Formaldehyde-free fiberboard

Karen Potje inquired about sources for obtaining formaldehyde-free
mdf materials.  The main brand that we use is Medite II, from the
Medite Corporation, P.O. Box 4040, Medford, Oregon, 97504, Tel:
503-773-2522. It is classed as an exterior medium density
fiberboard, wood-based panel product, formaldehyde free.  They can
probably identify distributors for you.

You still must seal the boards on all exposed surfaces because the
wood fibers will off-gas acetic acid vapors.  I have recently tested
this using A-D strips and polished lead coupons (Image Permanence
Institute (IPI) product for measuring "vinegar syndrome" and
estimating the shelf-life of acetate-based film stock) in a case
with an uncoated Medite II board and found that there was indeed a
measurable amount of VOC's being emitted.  You can use a coating
such as Camger, a water-borne polyurethane, which has been tested
and shown to be  a good vapor transmission inhibitor.

There was a pre-conference at the AIC 1996 meeting in Norfolk, VA,
which addressed your questions of materials used for preventative
conservation.  The pre-session was called Preservation of
Collections: Assessment, Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies.  If
you contact the AIC office, they may have copies of the papers still
available.  You might also want to contact the CCI and speak to
their conservators who test and study materials.  They have someone
who deals with preventative conservation issues.  CCI also has
analysis reports (ARS files) on different materials used in
conservation available for purchase. Hope this helps.

Paul S. Storch
Objects Conservator
John and Martha Daniels Objects Conservation Laboratory (JMD-OCL)
B-109.1, Minnesota History Center
345 Kellogg Blvd West
St. Paul, MN  55102-1906
612-297-5774
Fax: 612-297-2967

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:56
                Distributed: Tuesday, December 23, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-56-003
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