Caring for your collections general

Caring for your CollectionsMarch 8, 2016Dr Ware Petznick, Executive Director

The Shaker Historical Society

Caring for your CollectionsPart of a series of two-hour workshops March 8-11Only time for general principles

1. Resources2. Agents of Deterioration3. Nod to insurance4. Before you treat

1. Examine2. Test3. Go easy first

5. Storage6. Conservator info

Resources

American Institute for Conservationwww.conservation-us.org

Canadian Conservation Institutewww.cci-icc.gc.ca

Heritage Preservation

Intermuseum Conservation AssociationCLEVELAND

Agents of Deterioration 1. Physical Forces

2. Thieves and Vandals

3. Dissociation

4. Fire

5. Water

6. Pests

7. Pollutants

8. Light, Ultraviolet and Infrared

9. Incorrect Temperature

10. Incorrect RH

Agents of Deterioration

•Physical Forces

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

• Can you see your best objects through the window?

• Do you have accurate records?

Security You: “The portrait of my 5 great grandmother

has been stolen!” Police: “Can you describe it?” You: It’s always been over the mantel… oil…

primitive Police: “Do you have any photos of it? More

details?” You: UMMMMMMM…..

BE PREPARED for theft, natural disaster… Do you have a prioritized list?DOCUMENT YOUR COLLECTION

Security TAKE GOOD PHOTOS Can include description in photos BE SPECIFIC Dimensions Subject Maker’s marks – author’s signature Collection Marks

Item Value Dimensions SourceSilver candlesticks

$500 12” x 5” Grandma P

Monteith Bowl

$? 25” x 10” Granny

Ask yourself, will a

policeman be able to

identify your object with

the information

you give him/her?

SECURITY/DocumentationItem Value Dimensions Source Maker Distinguishing

marks?Silver candlesticks

$500 12” x 5” Grandma P; it was made for JS Alexander

Paul Storr

Monogrammed P with Alexander armorial crest, silver gilt

Monteith Bowl

$? 25” x 10” Granny James Honey

Sheffield plate with sterling insert engraved with the Armstrong armorial crest, has lion’s heads with ring handles and the curved top is a separate ring

You don’t have to be a curator to describe your collection. Describe what you see. Will your children

know who owned it? Does it have a little note in the drawer?

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

• Losing the story• Misplacing part of a set• Not keeping accurate

records

Agents of Deterioration

•Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

Do you have an emergency plan?

People & pets …Then what if time permits?

Agents of Deterioration•Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

•Water

Not just bathroom…• HVAC units above? Floor

pan?• Pipes in the basement?• Humidity • Bottom shelf or on floor?

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

•Water

•Pests

Agents of Deterioration • Wood, leather, fabrics and upholstery materials such

as horsehair can be inviting to insects and other small pests.

• Insects such as woodworm beetles eat their way along the grain inside wood until they mature.

• Mature insects bore their way out of the wood leaving exit holes.

• Active infestations can be identified by exit holes and a fine sawdust called frass appearing under the piece of furniture.

• Active infestations should be isolated as soon as possible and an exterminator and/or conservator should be consulted.

Insects

Photo courtesy of Lauren Cox.

Photo courtesy Paul Messier.

Pests on Paper

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

•Water

•Pests

•Pollutants

Pollution – Bad air

Photo courtesy of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation.

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

•Water

•Pests

•Pollutants

•Light, Ultraviolet and Infrared

Sun damages wood, leather, textiles… Art, painting, paperSOLUTION: WINDOW FILM

LIGHT!

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of American Indian, Smithsonian Institution. Photo by Kelly McHugh.

Light

Photo courtesy of the Furniture Conservation, Burghley House

Agents of Deterioration •Physical Forces

•Thieves and Vandals

•Dissociation

•Fire

•Water

•Pests

•Pollutants

•Light, Ultraviolet and Infrared

•Incorrect Temperature

•Incorrect Relative Humidity

TEMP 68F-72FRH 45% - 55%

Agents of Deterioration

Mode Effect

Dimensional Changewarping, dislocation of joints, splitting, breaking of fibers, delamination, loss of surface material, cracking

Chemical Reaction

corrosion of metals, fading of dyes, weeping or crizzling glass (clouding), cystallization and movement of salts, disintegration and yellowing of paper

Biodeterioration mold growth (RH 70% or above), bacteria

TEMP 68F-72FRH 45% - 55%

Examine• Identify materials• Good task lighting• Identify finishes• Don’t add oil to a wax finish• Protect your metal objects with

padding • Protect yourself – gloves / mask• Good ventilation if you use a product• BEST TO JUST DUST

It’s all wood? Is it?• INLAYS – marquetry – can be:• Bone• Glass• Ivory• Leather• Metal• mother-of-pearl• Plastic• Stone (Pietra Dura)• tortoise shell• Stone

• OTHER WOOD VENEERS

It’s all wood? Is it?

Gilded metal mounts often used on French-inspired furniture

Chain is as strong as its weakest link…• Surface can be:• decoratively painted• japanned (built-up layers of

finish, making a raised decoration)

• Gilded• Veneered• Mounts (ormolu)

• Each material has its own optimal environmental condition. Robert Davis High Chest, Skinners

2004

Common sense• Hot skillets can soften a finish

and char the wood. • Leaking potted plants can

watermark the finish, permanently stain the wood, and cause the finish to separate from the wood.

• Insect-infested wood or dried arrangements can introduce powderpost beetles into your house and furniture.

• Use coasters Feeder?

Furniture & Woodwork

To prevent cracks and veneer cleavage, avoid placing furniture near radiators, heat vents or other areas where temperature and humidity fluctuate widely. Use a humidifier if necessary during very dry winter conditions.

