[NHCOLL-L:631] Re: Long term effect of compactus storage onwet specimens

[Judith Price]

>>> "Rich Rabeler" <rabeler at umich.edu> 22-Jun-00 1:09:20 PM >>>
I'd agree with Robin - isn't it quite easy to have a jerky manual operation?

I haven't had a chance to play with other installations, but the manual compactors here are quite heavy.  It has been well impressed on us that moving more than one row at a time could break the chains, so we don't push our luck.  The momentum behind all that weight forces the start of movement to be slow, dampens the possibility of jerks along the way, and requires sensible slow-down at the end.  There are many reasons to keep impatient people out of your collections, improper operation of the equipment pales in comparison to what they might be doing to the specimens!

Judith

(Ms) Judith C. Price
Secretary, Canadian Society of Zoologists
Assistant Collection Manager, Invertebrates
Canadian Museum of Nature
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jprice at mus-nature.ca
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