List,

In the Gaylord and University Products archival catalogs they sell Tyvek as
a conservation product.  They describe it as "a spunbounded olefin material
that is inert, neural (pH 7.0), gas permeable, thermally stable,
non-abrasive, and durable."  They call the material Tyvek 1422A - which may
or may not be the stuff from the lumber yard.

University products says to use it for furniture covers, costumes, and
artifacts.  Conservation Resources has Tyvek tags for artifacts in its 1999
catalog.

Someone at a conservation lab may want to weigh in on this one.


Tom Culbertson
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center


-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Matthew White
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 3:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Tyvek


I am no conservation expert or anything, but it seems to me that Tyvek would
not be your best choice. I do not know if it would damage your textiles or
not, but Tyvek's most valuable property is that it is water proof. We sell
maps in our store printed on Tyvek and they work great out on the trails in
the rain. Water beads right up on it. Which means, it seems to this
educator, that anything resting on Tyvek would get more water damage than if
it was resting on something more absorbent, in case of rain, sprinklers, or
water leak. Tyvek is also used in construction to form a water proof barrier
inside walls. You see it a lot on houses half finished.

Tyvek is good stuff, but you should save it for something that needs
protection from water or the elements. Right tool for the right job and all
that.

If a conservator on the list thinks I am all wet, I will gladly bow to their
professional opinion.


--
Matthew White
Director of Museums
Mount Washington Observatory
www.mountwashington.org



Elisabeth Engel Wrote:

> When searching for materials suitable for shelf lining I came across a
roll of
> something I believe is Tyvek, which I inherited from the previous Curator.
I
> have never worked with this material.  I know that it sat in her office,
> unused for several years and when I tested it with a pH pen, it came up
> acidic.  Does anyone have any experience with Tyvek?  Is it safe for
textiles
> like the archival supply catalog states?  Good or bad stories?  Any
> information would be wonderful.
>
> Thanks,
> Elisabeth A. Engel
> Curator of Artifacts
> Circus World Museum
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]

=========================================================
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).