Wood and other construction materials

...
Anyway here are some thoughts to relay to hilary.  We had univ.
carpenters build all our cabinets and benches with much success, but we
also worked with them closely. There is also no substitute for quality
in one's shops, so if you aren't working with carpenters who can deliver
quality, better go no further.  They way you find out is to have some
small project built first.  This also helps to establish the
relationship, which is the critical ingredient in getting what you want.
Don't blow your wad on a big job and find out too late they can't
deliver.  We had our cabinetry built out of oak-veneered plywood for all
showing parts, and finish grade ply wood for hidden shelving etc. The
standard finish is a sprayed polyurethane which I'm sure is fairly
ubiquitous. Since these are not really storage areas for the
collections, I think it's a moot point about the archival nature of the
wood and finishes, except that one does not want something that is
constantly outgassing, but I don't think this is a real problem.  I
think the best storage shelving on all counts--flexibility, strength,
ease of construction, AND no real problems with noxious nasties--is the
steel storage shelving that is erect or set style.  We have used this
all over for all major storage areas and love it.  It comes in various
standard widths and depths which can be quickly assembled to fit most
board and paper needs. It can be lined up under benches (serve as the
base) for a whole wall of storage--well let your imagination do the
rest.  It also seems to be fairly common around libraries, so one
doesn't h ave to get into tedious ordering processes.  About strainers:
I still love my Nalgene sieve, which ran be about $60 and is virtually
indestructible--no problems with moisture damage--sort of important
since it spends a lot of time wet. It is the #60 mesh, the finest grade,
and is available from VWR Scientific. They have a nice catalog of
Nalgene products. I wouldn't trade it.  No mess, no bother, and I didn't
have to construct it.  Maybe this will help.

Please relay to Hilary,
thanks,
robert.

                                  ***
                   Conservation DistList Instance 1:1
                   Distributed: Tuesday, May 17, 1988
                        Message Id: cdl-1-1-012
                                  ***