Baleen

I am looking for information on the conservation of baleen in its
natural state, not as manufactured into other objects.

I have the article by J. Lauffenburger in the Journal of the
American Institute for Conservation, and the one by M. Kite in the
Preprints of the Washington I.C.O.M. Conference, both of which deal
more with manufactured baleen. I also have a "Technical Note" by D.
McAlpine and J. Camus from the New Brunswick Museum entitled
"Preparation and Mounting of a Rack of North Atlantic Right Whale
Baleen" (unfortunately I do not know which journal it comes from)
which recommends the use of hair conditioner.... "To maintain
flexibility in the plates and fringe".

Our museum also wishes to mount a rack of baleen and I am a little
reluctant to recommend the hair conditioner treatment partly because
I am not sure what the active ingredient is, (there was no brand
name given) and partly because of all the other ingredients likely
to be present. I would appreciate any information either on the
active ingredients of hair conditioner, or on other methods of
preserving plates of baleen so that they do not warp and/or
delaminate on drying. Thank you,

Margaret Perkins
Museum of Victoria

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:56
                Distributed: Thursday, January 25, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-56-017
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