Conservation of bamboo

Wendy Claire Jessup <prevcon<-a t->aol< . >com> forwards this:

Aside from what rehydrating bamboo might mean, I believe that the
issue of trying to keep components of objects that were flexible
when they were in use still flexible in the museum is unnecessary.
In many cases it is also technically inappropriate because it
involves adding materials (in the past including lanolin, glycerine,
etc.) to the original. There are no clear test results showing that
these materials work in the long run anyway.  The important tactic
when dealing with components of artifacts that become more brittle
as they age is to insure that as they stiffen they stay in the
configuration appropriate to the object.  Leather boots and shoes
often stiffen as they age; the purpose of stuffing them is to assure
that they stay in the right shape and don't become stiff while they
are squashed. For bow which are kept strung, it is also important to
deal with the effects of tension.

B. Appelbaum

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:87
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 8, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-87-002
                                  ***