[Nhcoll-l] Help: Flooded taxidermy

[Leslie L Skibinski]

Hi Jessica,

One thing with the fans is not to have them concentrated on a specimen.  The idea is to move the air around the specimens and not have one part of the specimen dry at a faster rate than the other.  That leads to splitting.  Have the fans set back from the specimens, have them on oscillate.  If you do not have oscillating fans, make sure you point them towards a wall or something so that the air bounces off the wall and doesn't hit the specimen directly.  Have the fans on low or medium and move them around the space.  You want to avoid dead air zones.

Another thing is to not apply heat or heated air to the specimens.  No hair dryers.  Make sure the heated exhaust from the dehumidifiers doesn't blow directly on the specimens.

You can use toweling or paper towels next to bases or in crevices to wick moisture away.  Replace it frequently.  Do not force it into narrow spaces as that can cause stretching or deformation of the mount.

Others may tell you that the mounts should be redone as the interior of the mounts will dry at a much slower rate than the skins and that if you don't get it completely dry, you risk getting mold growth from the inside out.  You may have to wrap the mounts and freeze them though that produces its own problems.

Keep the air as cool and dry as possible as warmer air can hold more moisture.

Do you know if the mounts are pre-1970s?  If so, you may have a hazardous materials situation with the potential for mercury, arsenic and perhaps other substances.

Best of luck.

--Leslie

Leslie L. Skibinski
Collection Manager

Paleontological Research Institution
1259 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca, New York  14850
Phone:  (607) 273-6623  ext. 128
Fax:  (607) 273-6620




From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Tir, Jessica
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2024 4:35 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Help: Flooded taxidermy

Hello!

The Conner Museum just had a water line burst above our gallery. Some of our taxidermy mammals (a big caribou, a tiny premie fawn, among others) got soaked. Both the bases and the mounts themselves are very wet. We have fans and are getting dehumidifiers. If anyone has any tips about how to dry taxidermy safely while minimizing any potential damage (mold? Skin splitting?) that would be greatly appreciated.

General mold prevention tips would also be appreciated, as the walls and ceiling tiles were also waterlogged.

Best,
Jessica



[A red logo with black background  Description automatically generated]
  Jessica Tir (she/her)
Collections Manager
Charles R. Conner Museum
School of Biological Sciences
Washington State University










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