I have a question for the conservators and exhibits people out there.  I
have a plate of window glass from a supersonic aircraft, so its fairly
large (about 2.5 feet by 1.5 feet) and fairly heavy (due to the thickness
of the glass).  I want to build a mount to properly display it.  Because
of the weight I need to support, I ruled out the possibility of acrylic
rod; my plan now is to construct a steel wire stand and coat it with a
commercial prepartation called Plasi Dip (it's marketed primarily as a
coating for tool handles).  This stuff will seal the steel so it won't
leave rust marks on the artifact should it get wet, it will cushion the
weight of the glass on the steel, and prevent the steel from scratching
the glass.  My concern is that there might be harmful chemicals in the
Plasi Dip.  It contains Naptha, Hexane, Toluene and Methyl Ethyl Ketone.
I don't know if this will affect the glass at all, but the window has a
rubber gasket around it and an electrically-insulated attachment for an
defrosting mechanism.  Also, I wanted to use this type of mount to
display other pieces, including original paper reports.  Is this stuff
going to be OK to use, should I left it off-gas a while (how long?), can I
use it for short periods of time (we've got an open house and a special
tour coming through soon), or should I never let this stuff near an
artifact?

Any comments?

______________________________
Tim McShane, Director
A. V. Roe Canada Heritage Museum

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