Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases 2. RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases 3. RE: Postgraduate courses on Conservation of Photographic Materials 4. Removing dye from ivory handles 5. Mastering Dew Point Management - Free Webinar 6. Paintings Specialty Group (PSG) Call for Tips 7. RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Ariane Segelstein Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 6:37 AM Subject: RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Message: Dear Mr. Wheeler, Thank you for your comment, and I agree with you, the publication of Mr. Eggert is very helpful, and relieving to see our case is not isolated. Actually our Scientist team found salt of calcium-acetate-formate-nitrate. Best regards, ------------------------------ Ariane Segelstein Senior Conservator Heritage Conservation Centre Singapore ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-13-2025 09:32 From: George Wheeler Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Gerard's review is an excellent article. You can add another possible but not common efflorescence - ammonium carnalite - see Wheeler and Wypyski Studies in Conservation 1993. it probably derives from using HCl to remove carbonate/clay deposits followed by neutralization with ammonia. ------------------------------ George Wheeler Senior Scientist Highbridge Materials Consulting, Inc. New York United States ------------------------------ Original Message: Sent: 03-12-2025 05:43 From: Gerhard Eggert Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear Ms. Segelstein, interesting case! Is that ceramics your crystals are growing on? We have seen similar looking growth of various calcium acetate phases on ceramics and calcareous materials, see our review paper at ICOM-CC Beijing, download from <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463 <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> Get a sample analysed with X-ray powder diffraction (If you have no one at hand, you can send it to us). Please notify me of the outcome! Gerhard Eggert gerhard.eggert(at)abk-stuttgart.de Institute of Conservation Sciences Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design Original Message: Sent: 3/10/2025 9:19:00 PM From: Ariane Segelstein Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear colleagues, At Heritage Conservation Centre (Singapore) we are facing crystals growth on an artefact inside a showcase. In museums, crystals have been reported in few cases, from 2006 with thanks to the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). After analysis, the Rijksmuseum and the MFA found the same pollutant compound. We found something different. And you, do you have crystals issue ? Please contact us to share with HCC team. We can start a review of these cases to help the conservation community to understand these phenomena, preventive measures and remedial treatments. ------------------------------ Ariane Segelstein Senior Conservator Heritage Conservation Centre Singapore ------------------------------ 2.From: Alice Paterakis Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 10:23 AM Subject: RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Message: Dear Ms. Segelstein, it would be interesting to know what material the object in question is made from and can you show some photos? I present a number of examples of the impact of VOCs on inorganic materials in my book Volatile Organic Compounds and the Conservation of Inorganic Materials, Archetype Publications, London, 2016. Best wishes, Alice Boccia Paterakis Head of Conservation Missouri Historical Society St. Louis, Missouri, USA [email protected] ------------------------------ Alice Boccia Paterakis Head of Conservation Missouri History Museum, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, Library Research Center Missouri Historical Society Saint Louis MO [email protected] ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-13-2025 09:32 From: George Wheeler Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Gerard's review is an excellent article. You can add another possible but not common efflorescence - ammonium carnalite - see Wheeler and Wypyski Studies in Conservation 1993. it probably derives from using HCl to remove carbonate/clay deposits followed by neutralization with ammonia. ------------------------------ George Wheeler Senior Scientist Highbridge Materials Consulting, Inc. New York United States ------------------------------ Original Message: Sent: 03-12-2025 05:43 From: Gerhard Eggert Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear Ms. Segelstein, interesting case! Is that ceramics your crystals are growing on? We have seen similar looking growth of various calcium acetate phases on ceramics and calcareous materials, see our review paper at ICOM-CC Beijing, download from <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463 <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> Get a sample analysed with X-ray powder diffraction (If you have no one at hand, you can send it to us). Please notify me of the outcome! Gerhard Eggert gerhard.eggert(at)abk-stuttgart.de Institute of Conservation Sciences Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design Original Message: Sent: 3/10/2025 9:19:00 PM From: Ariane Segelstein Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear colleagues, At Heritage Conservation Centre (Singapore) we are facing crystals growth on an artefact inside a showcase. In museums, crystals have been reported in few cases, from 2006 with thanks to the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). After analysis, the