Foam rubber

Larry Hutchings <history<-a t->infolink< . >morris< . >mn< . >us> writes

>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.

This is a familiar problem in our institution.  Different curators
have differing perspectives on the preservation of unstable or
hazardous original materials VS an accurate interpretation of the
artifact for exhibit. Is the radar case on exhibit? If not, then we
would probably opt to preserve the original foam rubber as-is,
ensuring that it will not harm surrounding components by
interleaving inert materials such as Mylar sheets (as you have
done).  For an "authentic" exhibit of the same artifact, we might
choose to replace the deteriorated material with inert foam or
similar - especially if the exhibit text can not explain the "
inherent vice" of these materials. We would save a small sample of
the original material for future study, and carefully document any
changes to the artifact.

Welcome to the world of Restoration/conservation of 20th Century
artifacts.

Clara Deck, Conservator,
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village.

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:63
                Distributed: Wednesday, January 15, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-63-001
                                  ***