Packing wet books

Patrick B. King <mfd7326<-a t->aol< . >com> writes

>This is a response to Linda Cranstons request for information on
>packing wet books in "milk" crates....
>
>Boxes may be cheaper initially, however they are not re-usable.  New
>boxes have to be used to return the conserved items.

Although most of the information Patrick King gives is accurate this
last bit is not.  Boxes are re-usable and there is no need to re-box
library/archival contents following freeze drying.

Cardboard boxes, if substantially full, can be stacked (no more than
approx. 4 high on palettes for ease of handling), frozen, contents
freeze dried, and returned to the client in the same box.  Unopened.

Upon opening, the contents should be checked for residual moisture,
esp. archival material.  NCR's (No Carbon Required forms) are
especially difficult to dry and it is possible that NCR's will
retain enough moisture to support mold when everything else in the
treated collection is dry.

It is important to freeze the pallets of boxes quickly.  If it is
not easy to take the boxes to a deep freeze facility as they are
packed, try to have a truck with a refrigeration unit (frozen food
truck) on hand for short term storage until arrangements can be made
to have the affected collection(s) freeze dried.

Milk crates are ideal storage/transfer/treatment containers; failing
that, uniformly sized cardboard boxes are good.  Odd, random sized
boxes are worst, but better than nothing.

Jack C. Thompson
Thompson Conservation Laboratory
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, OR  97217
503-735-3942

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:76
                Distributed: Thursday, February 27, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-76-001
                                  ***