3 CONSTRUCTION USES

The soft, smooth PTFE film acts as a final cover for a wide range of support forms. In cases where an artifact's surface may be endangered by an abrasive, clinging, or highly charged material, this film can be an effective barrier between the support and the object. For example, a recessed foam support can be prepared with a thin layer of polyester batting laid down for additional padding. Over this entire construction a sheet of PTFE film can be loosely draped. When pressed into the recessed area, the film conforms to the shape with virtually no change in dimension. The excess film may be wrapped beneath the foam to secure the package without adhesive.

For contoured saddle-type supports (fig. 1), the PTFE film also works well as a flexible wrap for sandwiching layers of support materials such as foam and batting. The PTFE film secures and isolates these layers from an object's vulnerable surface without the use of adhesives. For the storage support systems described here, no adhesive was used to secure the film, but hot-melt glue is effective in adhering it to both foam supports and storage trays.