Compact storage of wet collections

Sue Valis <suev [at] austmus__gov__au> writes

>I would be very interested to hear if anyone has information on the
>possible detrimental effects of compactus movement on wet natural
>science specimens, caused either by the vibration of the compactus
>unit, or just by the motion of the preservation solution while the
>compactus is in use.

At the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam (Z.M.A.) of the university of
Amsterdam, we have some negative experiences with compactor-units
and wet collections. Depending on the quality of the units, and
their smooth movement, there might be vibration that may cause
(tall) containers to topple over. Also the vibration may damage the
sealing of the container lids, and the fluid could evaporate
unnoticed. This can happen especially with older and dried-up
sealing material. The closed character of the units obstructs easy
inspection as opposed to open storage.

Daniel de Heus
Museum conservation technician
Zoological Museum of Amsterdam
P.O.Box 94766
1090GT Amsterdam
The Netherlands


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:4
                 Distributed: Wednesday, July 12, 2000
                        Message Id: cdl-14-4-002
                                  ***