Foam rubber

We recently acquired a ca. 1970 Decatur Radar unit from our local
highway patrol. The red foam rubber padding in the case is in an
advanced stage of decomposition. I have constructed new supports of
ethafoam around the existing foam rubber pads and lined the case
with Tyvek to isolate the individual parts from the crumbling foam
rubber, and isolated the manual in a polyethylene and acid-free
paper wrapper. Even so, I expect continued problems with the
deteriorating foam rubber. Space is at a premium in our small
museum, and storing the parts separately from the case is not an
option. My question is: what are the ethical considerations (from a
conservator's point of view) of removing the deteriorated foam
entirely and replacing it with ethafoam? Thanks for your help,

Larry Hutchings, Curator
Stevens County Historical Society
SCHS Museum
116 West Sixth Street
Morris MN 56267
320-589-1719

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:62
                 Distributed: Friday, January 10, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-62-015
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