Exhibiting vulcanized rubber

Silvia Manrique <silvia.manrique [at] umfa__utah__edu> writes

>We recently acquired a Chakaia Booker sculpture made out of
>automotive tires which we would like to put on a permanent
>exhibition. ...
>...
>... The artist believes we should apply a coat of
>WD-40 or Armor All on the rubber every year to prevent it from
>drying and cracking. ...
>...
>...  Does
>anyone know if the application of a protective coating is necessary
>under these circumstances?  If so, what material should be used? Are
>WD-40 or Armor All of any help? What other preventative measures can
>we take to care for this object? ...

>From what I remember, CCI did do some studies on such things and
found that Armour All was beneficial. It would be worth contacting
CCI for the details of the study because I don't know more than
that.

I do know that rubber degrades rapidly with age and is especially
sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen. You probably can't do much
about oxygen levels under the circumstances, but environmental
control would be the most important factor in preserving the piece.
It would be best to keep light levels as low as possible, and (if
possible) reduce the temperature.

Valerie Tomlinson
Conservator
Auckland Museum
Tamaki Paenga Hira
The Domain
Private Bag 92018
Auckland 1142
New Zealand
+64 9 306 7068


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:11
                 Distributed: Saturday, August 20, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-11-005
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