What type of freezer do you recommend?  I can't find specs on standard home
freezers.  Do they get cold enough?

Thanks,
Katie

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------

Katie Anderson

Museum Director

Rome Area History Museum

305 Broad Street

Rome, GA 30161

706-235-8051

cell 678-908-7751

fax 706-235-6631

[log in to unmask]

www.RomeHistoryMuseum.com

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------

A new exhibit highlighting the efforts on the home front during WWII is now
open at the Rome Area History Museum.  "World War II: The Home Front"
contains photos and artifacts from the 1940s that tell the story of this
transformational time.  A video containing clips of oral history interviews
with local WWII veterans and civilians is on view in the exhibit.     

 

As a partner of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, we are
coordinating an oral history project with World War II veterans and
civilians in northwest Georgia.  It is vital that we preserve these stories.
Please contact the Museum to schedule interviews.  

 

The oral history project and exhibit are supported in part by a grant from
the Georgia Humanities Council.  

 

***********************************************************************


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Angela Linn
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 1:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Freezing treatment

MIchelle,
Our standard operating procedure on all infestations (and is our IPM  
policy for all new collections)  is to bag the object in question,  
place inside a box, and then put into our ultra-cold freezer that  
takes the piece down to -40 almost immediately. The objects are left  
in for 48 hours, then brought slowly back to room temperature by  
bringing them into our lab in their bag with a small hole punched in  
it to release the condensation. The temp in our lab is about 65  
degrees year round, so it takes most of the day for the piece to warm  
up.

If we find live specimens, we will leave things in for longer than 48  
hrs occasionally (mostly because we'll forget to take them out) - up  
to a week. Depending on the creature, we'll cycle them. In for 48  
hrs., out for 24 - 48, then back in for another 48, just to make sure  
we've taken care of all phases of life (adult, larvae, and eggs).  
Then we clean the buggers up using a good artifact vacuum with a HEPA  
filter and nitrile gloves. Clothes moths are a good candidate for  
cycling up here because if they come in from outside, our winter  
temps always get to at least -40 in the winter and so bugs in the  
Fairbanks area are a bit heartier than other parts of the world.  
We're extra cautious for this reason. I would guess Vermont can get  
pretty chilly also. If you're looking for large spaces, you might  
check with a local meat locker. I don't know how cold those  
refrigerated trucks can get - maybe a freezer truck (how far is Ben &  
Jerry's from you? :) )

You might find objects that are too large to go into the freezer.  
Past posts on this list have talked about bagging and placing oxygen  
scrubbers inside to suffocate them. This is also good policy for  
composite artifacts that may have materials that are inappropriate  
for freezing due to the structure of that material - ivory doesn't do  
well when it gets zapped to -40 that quickly. For cases when you only  
suspect infestation or contamination, we bag and monitor for 45 days  
(the live cycle of the dermestid) and if we see no evidence in the  
bag after that amount of time, we generally can accept that the piece  
is "clean" and is safe to bring back into the collection. If we know  
there are live specimens on board, we'll either take the chance with  
freezing or we'll look into oxygen scrubbers.

After dealing with two fairly extensive infestations, we've also  
implemented a good cleaning regiment of the actual drawer/exhibit  
case where the infestation was found. Wipe down all the surfaces with  
a bleach solution (about 10%) to kill any eggs that might be  
lingering on the surface or cracks, that aren't visible to the naked  
eye.

Good luck! It's a gross battle to wage, but it's got to be done!
Angela Linn

On May 12, 2005, at 5:05 AM, Marielle Fortier wrote:

> Good morning!
>
> I am wondering what everyone's opinion is on freezing treatments  
> for dermestids. The objects themselves are not the issue today, but  
> what length of time to freeze.  When I was an intern at a museum we  
> froze infested items after a good vacuuming, wrapped in acid free  
> tissue, bagged and sealed, we would freeze the items for a two week  
> period. Remove and gradually thaw to room temp then clean again,  
> bag and seal for one more two week period. I've caught wind of the  
> new idea that 48 hours in -20 F would be all that was needed. For  
> me the jury is still out on such a short treatment.  Also are there  
> better options than freezing? We have also thought of oxygen  
> deprivation chambers. I welcome everyone's opinion.
>
> To give some history my infestation is of dermestids (pesky brats  
> that I've been lucky enough to find live and dead!) They are  
> everywhere but we are mostly concerned with our vast uniform  
> collection. What also would be the most convenient way in time and  
> money to treat over 200 items.
> We will be moving to a new building in about a year and I don't  
> want the infestation to follow. But I also don't want the next 5  
> years of my job to be spent freezing, thawing and cleaning this  
> enormous collection. We have thought of renting a refrigerated  
> truck, has anyone tried this method?
>
> Thank you all for advice in advance. I really enjoy the discussions  
> on this board.
>
>> From the Dermestid Queen of the east coast!!!!
>>
>
> Marielle
>
> **********************
> Marielle Fortier
> Registrar
> Norwich University Museum
> Northfield, Vermont 05663
> **********************
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>

Angela J. Linn
Collections Manager, Ethnology & History
University of Alaska Museum of the North
907 Yukon Drive
P.O. Box 756960
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6960
TEL: (907) 474-1828
FAX: (907) 474-5469
www.uaf.edu/museum

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).