[NHCOLL-L:634] Re: Long term effect of compactus storage onwetspecimens

[Lori Benson]

I must have a different compactor system than most of the individuals who have responded to this concern.  The system we installed in our new museum is manual and we do not have a problem with jerky starts or stops.  I can also move four 25 foot carriages filled with paleontology specimens without having to worry about the chain.  The carriages move smoothly.  When we install the same system in wet collections this fall, we will check vibration, but I do not expect any.

Lori

Judith Price wrote:

> >>> "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
> P.O. Box 3443, Station D
> Ottawa, ON  K1P 6P4
> jprice at mus-nature.ca
> tel. 613 566-4263
> fax 613 364-4027
>
> Please visit us at http://www.nature.ca

--
Lori Benson
Collections Manager
Science Museum of Minnesota
120 Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102
Voice: 651-221-9435
Fax: 651-221-4525
Cell: 612-709-3144