Microwave drying

Niccolo Caldararo <caldararo<-a t->aol< . >com> writes

>Randolph Stilson <stilsonr<-a t->elwha< . >evergreen< . >edu> writes
>
>>I recently had a call from a lady that had heard on the FX
>>Collectables Show on Cable TV that using a microwave to remove mold
>>in musty smelling books was appropriate.
>
>I have heard from a number of collectors and archivists that use of
>microwaves was effective in treating some problems with mold. An
>article was published in Library Journal in 1989 (September issue)
>detailing how do use one with care and safety.

I find the post from Niccolo Caldararo a bit confusing.  Are
microwaves to be used for drying, mold treatment, or both?  I do not
have any experience with regard to using them for mold, but did
spend a day running tests in a microwave on wet, expendable samples
of paperback books and answer sheets when I was archivist for
Educational Testing Service.  (ETS was interested in a quick way to
dry college  admissions test materials like the SAT for scoring
should a disaster occur.)  My experience was not very positive.
Although I found it possible to dry paper in a microwave, the
treatment often left the paper quite warped, and scorched if left in
too long.  A lot of moisture vapor is released into the atmosphere
within the oven, so the door has to opened frequently.  Thick stacks
of paper do not dry very evenly. My conclusion was that it could be
used for small amounts of material if the objective was to save it
for short term use or photocopying.  I would seek an alternative for
valuable materials.  It seems to me that drying by either
conventional heat or microwave is akin to an  accelerated aging
test.

Gary D. Saretzky, Coordinator, Public History Internship Program,
Rutgers University and Archivist, Monmouth County, New Jersey

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:38
                 Distributed: Monday, October 20, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-38-009
                                  ***