Marion,

I would just caution that in the scenerio described here, a dedicated
room with temerature controls within an unconditioned warehouse, that
moving cold objects out or warm objects in could make them prone to
"flash" condensation effects.Some years ago  I had to do emergency
treatments on a group of large steel artifacts that had been shipped
from England to the USA where this phenomenon had occurred due to the
very cold uncontrolled cargo hold of the airplane, and when the crates
hit the warm and humid Virginia air on the tarmac, well, it was not
pretty. If these artifcats were fine art paintings then they may have
been packed and handled differently - but because they were large
industrial artifacts they were probably seen as very sturdy and stable
by the shippers.

As in all things conservation-wise if you alter the temperature or
relative humidity from the adjacent envirnoment then you have to be
very mindful of buffering and gently "relaxing" the artifact to any
new conditions so that it acclimates gradually.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California

On 11/15/05, Marion Mecklenburg <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear John, I would be useful to know what exactly is going to be stored.
> However for basic useful  information about temperature most objects with
> the exception of painted and varnished surfaces can be stored in cold
> temperatures. Oil paint gets brittle at around -5C and artist acrylics get
> brittle at around +5C to +10C. So keeping that in mind every thing else can
> be kept cool, say above freezing. This is a way of keeping the relative
> under control, Between 35% RH and 60%RH in the wintertime.
>
> If you have further questions please contact me directly.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Marion
>
> Marion F. Mecklenburg, Ph.D
> Senior Research Scientist
> Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education
> Museum Support Center, Room F2013
> 4210 Silver Hill Road
> Suitland, MD 20746-2863
> Phone: 301-238-1241
> Fax: 301-238-3709
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
>
> >>> [log in to unmask] 11/15/05 09:41AM >>>
> We are looking at taking a warehouse with no heat, etc., and dedicating
> a portion of it
> to storing museum property/artifacts/paper, etc.   It will be walled
> in, plus a heater/temperature
> controls added.  Presently, the items are sitting in the open
> warehouse, subject to dust,
> rodents, etc.
>
> Does anyone have a recommendation on the standard temperature
> parameters and/or what
> type of unit would be required to meet these standards?   The area will
> likely be ONLY
> 15X15 feet in that range, so will not be a major heater/AC unit.
> Suggestions are welcomed.
>
> John
> Boise, ID
>
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