[Nhcoll-l] Vault - off gassing

[J Claire Dean]

I work in South Africa as a consulting conservator on a pretty regular
basis (Rock Art Research Institute (RARI), Univ. of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, since 2000) and sadly, I am very familiar with"super wood".
It is basically the worst version of MDF (medium-density fiberboard) you
can imagine.  It is stuffed with various solvents, resins and other
chemicals that off-gas for forever.  We have tried to ban its use at RARI
(in our archives and collections facilities) and while we have not been
100% successful, we have managed to get rid of most of it.

It is used for all the reasons that are obvious - it is cheap, easy to
obtain, easy to fabricate with, appears to be very strong, although heavier
than all heck.  Another problem I suspect exists is that it's formulation
is not standardized and certainly varies across manufacturers.  This
opinion is based purely on empirical observation (i.e. smell testing), as I
have not been able to obtain hard data on the composition of the stuff.
What I also know is that "super-wood". varnished back in 2002-ish, is still
giving off strong odours to this day.

It is imperative that this stuff not be used near collections.  Knowing
that this is pretty much impossible to accomplish in South Africa, it is
even more important that it be sealed with multiple coats of low VOC
varnishes and/or paints.  I would also recommend using a barrier, such as
Marvelseal, but I suspect it is hideously expensive in South Africa (as it
would be imported), if you can get it at all.

You might like to take a look at this online published poster on sealing MDF
(see link below).  Also, searching the conservation literature substituting
"MDF" for "super-wood" in the search string might be helpful.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.conservation-2Dus.org_docs_default-2Dsource_annualmeeting&d=AwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=hL4Qn8QciQLMvEB3zObkHScuMCZI0g6aBli4mGhA0m4&s=Abpun9L0mgLijBA3E21Vfb4X7_DdxQ6SBIjumY-Uu-Y&e= 
/2015am_poster_6.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Best wishes,

Claire


J. Claire Dean
Conservator

Dean & Associates Conservation Services
3438 NE 62nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97213
USA
Tel: 503-331-1972
E-mail: jclairedean at gmail.com



On Mon, Mar 7, 2016 at 7:45 AM, Anderson, Gretchen <
AndersonG at carnegiemnh.org> wrote:

> Dr. Fourie,
>
>
>
> I am not sure what “super wood” is.  Is this a wood product that has been
> laminated or processed like plywood or high density wood boards (ground up
> wood that has been adhered together.  Or is it a plank of wood?
>
>
>
> Wood never completely off-gasses.  Some woods off-gas more strongly than
> others, with more acidic vapors. Wood products, such as ply wood, have
> adhesives in them which also off-gas – the severity of which is dependent
> on which adhesives are being used.  Then there is the “varnish” or
> coating.  The type of varnish will determine how much of a barrier it is
> for the wood off-gas. And some varnishes (or paints) take longer to cure
> than others. Some are more damaging to both the staff and to the objects.
> This is due to their chemical make-up.
>
>
>
> Are these cabinets newly made or are they older and being reused for your
> purpose?
>
>
>
>
>
> *Gretchen Anderson*
>
> Conservator
>
> Carnegie Museum of Natural History
>
> AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org
>
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__carnegiemnh.org_&d=AwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=hL4Qn8QciQLMvEB3zObkHScuMCZI0g6aBli4mGhA0m4&s=XKSMR0nTrtaPBK45Ad-RvpOXOU5ep9Z9DY3AUA8t1O0&e= 
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:
> nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *Heidi Fourie
> *Sent:* Monday, March 07, 2016 2:02 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] Vault - off gassing
>
>
>
> The museum (DNMNH) have a fire-proof vault that houses one of the
> palaeontology collections. The section recently purchased custom-made
> wooden cabinets. These have drawers and shelves with glass doors. The
> material used is super wood that has been varnished. The vault does not
> have a ventilation system and the collection manager has noticed that
> during the times that the door is closed an odour builds up. Once the door
> has been opened for a while and the room ventilated with a fan, the smell
> disappears. The off-gassing caused some eye irritation and the question is,
> is it bad for one’s health, is the smell from the varnish used on the
> cabinets and what is the solution? Will the gas reacts with the Paraloid or
> Glyptal?
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance, kind regards.
>
>
>
> Dr H. Fourie
>
> Karoo Palaeontology Section
>
> Department of Vertebrates
>
> Ditsong: National Museum of Natural History
>
> 012 0000040
>
>
>
>
>
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