[Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

Fri Jan 7 12:01:22 EST 2022

Thank you all!

This far I was convinced that powder coating is strong enough but maybe I should also go with the stainless-steel?
At least I haven’t seen or no any cases of powder coating coming off in collections – does anybody have seen something like this?
Is galvanized metal mats better than certified rubber mats? Aren’t the galvanized matt more slippery and I have heard that
there is a possible reactions for galvanization: there may be the chance of producing a local element combined with corrosion under certain conditions.

Best!
Lennart

From: John E Simmons [mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 5:49 PM
To: Lennart Lennuk <Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee>
Cc: Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu>; neumann at snsb.de; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

Lennart,
I agree with the comments offered by Dirk and Paul, but there are a few more things that you need to to consider, based on my experiences working with an architect to write specifications for the shelving system used at the Biodiversity Research Center at the University of Kansas in 1996.

1. Load capacity--the amount of weight a shelf can support is calculated as an evenly distributed load, but of course jars on a shelf are not an even distribution of weight because some jars are bigger than others. For this reason, the load bearing capacity of the shelf should be determined by two factors, the total load and how much the shelf can flex (warp) with an uneven load. The largest jars we used on the shelves were one gallon jars (3.8 liters), and they weighed about 8 lbs (3.6 kg) each, depending on the type of jar and the weight of the specimens they contained. Our specifications were that the shelves could not flex more than 1/8 of an inch (0.32 cm) if loaded with gallon jars in the very center. We determined by experiment that when a 36 inch long shelf (91 cm) flexed more than this, the jars on it tended to slide to the center. When shelves flex, the jars on them tend to slide to the center and become unstable, so this is a very important factor. I have seen shelves in several fluid collections that had the proper weight bearing capacity but flexed so much that they were not usable. We required the shelving manufacturer to provide us with a sample set of shelves to test ourselves.

2. Coating--Keep in mind that the jars do not simply sit on the shelf. As they are removed and returned, they will slide across the surface and can scratch through many sorts of coatings. We tested powder coated and plastic coated metal shelving by simply rubbing a nickel coin (a soft metal) on the surface, which rapidly cut through both powder coated and plastic covered shelves, and meant that within a few years of use the shelves would begin to oxidize. For this reason, we opted to use stainless steel shelving. We were not allowed to use wooden shelves or wood-product shelves because of the fire danger they present. If sufficiently strong, wooden shelves are excellent because jars on them do not slide around as much as on metal shelves, but our local fire marshall ruled against wood because it easily burns and because a sprinkler system cannot penetrate through a solid wood shelf. If you are allowed to use wood, make sure you apply the same rule about flexing of the shelf.

3. Fire safety--we were required to have shelves that were at least 50% perforated to allow water from the sprinkle system to penetrate to the lowest shelf. For this reason, combined with the issues of weight and shelf flex, we selected stainless steel wire shelves. The problem with wire shelves, as you know, is that small jars are not stable on them due to the gaps between the wires. To cope with this issue, we made the decision that the smallest capacity jar that could sit directly on the shelf was 8 ounces (237 ml) because smaller jars are less stable. Specimens in smaller jars or vials had to be placed inside an 8 ounce jar. To make the shelf surface more even, a galvanized metal mat was placed on each shelf that was drilled out to 50% perforation. This provided a flat, stable surface from edge to edge across the shelf.

The system we selected has been in use since 1997 and has proven to be extremely reliable and study, with no oxidation to the shelving or the metal mats, and no warping of the shelves when fully loaded. I have included a photo of a jar on the stainless steel wire shelf with galvanized mat with a size scale.

--John

[image.jpeg]

John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
and
Associate Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
and
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima

On Wed, Jan 5, 2022 at 9:59 AM Lennart Lennuk <Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee<mailto:Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee>> wrote:
Hi!

