[Nhcoll-l] Storing a collection of oil

[Anderson, Gretchen]

Dear colleagues,

Our collections manager for minerals just presented me with a long term storage challenge that I would appreciate some input on.

We have an early (100 + years) collection of oil from Pennsylvania.  The oil is stored in glass jars and vials with cork stoppers.  Many have the original collectors labels attached.  The corks are old and desiccated. The oil is volatilizing with levels dropping. The collections manager does not want to replace or damage the corks, maintaining the historic context  of the collection.  We need to improve the seal, before there is more loss.

My first thought is to seal corks in wax.  Before proceeding, I would like to hear what others have done for long term storage for similar collections.

Looking forward to hearing from you all!

Gretchen Anderson
Conservator
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
5800 Baum Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15202
Phone (412)665-2607
Andersong at CarnegieMNH.org<mailto:Andersong at CarnegieMNH.org>
http://www.carnegiemnh.org


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