Cleaning Steps

MATERIALS? Damage?Minimall

y invasive cleaner

(test it before plunging in!)

Cleaning Steps

MATERIALS?

Need repair?

Just wood

Clean with soft damp cloth– Support wood while handling itCan start with mild solutionsThen move to wax

Murphys Oil

Storage Quarantine with white paper or a sheet

underneath wood furniture or woodwork

Check for beetles

Introduce new environment slowly

Raise up on blocks if in basement

Attics not good storage nor NON HVAC

controlled basements

Keep objects together

What Conservators Do Examine and Assess Document Treat Preventive Care Research Educate client on future management

If a conservator says “leave it with me” and quotes only a price, do NOT leave your heirloom with them. They should assess the piece and tell you exactly what they propose to do before they touch it!

What Conservators Do

The Shaker Historical Society16740 South Park BlvdShaker Heights, OH 44120216.921.1201

Shakerhistory.org

11-5 Tuesday – Friday2-5 Sunday

More Questions?

REMEMBER – any conservation treatment is very

SPECIFIC to the artifact. There are guidelines, but there

is no single answer for all collections questions. Always

proceed with caution.

Thank you! Please share feedback with us in our comments book.

Picture Frames/Mirrors/Girandoles

• Avoid hanging paintings on poorly insulated outside walls, over radiators, or above fireplaces since these areas experience wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity

• Dust frame gently with brush or vacuum low with screen over hose nozzle – DO NOT USE A DUST CLOTH OR FEATHER DUSTER

Picture Frames•Make sure the frame, hanging hardware and wires are securely attached and in good condition.•Secure a piece of foam-core board or acid free cardboard to the back of the stretcher with screws to protect the back of the canvas from grime, debris and physical damage.• Avoid handling frame – may have gesso, plaster or special paint finishes that may break. HOLD FROM WIRE

• AVOID LIGHTS

Furniture & Woodwork

•Clean soiled surfaces in good condition with a damp cloth, using cotton swabs in carved areas.•Using paste or butchers wax, lightly wax furniture once or twice a year to protect the surface. Avoid oils and dusting/cleaning sprays, especially those with silicone.

FINISHES

• Modern finishes are made of synthetic resins that resist many solvents

• Antique finishes were derived almost entirely from natural plant resins, can be easily damaged or dissolved by such solvents as water, alcohols, and ketones (acetone).

• They also can be broken down by solutions with a high pH, such as ammonia.

French Polishing – Thin layers of Shellac

OIL FINISHES• Treating the "dry" wood with an oil can have either of two

adverse effects. • If the oil is a drying oil (pressed from any nut or seed such as

linseed, tung, walnut, or any other plant), as it dries it forms a film by the oxidation and cross-linking of its components. Unfortunately, the process doesn't stop when the film is hard but still clear. The oil continues to oxidize and cross-link, eventually becoming dark, soft, gummy, and very difficult to remove without damage to the original finish.

• If the oil is a mineral oil (a distilled fraction of petroleum), it will never dry, but can penetrate into the wood through microscopic fissures in the finish, causing dark streaks.

OIL FINISHES• Most pump or spray polishes contain drying oils or, worse yet,

pure silicone, which cannot be removed with any solvent known to science. Oil soaps contain detergents that may be too harsh for an aged, original finish, and they intentionally leave a film of drying oil. Since the intent of any polish is to brighten the surface of a finish (the polish fills in microscopic scratches and fissures in the finish, temporarily restoring luster and clarity), one wants to use a polish that does not darken and that is easily removable. The best alternative to commercial furniture polishes is a good grade of paste wax. One can buy a can of furniture wax (e.g., Renaissance Wax or Goddard's), but the average paste floor wax (e.g., Johnson's, Behlen's, Butcher's Bowling Alley) contains excellent plant and animal waxes at a fraction of the cost.

FINISHES

• Modern finishes are made of synthetic resins that resist many solvents

• early finishes derived almost entirely from natural plant resins, can be easily damaged or dissolved by such solvents as water, alcohols, and ketones (acetone).

• They also can be broken down by solutions with a high pH, such as ammonia.

French Polishing – Thin layers of Shellac

OIL FINISHES

• Most pump or spray polishes contain drying oils or, worse yet, pure silicone, which cannot be removed with any solvent known to science.

• Oil soaps contain detergents that may be too harsh for an aged, original finish, and they intentionally leave a film of drying oil.

• The best alternative to commercial furniture polishes is a good grade of paste wax. One can buy a can of furniture wax (e.g., Renaissance Wax or Goddard's), but the average paste floor wax (e.g., Johnson's, Behlen's, Butcher's Bowling Alley) contains excellent plant & animal waxes at a lower cost.

FINISHES

• Commercial window cleaners may contain both alcohol and ammonia and should never be used on an early finish.

• When cleaning a mirror, for example, one should spray the cleaner on the cloth, not on the glass, to avoid getting it on the frame.

MS Rau Early Georgian Mirror

Feed Wood? Are you nuts?

• Once cut from the tree, wood cannot be "fed."

• Unless fungal microorganisms have destroyed the majority of the cell walls, wood never ceases to absorb or lose moisture.

• Even wooden objects from tombs of Egyptian pharaohs still have the capability to expand and contract in response to changes in humidity.

Common Furniture Timbers

Georgian: 1700-1815 mahoganyEmpire : 1815-1840 rosewood or mahoganyGothic Revival : 1840-1880 walnutRococo Revival : 1840-70 mahogany or rosewoodRenaissance Revival : 1850-1880 walnutColonial Revival : 1890-1925 oak; mahogany and walnut Mission / Arts and Crafts 1900-1925 oak.