Beau,
This one is a can of worms - but really shouldn't be! For at least the last
40 or more years, every museum conservation laboratory and art conservation
graduate program has been stressing that oils of any kind are BAD for
historic or museum objects. Why does this question keep coming up? For
several reasons. 1) Oils were used traditionally to fabricate objects, e.g.
oil paint and oil furniture finishes. 2) Oil is quick, cheap, and easy.
Just rub it on and rub it off. Other materials/methods require more
knowledge and skill. 3) Marketing dollars - remember Homer Formby? Also,
all of the Pledge ads (it contains silicones, another issue that is
anti-preservation). 4) Craftsmen have romanticized the visual effect of oil
finishes. Many still use these materials in their manufacturing processes,
and recommend them as a maintenance procedure.
The critical distinction here is preservation of a cultural artifact for
centuries, millennia, or longer. What you can do on the family farm to keep
the plow blades from rusting until the next season (coat with oil) is vastly
different. Oiling that Danish modern dining table annually may be fine for
a generation, but it will create problems in the longer-term. Throw out all
of those "old wives tales" or "home-brew remedies" when it comes to
preservation of museum collections (or preservation of any historic object,
for that matter - I don't want to get into the debate about private owners
having the right to destroy collections that they own).
So, for simplicity's sake, a really quick primer on oils. Oils are of two
types, drying oils (react with oxygen to polymerize) and non-drying oils.
Drying oils such as linseed, tung, and walnut initially polymerize (form
chemical bonds across smaller molecules, aka cross-link) to form a large
molecule as part of the conversion from liquid to solid. However, this
process continues with time/aging, with these oils becoming ever more
insoluble, while at the same time darkening. In the presence of acids and
other components, they can become black and completely obscure the
underlying surfaces. Non-drying oils, such as mineral oil, lemon oil, and
lubricating oil don't dry and remain essentially liquid, creating a gummy
mess over time as they combine with dust/dirt which are attracted to them.
Neither of these can be easy to remove from affected surfaces in the future,
and can require hundreds or thousands of hours of conservation effort. In
some cases, it is impossible to remove them from more delicate underlying
paints and finishes.
In summary, NEVER use oils with museum collections. Of course, there are
always exceptions, such as lubricating oils for an operating piece of
equipment, like an engine, but only if it is actually in use (another
Pandora's box that does not need to be opened).
The following link from the Smithsonian Institution (same division I used to
work for, but it now has a different name) talks in great detail about
furniture coatings/finishes, and buried within is information on oils.
http://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn_more/taking_care/coatings.html
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
Architectural Interiors
Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
----- Original Message -----
From: "George Harris" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 8:54 AM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Oiling objects
Hi,
Thanks for the great packing advice. My next question is about oiling
objects. In my training, experience, education, and what makes sense to
me is that no oil should be used on any objects in the museum's permenant
collections, period. My boss, the director of collections, suggested it
the other day and I suspect may still want to put something on, she also
suggested vasilene, which I would also not use on anything. My question
is are there any oils (or is vasilene) that would be acceptable to use on
any museum objects ever? If so, what are they and does anyone know where
to get them and how much they might cost? If not, can anyone suggest any
resources, including online, where it says that you shouldn't use oil? If
it gives reasons for not, that would be good too.
Beau
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