Wood sealants

As a new-comer to the U.S.A., I am wishing to learn which
proprietary paint and 'varnish' products, readily available in the
U.S.A., are used in museums, with conservation approval, to seal
wood fibre boards and plywoods employed in storage and display to
prevent off / out-gassing. I am in a situation where some object
specific supports have been constructed and require sealing. They
cannot be sealed with manufactured barrier films due to their shape.

>From my research thus far, I am aware of the following:

    1.  Three classes of coatings have been recommended as
        appropriate for sealing wood (a) moisture cure urethane with
        aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, (b) 2 pack epoxy polyamide
        cure, (c) moisture cure //rethane with xylene solvent.

    2.  Proprietary products change in constituents from time to
        time without warning from the manufacturer, and therefore
        tests should be carried out on any proprietary products from
        time to time to ensure their continued acceptance for
        conservation usage

    3.  Research is currently underway at CCI to study the
        properties of 22 proprietary products, and the results will
        be available to the conservation community within the next
        year.

Basically, I need to do this now, and am curious about the products
which are currently in use, particularly if they have passed Oddy
tests and the like to assess their barrier properties. Any ideas?

Mary Gissing
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
310-825-1146

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:92
                   Distributed: Sunday, May 21, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-92-005
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