Now we are back on wire shelving beacause the shelving company says that
the wired ones are actually more stable and do not bend like perforated steel shelves.
For me the picture of the shelve looks quite promising and its load-bearing capacity is 200kg!
What do you think?
[cid:image004.jpg at 01D803F5.D1474790]

Best!
Lennart

From: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>] On Behalf Of Lennart Lennuk
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 3:35 PM
To: Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu<mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu>>; neumann at snsb.de<mailto:neumann at snsb.de>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

Thank you all.
We are then deciding to use perforated steel plate with powder coating.
Have you any suggestions how the perforation could be done?

Shelvng company is offering this kind but I am concerned again about the stability of little jars
because the holes seem to be quite big
[cid:image003.jpg at 01D80254.D5D4EF80]

Best!
Lennart

From: Callomon,Paul [mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 2:54 PM
To: neumann at snsb.de<mailto:neumann at snsb.de>; Lennart Lennuk <Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee<mailto:Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee>>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

Another problem with “fridge shelving” is that the plastic coating (which is usually not powder coating but hot-dip) can crack and fail in time, especially around welded joints that remain rigid while the bars bend slightly under the weight of their load. The metal underneath is unprimed mild steel, so it rusts fast.
Bear in mind too that shelving made of rods does not bear loads evenly; a jar sitting near the edge, for example, will be better supported on one side than the other and will thus lean a bit.

Paul Callomon
Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates
________________________________
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA
prc44 at drexel.edu<mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 7:06 AM
To: Lennart Lennuk <Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee<mailto:Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee>>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

External.

I Lennart,

I doubt that jars will be stable on this sort of shelves; also, how much would be the total allowed weight on such shelves? The design doesn't seem to be suited to carry huge weights.

With best wishes
Dirk

Am 05.01.2022 um 12:17 schrieb Lennart Lennuk:
Most of our fluid preserved collection is in 100, 300 and 500ml jars.
This far I have been asking the shelving company for perforated steel shelf plates finished with powder coating
but the company is trying to convince me to use the shelving shown on the picture in my previous letter.

Best!
Lennart

From: Dirk Neumann [mailto:neumann at snsb.de]
Sent: Wednesday, January 5, 2022 12:17 PM
To: Lennart Lennuk <Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee><mailto:Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] shelving in wet collection

Hi Lennart,

to me this looks like storage for lab consumables, and even for this purpose you may need to prefer (closed) chemical cabinets instead of open storage (depending on the lab chemicals).

For ordinary fluid preserved collections, the recommendation is not to go below 75 ml fluid volume per container. Depending on the quality of the closures and the environmental settings in the storage area, containers below 75 ml may dry up fast, if the seal/closure is bad. Depending on the number of jars, you would need to adjust your monitoring regime to spot evaporation losses and to prevent damage to objects stored in smaller containers.

If you would need or want to store specimens in smaller volumes, it would make more sense to use closed cabinets with drawers. Ideally, as Simon recommends, the drawers are equipped with grids or boxes that stabilise the small vials or tubes. We have equipped our cool and refrigerated storage with such drawer-cabinets<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lista.com%2Fen%2Fproducts%2Fdrawer-cabinets%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cprc44%40drexel.edu%7Cd2b76322a298433fb77108d9d044128f%7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6%7C0%7C1%7C637769813076156842%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=ZsQMPfeHyH3uIZyrbzDZ4DkyIpa8AiX15YWiI0f1WDI%3D&reserved=0>

Hope this helps
Dirk

Am 05.01.2022 um 10:38 schrieb Lennart Lennuk:
Hi

Do you have any experience using this kind of shelving in wet collections?
I am worried about load-bearing capacity and also the stability of little jars.
Is it ok to place a rubber mat under little jars to maintain the stability?

[mailbox:///C:/Mail/qk9hn92x.slt/Mail/mailin.lrz-muenchen.de/Inbox?number=336779710&header=quotebody&part=1.2&filename=image001.jpg]

Best regards!
Lennart Lennuk
Head of collections
Estonian Museum of Natural History
+372 6603404, 56569916

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Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
neumann(a)snsb.de<http://snsb.de>

Postanschrift:

Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
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Tel: +49-89-8107-111
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