Rijksmuseum and the MFA found the same pollutant compound. We found something different. And you, do you have crystals issue ? Please contact us to share with HCC team. We can start a review of these cases to help the conservation community to understand these phenomena, preventive measures and remedial treatments. ------------------------------ Ariane Segelstein Senior Conservator Heritage Conservation Centre Singapore ------------------------------ 3.From: Ashley Stanford Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 10:23 AM Subject: RE: Postgraduate courses on Conservation of Photographic Materials Message: Hi Andrea, The Photographic Materials Group (PMG) has a page on the AIC wiki "Photograph Conservation Training" which includes graduate training programs and fellowship opportunities. https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/PMG_Photograph_Conservation_Training <https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/PMG_Photograph_Conservation_Training> Best, ------------------------------ Ashley Stanford Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Photography Conservation Museum of Modern Art [email protected] Vice Chair, 2024-2025 Emerging Conservation Professionals Network (ECPN) [email protected] ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-13-2025 10:50 From: Andrea Gutierrez Subject: Postgraduate courses on Conservation of Photographic Materials Good morning, I am a cultural heritage restorer and conservator with experience in library and archival materials. I am interested in the conservation and restoration of photographic materials and would like to know if you know of any postgraduate courses (hopefully a master's degree) focused on this topic. I have already taken online courses (including Gawain Weaver's Care and Identification of Photographs), but I would very much like to go deeper into this topic. Thank you all for your comments. ANDREA CAROLINA GUTIÉRREZ Restauradora de Bienes Muebles Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango Bogotá, Colombia ------------------------------ Andrea Gutierrez Conservator Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango Bogotá Colombia ------------------------------ 4.From: Kirsty Clark Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 11:56 AM Subject: Removing dye from ivory handles Message: Hello, I am currently conserving a set of instruments with ivory handles. They were damaged in a leak, and the dye from the case was transferred onto the ivory. We have managed to remove some of the dye but it is still pretty obvious. We have tried humidifying, IDA and WA paste, but it has not removed the dye. I was hopping that someone may have more experience and ideas into what could be done to remove the dye. Thank you, ------------------------------ Kirsty Clark London United Kingdom ------------------------------ 5.From: M. Susan Barger Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 11:57 AM Subject: Mastering Dew Point Management - Free Webinar Message: Mastering Dew Point Management Improve your collections care by strategically understanding and preventing moisture damage. March 26, 2025 1:00 – 2:00 ET Christopher Cameron <https://www.lesscarbonmoreculture.com/about>and Angelica Isa-Adaniya <http://www.conserv.io/>will lead us in this one hour webinar exploring dew point and its critical role in preserving heritage collections. We will deep dive into: The relationship between dew point, temperature, and relative humidity How to translate environmental readings into actionable preservation decisions We'll wrap things up with a demonstration of how Conserv Cloud's monitoring solutions simplify environmental management and how using this data can enhance your preventive conservation strategies through improved environmental control. Click here to register! <https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HXxvQPoDTR-GGpepMPpmow> ------------------------------ M. Susan Barger, PhD [email protected] Santa Fe NM ------------------------------ 6.From: Magdalena Solano Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 3:06 PM Subject: Paintings Specialty Group (PSG) Call for Tips Message: The Paintings Specialty Group (PSG) is hosting a Tips Session at the Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN. The session will be held as a luncheon on Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT Please join us and share your recommendations, favorite tools, a small case study, or advice during the session. These don't need to be formal presentations but please plan between 5 - 7 minutes. To share a tip during the session, please complete the Google Form <https://forms.gle/Pb7Rzv2fVzu2K6zf6> (https://forms.gle/Pb7Rzv2fVzu2K6zf6 <https://forms.gle/Pb7Rzv2fVzu2K6zf6>) no later than May 1st. Note that you will need to purchase a luncheon ticket ($35). You can add the luncheon by adding a ticket to your registration. This event will not be live streamed but a recording may be available for registered attendees afterwards. Easel Exchange Additionally, we are excited to offer the Easel Exchange again at the upcoming annual meeting! Due to the popularity of the event, we are expanding this year's Easel Exchange to 50 participants-sign up soon to reserve your spot! Last year, PSG hosted the first Easel Exchange, a lunchtime session that allowed conservators to informally present complex decision-making strategies for ongoing treatments, gain feedback on current practices, and generate ideas on paths forward. To continue this brainstorming and sharing of ideas amongst paintings conservators at different stages of their careers, PSG is excited