[Nhcoll-l] Taxidermy bird conservation advice

[John E Simmons]

In Their True Colors: Developing New Methods for Recoloring Faded Taxidermy
project blog
https://intheirtruecolors.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/introducing-the-recoloring-taxidermy-research-project/

Museum Victoria, Taxidermy conservation workshop -
http://museumvictoria.com.au/about/mv-blog/mar-2014/taxidermy-conservation-workshop/

Horniman Museum & Gardens, Conserving our taxidermy blog -
http://www.horniman.ac.uk/collections/conserving-our-taxidermy

Natural Sciences Collections Associations (NATSCA), Conservation of
Historic Taxidermy
https://naturalsciencecollections.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/bill-pettit-memorial-project-conservation-of-historic-taxidermy/

Wildlife Preservations - http://wildlifepreservations.com/

Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (JAIC), Linda
Nieuwenhuizen, 1998. Synthetic Fill Materials for Skin, Leather, and Furs.
Vol. 37, 1:10
http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic37-01-010.html

Arsenic test strips -
http://www.amazon.com/SEOH-Indicator-Arsenic-Quantofix-Analytical/dp/B0089PLYGM

Cleaning eyes of taxidermy mounts:
https://youtu.be/POZtVBwj6jw?si=tE-jVEF7dNwFxLyD


John E. Simmons
Writer and Museum Consultant
Museologica
*and*
Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima


On Mon, Jul 21, 2025 at 9:16 AM Holly Brown <
holly.brown at student.unimelb.edu.au> wrote:

> Hello!
>
> I am an emerging conservator based in Australia and was guided to Nhcoll
> for advice by my lecturer at the University of Melbourne.
>
> I am working part time as a Museum Officer for a collection that has some
> taxidermy bird specimens.
>
> There has been no conservation action on these taxidermy birds (hawk and
> eagle specimens), and I would appreciate advice on best practice
> conservation care and preventative conservation measures I could try.
>
> I am currently planning on testing the birds for arsenic using a basic
> arsenic test kit I have seen online to ensure they are safe to handle and
> display.  Other than that, I would be open to any other suggestions on how
> best to care for these objects.
>
> Thank you so much in advance!
>
> Holly Brown
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