Groomstick

Sarah Anne Moy <tcrnsam [at] ucl__ac__uk> writes

>Several conservation laboratories I have worked in store their
>Groomstick in the refrigerator. The product literature does not
>suggest this as a means to store the kneadable natural modified
>rubber. I have contacted the manufacturer, Picreator Enterprises
>Ltd., and they suggested that Groomstick should be stored at room
>temperature. The idea of storing it in the refrigerator seemed more
>than a bit strange to them. Additionally, according to the
>manufacturer, Groomstick has an "unlimited shelf life."
>
>Does anyone know why Groomstick is stored in the refrigerator? And
>has any had any experience with it developing a yellowish/brown ring
>after a long period of storage? Any thoughts would be greatly
>appreciated.

You might want to refer to an article in Archives et Bibliotheques
de Belgique v. 66, n 1-4, 1995:83-94, reporting on experiments in
our laboratory on Groomstick! or the unpublished report by Canadian
Conservation Institute scientists, Elizabeth Moffatt and Marilyn
Laver, "Erasers and dry cleaning materials", CCI Analytical Report
ARS n. 1738, file no. 7034-20-3, 10/20/1983:1-11.

We noticed in some heat aged samples of erased paper yellowish
areas, but these did not appear in all samples.  In samples of
Groomstick! that we heated to 85 degrees C for 4 hours we noted
brownish stains on the paper base.  Groomstick! exposed to light in
our laboratory since 1995 has turned amber in some cases and
produced a yellow ring around the gray mass of Groomstick! in
others.  We agreed with Moffatt and Laver in our report that
Groomstick! should not be used on paper art, but for other uses like
on mats, etc.

I have wavered from this position now and then over the past 3 years
as conservators and archivists have argued that Groomstick! seems to
work so well and that our results were not unequivocal.
Nevertheless, I would certainly advise that Groomstick! be stored in
a cold space prior to use.

Niccolo Caldararo
Director and Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:63
                 Distributed: Monday, February 1, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-63-003
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