Brass time capsule

Thank you to all who responded, both privately and through the List
for the suggestions concerning opening the capsule.  In particular,
George Cannon and Jim Moss gave me very useful information on the
feasibility of de-soldering the joint; it does not sound like the
best way to go, but may be useful as a backup in conjunction with
the suggestion from William Hall (as well as a similar one from Mel
Wachowiak at SCMRE) to open the box on a milling machine.

It has occurred to me, as well as to our preparator, that in order
to solder the box shut at the time of manufacture without damage to
the contents, there would have had to be an effective amount of
insulation around the contents.  From this time period (1949), it
would not surprise me to find that the insulation consisted of
asbestos.  I think that I will have to plan on opening the box, once
the solder joint is slit, inside a "glove bag" designed for asbestos
abatement. If this is the case, I will be back to the DistList for
advice on decontamination of  ...whatever is in there.  After all,
this may turn out to be like Geraldo opening Al Capone's secret
room.

Clint Fountain
The Museum of Florida History
Tallahassee, Florida

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:42
                 Distributed: Monday, November 9, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-12-42-004
                                  ***