Damage caused by natural gas

Craig Deller <cdelle [at] saic__edu> writes

>I am looking for any information on the possible damage to artifacts
>that have been subjected to long term exposure to natural gas (the
>type used for heating with hydrogen disulfide added for smell).
>There is nothing in the literature that I have been able to find.
>Are there long term adverse effects that can damage furniture
>finishes, even if they are removed and replaced?

You might start by looking at the very extensive 19th century
literature on the effects of illuminating gas on leather
bookbindings, beginning with the work of Michael Faraday around
1840. The readiest route to this forgotten but important material is
through two collections of abstracts that serve as the best
introduction to 19th century research on the deterioration of paper,
including deterioration due to the combustion of lighting gas

While this work emphasized the effects of gas combustion rather than
unburned gas, I believe you would find useful information in it.

    Kantrowitz, Morris S., Ernest W. Spencer, and Robert H. Simmons.
    Permanence and durability of paper: an annotated bibliography of
    the technical literature from 1885 A.D. to 1939 A.D. Technical
    Bulletin No. 22 Washington, D. C.: United States Government
    Printing Office, 1940.

    Walton, Robert P.
    Causes and prevention of deterioration in book materials. New
    York: New York Public Library, 1929. [reprinted from the
    Bulletin of the New York Public Library].

Tom Conroy
San Francisco


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:5
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