Scott- My concern is the possibility and high probablity of the humidity level becoming so great that damage is done to the sheepskin/parchment. I have made/used a humidity chamber to flatten curled photographs under the supervision and recommendation of our institution's photo-archivist. Warm water was used, which does indeed create a steam that rises. We checked it carefully & frequently, but in the hands of someone who has never done this, the probability of water droplets forming and dropping on the document is a distinct possiblity. I'm thinking of the water/cloud/rain cycle here. The difference between humidification and steaming in the hands of someone who has never done this could be disastrous. (We never did this to any parchment documents, and my experience with the hinging tape forever turned me off the concept of allowing moisture to get anywhere near a sheepskin document.) I am glad that all of your experiences with this technique have been successful (and undoubtedly under the supervision of a conservator?) Far better to take this cherished bit of family history to a conservator where it can be properly assessed & cared for. Sincerely, Susan E. Cooper Finney Exhibit Designer Michigan Historical Museum 717 West Allegan Street Lansing, MI 48909-8240 517-373-4859 [log in to unmask] Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 13:38:24 -0500 From: "Scott D. Peters" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: diploma Susan- Thanks for the heads up on parchment and steaming. At the NJ State Archives, we had a great many parchment documents that needed to be flattened so they could be filmed. They were humidified and no harm was done. The project supervisors authorized the procedure and nothing was mentioned about any detrimental effects on the parchment. If this can not be done to a wrinkled/rolled/creased parchment document in order to flatten, then what recommendations do you have? I had a parchment deed under glass and weights for the better part of two weeks and it didn't produce the desired results. Also, let's make sure we're clear about what humidification is and whether steaming is synonymous. Humidification as I have known and practiced it is the process of placing documents in a moist microclimate so that the document absorbs enough of the ambient moisture to become pliable. You are not trying to make them wet. Humidification is a gradual process. Steaming, as I have understood it, is best for removing wrinkles from clothing. You should never steam a document as you would be putting far too much moisture into the item too quickly. Documents should never be conserved with a clothing steamer or an iron (I've heard someone recommend that!) A basic homemade humidification chamber will contain only a modest amount of water anyway, and it is not coming in _Direct_ contact with the documents. The steam rises from the water source and fills the chamber. Using a baker's rack with the items laid on individual racks adds another layer of protection. The steam from the water source cannot directly penetrate the items because the rack on which they lay is shielding them. Steaming almost always implies the steam comes in direct contact from the top down. And usually very concentrated steam at that. Scott D. Peters Research Director/Archivist Ocean County Historical Society 26 Hadley Ave., P.O. Box 2191 Toms River, NJ 08754-2191 (732) 341-1880 [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] "Telling the Stories of Ocean County" Historically Speaking ALHFAM -FPIPN vice-chair for trivia, errata and miscellany [log in to unmask] "The ordinary distinctions in society are often vague, and imply no just pre-eminence: rank and titles are adventitious things and instead of designating merit or virtue, are frequently the baubles of imbecility, or the sparkling decorations of meretricious pageantry" William Griffith, on behalf, and by order of the New-Jersey Society for promoting the gradual Abolition of Slavery, Twelfth Month (December) 20th, 1803 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Finney, Susan E Cooper" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, February 01, 2002 11:18 AM Subject: diploma > STOP! > Be sure that the diploma is NOT done on sheepskin or other animal type skin. > Any steaming of it will cause irreversable wrinkling, shrinkage & damage. I suspect that it Was done on some type of animal skin (and moisture has probably caused the initial wrinkling.) > We had a Dr. diploma c. 1910s, and it was done on sheepskin. (I found that out by accidentally using some moisture activated adhesive when mounting it. > Fortunately it only affected a small area covered by the matt.) I suggest you just try to gently unroll it and flatten it with weights before matting & framing. > Good Luck > Susan Cooper Finney > Exhibit Designer > Michigan Historical Museum > 717 W. Allegan St. > Lansing, MI 48909-8240 > 517-373-4859 > [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). 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