol with a clean tisú paper to wash the egg surfaces and all gone Ok. No molds growth again and the eggs are very very clean. Also I use the isopropanol to clean insects before photografied.

Profit this subject, someone knows is the isopropanol can affect some tissue or detailed material in natural history collections?

Best wishes

Sergio

De: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> en nombre de Joachim Händel <Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de>
Fecha: lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2022, 16:20
Para: couteaufin at btinternet.com <couteaufin at btinternet.com>, christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu <christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu>
CC: wahlert at ccber.ucsb.edu <wahlert at ccber.ucsb.edu>, nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>, seltmann at ucsb.edu <seltmann at ucsb.edu>
Asunto: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes
Hello all,


There is a study on mold on paper. (University of applied sciences and art Hildesheim, Study of Conservation and Restoration)
It says that 70% ethanol must be used,

The 30% water content transports the alcohol into the fungal cell, the proteins in the membrane are denatured and the metabolism of the molds is prevented.
With higher percentage alcohol (> 70%), the water concentration is too low for transport into the cell.

It was also shown that spraying with 70 % alcohol does not work. Apparently, the alcohol evaporates too quickly to enter the cells. At worst, additional mold growth may even occur due to the high water content. A bath in 70% alcohol was most effective.

As I said - the study refers to mold on paper, but probably also applies to bones or e.g. insect specimens.

Good luck
Joachim

--
Joachim Haendel

Center of Natural Sciences Collections
of the Martin Luther University
- Entomological Collection -

Domplatz 4
D-06099 Halle (Saale)
Germany

Phone:  +49 345 - 55 26 447
Fax:  +49 345 - 55 27 248
Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de



>>> Simon Moore <couteaufin at btinternet.com> 20.09.2022, 18:12 >>>
Hi Chris,

You’ll probably get many responses over this.

If the shells are robust enough, then a light spray with 70% ethanol will loosen and neutralise the mould so that it can be wiped away but if it has somewhat destabilised the scute layers, then it will be cotton buds dipped in alcohol. Once the scutes are dry and clean, then a light dressing with something like 10% (emulsion of) Optimalin will prevent the scutes from drying and delaminating. Bear in mid that Optimalin is an oil used in taxidermy but is much too sticky per se, hence the reason I dilute it. The water then slowly evaporates away allowing the oil to penetrate just far enough into the organic layers without leaving a sticky and dust-attractant residue.

With all good wishes, Simon

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,

www.natural-history-conservation.com


> On 20 Sep 2022, at 16:32, Chris Evelyn <christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback:
>
> 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?)
> 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?)
> 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I
>
> Attached are some images of the current situation.
>
> Thank you for your assistance!
>
> Chris
>
> Christopher J. Evelyn
> Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher
> Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration
> University of California Santa Barbara
> Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation
> <turtle shell mold.JPG><Turtle taxidermy mold.JPG><Turtle_skull_mold.JPG>_______________________________________________
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> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l
>
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NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.
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