Elephant trunk ventilation systems

We are currently undergoing upgrading to our conservation lab, and
after years of our fume extraction system not functioning correctly,
we are working to rectify the problem. We are currently looking at
ways to improve our existing elephant trunks and were wondering if
anyone has any suggestions.

Is there anything new on the market that anyone has experience with?
I have heard that they now come with lights on the end. This would
be very helpful.

We often work on extremely large paintings and our fume hood is not
capable of accommodating such large pieces. Our main concerns are
that the elephant trunks don't have the ability to capture enough of
the solvent fumes and therefore that most of the vapors are being
emitted into the air. We have had environmental testing done and
this has been proven. If we don't have the trunk directly over top
of the area that we are working on then it is quite useless. Do they
make bigger ends for them? They would then cover more surface area
and capture more of the harmful vapors.

Our concern with this is that it will create a larger shadow and
cover up the area that we are working on and also become cumbersome
to move around. The contractor we have been working with has
suggested making larger ends for them out of plexi glass but we are
concerned with the weight (it may be too heavy and pull the trunk
onto the object that we are working on) and with the future clarity
of the plexiglass (due to scratches).

We have also discussed increasing the fan, but if we increase the
fan too much, we may be sucking up the very thing we are trying to
consolidate. Is there something other then an elephant trunk that we
could use when working on large objects in the lab?  We would be
interested to hear from anyone who has any suggestions to improve
our equipment and our HVAC system so that we may "breath" in piece.

Heather Place
Conservator
The Winnipeg Art Gallery
300 Memorial Boulevard
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 1V1
Canada
204-786-6641, ext 254
Fax: 204-788-4998


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:14
                  Distributed: Friday, August 3, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-15-14-012
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