A couple quick thoughts on cases for textiles.

Exterior lights generally are better than interior.  If you use track as 
suggested, consider MR16 bulbs/fixtures.  Get the bulbs that have a heat 
filter - most of the heat goes back, not with the light.  MR16s give off 
little to no UV.  Of course, you want to keep the total light intensity on 
the textiles below 50 lux (5 foot-candles).

Consider glazing the doors with UV-filtering plexiglass.  This will filter 
out UV from surrounding fluorescent lights, or if someone decides to switch 
lights in the tracks down the road.

Coat/cover ALL surfaces of wood inside the case, including edges/ends of 
exposed boards, such as shelves or doors.  I can't comment personally on the 
formica as a barrier and as being stable over time.  If you want a paint 
barrier, the best would be aluminum flakes in shellac or possibly in a 
water-borne acrylic.  You will probably have to make your own, as I am not 
aware of an appropriate product off the shelf.  Shellac has pretty good 
vapor barrier properties and acrylics have rather poor vapor barrier 
properties, so the shellac would make the best paint.  If you don't want to 
make your own paint, I would use BIN (Zinsser), which is white pigmented 
shellac.  Use 3 coats minimum of any coating.  Thicker is much better than 
thin.  Shellac solvent (alcohol) evaporates pretty quickly.  Allow 
everything to dry at least 2 weeks and preferably 1 month before use.  If 
you go with a mineral spirits (paint thinner) based product, wait at least 1 
month and preferably 2 months.

I agree with yellow poplar (liriodendron tulipifera - poplar [cottonwood 
family or Populus spp.] is a different wood) over oak.  However, probably 
the builder will want to use plywood.  Look for one that is low in urea 
formaldehyde (or any other formaldehyde).  Generally, this requires an 
exterior-rated product, not an interior rated one.  But my info may be out 
of date - any other opinions on this?  They could avoid all of this with 
stainless steel cases - don't you think they would be fitting for a 
hospital?

Marc Williams

American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
     4 Rockville Road
     Broad Brook, CT 06016
     www.conservator.com
     860-386-6058

*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Low-Tech Environmental Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*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: "Diane Gutenkauf" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Advise on constructing exhibit wall cases


Hi Erika

Several easily available sources could help you, one from the National Parks
Service and one from the National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME)

From NPS, follow this link to a group of resources on exhibit conservation
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/products/cons/ex-con.htm

From NAME, you can order a copy of the journal "The Exhibitionist" that
focuses on exhibits and conservation. (www.name-aam.org) Look for the
Publications link on the left and then scroll down to to the Fall 2001
issue "Designing for Conservation" Ordering instructions are on the web 
site.

One short answer to your question is: clear poplar is a good wood choice, 
oak
is a really bad one as it is an acidic wood. Look for low VOC paints and 
sealers
and allow them to off gas for several weeks, 6 would be ideal.

You can laminate the interior of the case with Formica (yes, Formica) for a
fairly neutral surface that will seal against wood off gassing. As for 
venting
the case, you need to balance that against dust or insect infiltration.

Your concerns should also center around how stable the garments are, how
bright the lights are, and how consistently the temperature and humidity can
be maintained.

You might also look for the NPS Conserve-o-grams. They're online and a great
source of brief, easy to use, information on preservation and exhibition for
many objects.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html

Diane

Diane Gutenkauf
Director
Robert R. McCormick Museum at Cantigny
1S151 Winfield Rd.
Wheaton, IL 60187
630-260-8159 (v)
630-260-8160 (f)
[log in to unmask]
www.cantigny.org


On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:43:01 -0900, Erika Brown
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Hello.  I am trying to help a local hospital with their design /
>construction of two wall display cases for their new diagnostic wing.  I
>am trying to find some design examples and preferred materials.  They
>are wanting to build two large cases in a waiting room area for
>displaying garments.  Track lighting will be used rather than having
>lights in the case.  Most likely the case will be constructed of wood
>with glass or acrylic.
>
>Even though wood is not the most ideal material, is there one type that
>is better than others to use?  Would it be feasible to paint the
>interior of the case with paint to mitigate off-gassing and leave the
>outside as unpainted wood?  Is there one type of paint that is better
>than others?  What about ventilation?
>
>Does anyone what any wall case designs they would be able to share?
>
>Thank you in advance for any advice you might have!
>Erika
>

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