Re: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
Hi Megan, Tom is probably right, though there might not be anything quite as charming as a whole fleece. As others have pointed out freezing should help, and since you are probably dealing with raw materials from a cooler climate make sure it is a very cold freeze for long enough. There are ways to clean a fleece too, but that would defeat some of the purpose I am sure. (You could ask around if there are local spinneries, which I imagine there are up by you. If not Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont has a great reputation for being a welcoming and helpful place, as well as producing great fibers.) Good luck! Wish I lived closer Genevieve Monika Harter wrote: This is a message from the Pest Management Database List. To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. --- Hi Megan, I agree with Alex - either have your display in a really tight case or freeze the raw wool on a regular basis. Raw wool is more prone to insect attack than cleaned wool, due to the mix of additional substances it holds such as dead skin, sweat residue, vegetable matter and lanolin. Best, Monika Harter -Original Message- From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net [mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Alex Roach Sent: 29 November 2009 23:54 To: pestlist@museumpests.net Subject: Re: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space This is a message from the Pest Management Database List. To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. --- Hi Megan The curator is right - the wool is very attractive to a range of insects including clothes moths and carpet beetles. The best approach is to ensure that all the wool to be used is frozen before it is installed. I would also re-freeze the wool every month or so as an added precaution (if it is going to be on display for an extended period). Best wishes Alex Roach Megan Mcintosh wrote: We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies - To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestl...@museumpests.com To unsubscribe from this list send an email to imail...@museumpests.net and in the body put: unsubscribe pestlist Any problems email l...@zaks.comsilver Award Winner for Visitor Attraction of the Year 2007 (Visit London Awards) See the animal kingdom come alive with robotic gadgets and models -- www.horniman.ac.uk/robotzoo Find out about the Horniman's Darwin 200 programme - www.horniman.ac.uk/darwin For further information visit our website 'www.horniman.ac..uk'. The Horniman Public Museum Public Park Trust. 100 London Road, London SE23 3PQ. Registered as a charity in England and Wales. Charity registration number: 802725 Company registration number: 2456393 Disclaimer This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and is intended for the use of the addressee only. It may contain personal views which are not the views of the Horniman Museum, unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system, do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately. Please note that the Horniman may monitor e-mails sent or received. It is the recipient_s responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to check for software viruses. - To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestl...@museumpests.com To unsubscribe from this list send an email to imail...@museumpests.net and in the body put: unsubscribe pestlist Any problems email l...@zaks.com -- = Genevieve Lewis-Gentry, Curatorial Assistant Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria 22 Divinity Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138 U.S.A. Fax: 617-495-9484 glewi...@oeb.harvard.edu
RE: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
I recently found carpet beetles and larvae in some raw wool items that were brought into our historic house. I looked at various ways to treat it, and settled on cooking it in my home oven, since these were not artifacts and it seemed the easiest way to handle the problem. Assuming other items in your museum are not already infested, then getting rid of any existing critters this way should prevent problems, especially if your exhibit spaces are well sealed. Anne ANNE T LANE, COLLECTIONS MANAGER THE CHARLOTTE MUSEUM OF HISTORY WHERE HISTORY HAS A HOME 3500 Shamrock Drive Charlotte NC 28215 tel 704-568-1774, ext 110 fax 704-566-1817 al...@charlottemuseum.orgmailto:al...@charlottemuseum.org FEATURED EXHIBITS: Carolina Mountains - Photography of Margaret Morley Charlotte Stories - Our Collections, Your Treasures From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net [mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Megan Mcintosh Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 4:32 PM To: pestl...@museumpests.com Subject: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies
RE: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
Hi, I would suggest freezing the raw wool as soon as it gets into the building in case it has an active infestation (bring it into the building in sealed plastic bags.) Best, Emily Emily Kaplan Conservator National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center 4220 Silver Hill Rd Suitland MD 20746 301.238.1418 fax 301.238.3201 kapl...@si.edu From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net [mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Megan Mcintosh Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 4:32 PM To: pestl...@museumpests.com Subject: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies
Re: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
This is a message from the Pest Management Database List. To post to this list send it as an email to pestlist@museumpests.net To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email. --- Hi Megan The curator is right - the wool is very attractive to a range of insects including clothes moths and carpet beetles. The best approach is to ensure that all the wool to be used is frozen before it is installed. I would also re-freeze the wool every month or so as an added precaution (if it is going to be on display for an extended period). Best wishes Alex Roach Megan Mcintosh wrote: We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies - To send an email to the list, send your msg to pestl...@museumpests.com To unsubscribe from this list send an email to imail...@museumpests.net and in the body put: unsubscribe pestlist Any problems email l...@zaks.com
Re: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
Megan - Why not use a synthetic material which approximates wool? I'm sure there are acrylics or some such thing out there you could use instead of real wool. After all, this is a demonstration of techniques and machinery. Having inspected several textile museums, I can tell you small bits of wool will invariably adhere to the machinery and end up infested witrh webbing clothes moths and carpet beetles. Tom Parker -Original Message- From: Kaplan, Emily kapl...@si.edu To: 'pestlist@museumpests.net' pestlist@museumpests.net; pestl...@museumpests.com pestl...@museumpests.com Sent: Sun, Nov 29, 2009 6:44 pm Subject: RE: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space Hi, I would suggest freezing the raw wool as soon as it gets into the building in case it has an active infestation (bring it into the building in sealed plastic bags.) Best, Emily Emily Kaplan Conservator National Museum of the American Indian Cultural Resources Center 4220 Silver Hill Rd Suitland MD 20746 301.238.1418 fax 301.238.3201 kapl...@si.edu From: pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net [mailto:pestlist-ow...@museumpests.net] On Behalf Of Megan Mcintosh Sent: Friday, November 27, 2009 4:32 PM To: pestl...@museumpests.com Subject: [pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies
[pestlist] Using Raw Wool in Exhibit Space
We are developing an exhibit about the woollen manufacturing industry at a small regional museum. We would like to include wool at various stages of development, starting with raw wool, to show to visitors how the machines process it. The curator is reluctant to use raw wool within the exhibit as someone told him a few years ago that it would attract pests, (though completed textile pieces are regularly displayed in the museum). Does anyone have advice on what could be done to treat raw wool so that it would not pose a threat to other artefacts in the space? If not, does anyone have ideas on how to realistically recreate wool? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Megan McIntosh (Student) Algonquin College, Applied Museum Studies
