[NHCOLL-L:1085] Re: bird taxidermy mount cleaning

[wwood]

Beware of dusts released from taxidermied bird specimens - some of these may 
contain arsenic.  A 30-40 year old specimen should be OK, but unless you know 
the source you cannot be sure.  When cleaning wear a dust mask or respirator, 
and make sure you wet clean the work surface.

Wayne Wood, CIH, ROH
Manager, Environmental Safety Office
McGill University


>===== Original Message From halford at SFU.CA =====
>On Wed, 27 Jun 2001, Karen Idoine wrote:
>
>> I have a 30- 40 year old taxidermied swan that is in desperate need of
>> cleaning.  It has spent all or most of its life as a still life prop for
>> drawing classes, and the charcoal residue it has accumulated has caused
>> its feathers to turn nearly black.
>>
>> i have attempted to clean it many times, first trying vacuuming, dusting
>> & brushing.  In my last attempt i used a sponge, a weak solution of dish
>> detergent and water.  This removed most of the charcoal black color, but
>> left the feathers both matted down and badly yellowed.
>>
>> Any suggestions for returning this creature to somewhat better
>> condition?
>>
>
>Katy,
>
>In my experience the yellowing is usually just an optical effect of
>matted feathers -- once they have been fluffed up the yellow disappears.
>
>I re-fluff washed skins using a high-pressure air line.  I blow compressed
>air over the specimen *against* the lay of the feathers until the down
>puffs up.  With patience (for a swan, make that a LOT of patience!) the
>specimen eventually regains it's color and texture.  A final blow down
>*with* the lay of the feathers settles most of the feathers, and a bit of
>hand work on individual problems finishes the job.  (be thankful you don't
>have to re-create feather patterns on a swan!)
>
>HTH!
>
>Steve (halford at sfu.ca)
>Museum Technician
>Simon Fraser University
>Burnaby, B.C., Canada