to offer Easel Exchange again in 2025 in an expanded pre-session format, allowing for more paintings conservators to participate, for expanded topics, and for additional time to rotate tables. Prior to the pre-session, participants will receive an email link through which they can submit a brief description of an ongoing treatment/treatment case study which they will then share informally with a smaller group the day of. These case studies will then by divided into different tables which could include the following topics (dependent on submission content): Cleaning Considerations New Conservation Materials Aesthetic Integration & Inpainting Structural Treatments Varnishing Strategies Conservation Outreach Contemporary Art & Modern Materials Ethics & Interfacing with Stakeholders Participants will also be asked to rank the following topics; this will be used to pre-assign tables and table rotation prior to the event. For questions or more information, please contact Julianna Ly ([email protected]) or Fiona Rutka ([email protected]). Tickets are $39 and can be added to your registration. We look forward to seeing you! Best, Magdalena ------------------------------ Magdalena Solano Assistant Program Chair, Paintings Specialty Group Andrew W. Mellon Assistant Paintings Conservator The Museum of Modern Art New York, NY ------------------------------ 7.From: Gregory Bailey Posted: Friday March 14, 2025 8:27 PM Subject: RE: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Message: Greetings All, We at the Walters have observed calcium acetate crystals forming on plaster, ceramics, and limestone, the culprit being an ultrasuede fabric that off-gassed acetic acid; this research was presented at the 2013 AIC Annual Meeting in a poster by Julie Lauffenburger: 035. When Due Diligence isn't Enough: Revisiting the Question of Case Materials <https://www.culturalheritage.org/events/annual-meeting/past-meetings/41st-annual-meeting-indianapolis/2013-posters/docs/default-source/publications/annualmeeting/2013-posters/2013am_poster35_when_due_diligence> We have also noted a deposition of some efflorescence on the interiors of cases that have older gaskets; it seems that this is an interaction between the adhesive and the gasket and appears to be light-catalyzed. I should note that we no longer use ultrasuede products or gaskets in our cases and have removed them from almost all of our existing stock. Many thanks to those who have contributed to this discussion- Best wishes, -Greg ------------------------------ Gregory Bailey Senior Objects Conservator The Walters Art Museum Baltimore MD ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-14-2025 08:56 From: Alice Paterakis Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear Ms. Segelstein, it would be interesting to know what material the object in question is made from and can you show some photos? I present a number of examples of the impact of VOCs on inorganic materials in my book Volatile Organic Compounds and the Conservation of Inorganic Materials, Archetype Publications, London, 2016. Best wishes, Alice Boccia Paterakis Head of Conservation Missouri Historical Society St. Louis, Missouri, USA [email protected] <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Alice Boccia Paterakis Head of Conservation Missouri History Museum, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, Library Research Center Missouri Historical Society Saint Louis MO [email protected] <[email protected]> ------------------------------ Original Message: Sent: 03-13-2025 09:32 From: George Wheeler Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Gerard's review is an excellent article. You can add another possible but not common efflorescence - ammonium carnalite - see Wheeler and Wypyski Studies in Conservation 1993. it probably derives from using HCl to remove carbonate/clay deposits followed by neutralization with ammonia. ------------------------------ George Wheeler Senior Scientist Highbridge Materials Consulting, Inc. New York United States Original Message: Sent: 03-12-2025 05:43 From: Gerhard Eggert Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear Ms. Segelstein, interesting case! Is that ceramics your crystals are growing on? We have seen similar looking growth of various calcium acetate phases on ceramics and calcareous materials, see our review paper at ICOM-CC Beijing, download from <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463 <https://www.icom-cc-publications-online.org/4463> Get a sample analysed with X-ray powder diffraction (If you have no one at hand, you can send it to us). Please notify me of the outcome! Gerhard Eggert gerhard.eggert(at)abk-stuttgart.de Institute of Conservation Sciences Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design Original Message: Sent: 3/10/2025 9:19:00 PM From: Ariane Segelstein Subject: Crystals on artefacts in showcases Dear colleagues, At Heritage Conservation Centre (Singapore) we are facing crystals growth on an artefact inside a showcase. In museums, crystals have been reported in few cases, from 2006 with thanks to the Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). After analysis, the Rijksmuseum and the MFA found the same pollutant compound. We found something different. And you, do you have crystals issue ? Please contact us to share with HCC team. We can start a review of these cases to help the conservation community to understand these phenomena, preventive measures and remedial treatments. ------------------------------ Ariane Segelstein Senior Conservator Heritage Conservation Centre Singapore ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
