The soundness of these parts must be preserved otherwise, much of the machine's mechanical and historical meaning will be lost. Machinery is made up of many moving parts. This is a priority even before considering protective structures. There are, however, measures that can slow the effects of the elements, especially on more vulnerable materials. If it is not possible to provide shelter for an artifact, no amount of care or maintenance will prevent its eventual deterioration. This causes swelling, and encourages fungal and plant growth and attack by insects. Wooden components are also sensitive to high levels of moisture. Soil provides ideal conditions for aggressive electrolytic corrosion. ![]() Metallic parts in contact with moist soil are also susceptible to increased corrosion rates. All ferrous metals are particularly susceptible to rusting when atmospheric humidity is above 65% or 70%.Ītmospheres contaminated with chlorides and sulphides result in accelerated corrosion at much lower humidity levels. The chief cause of deterioration for both metal and wood objects stored outside is moisture in the form of high humidity, standing rainwater, or water absorption from the ground. Biological deterioration occurs with attack by micro-organisms such as mould, mildew, and fungus, but biological damage caused by insect, rodent, and human activity is more obvious. In the broadest terms, harmful environmental factors include inappropriate levels of moisture, temperature, light, dust, and gaseous pollutants. In addition, careless or misguided restoration destroys the historical value of an object, because the processes involved remove evidence of the machine's working life. Quality restoration is a very resource-consuming endeavour. ![]() Restoration should only be carried out after establishing a machine's historical significance and interpretive effectiveness. Restoration of large artifacts should only be undertaken by mechanically skilled personnel with training in conservation and with access to appropriate historical resource material. ![]() This Note is concerned only with the issue of preservation. However, it is emphasized that storing or displaying artifacts outside is not recommended. As well, preservation efforts are described that concentrate on providing and maintaining minimally protective environments. The procedures outlined in this Note focus primarily on preventing sensitive elements of machinery-related artifacts from deteriorating. Before acquiring a large artifact, museum management should consider whether the museum has the long-term resources to maintain it, whether the value of the artifact justifies the costs involved, and whether another owner, perhaps one from the private sector, could provide better care for it. Often, the retirement of a machine or vehicle from active service and its subsequent acquisition by a museum signal the onset of its deterioration because the resources required to preserve it are grossly underestimated. Many small museums with limited resources come into possession of large metal or wood artifacts that, because of space restraints, they are forced to store outside. Erratum (consult Footnote 1) Introduction
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |