Ken, Feather leis can be very delicate. It is definitely better to prevent dust accumulation than to try to remove it, for example, with a feather duster, which likely would tear off pieces of the weaker lei. A simple plexiglas (or equivalent lexan or other stable rigid plastic) case would be adequate. A local fabricator should be able to assist you at reasonable cost, or you could even make a case yourself if you have the requisite skills. I would NOT lay the lei on a fabric support unless the fabric is of archival stability. I have seen color transfer from fabrics to leis - and this is essentially permanent damage. The best method may be hanging the lei from a support made of plexiglas rods if its stringing is adequately strong. Your goal is to keep all potentially harmful components out of the case, and include only materials of known stability within it. Good luck! Marc American Conservation Consortium, Ltd. 4 Rockville Road Broad Brook, CT 06016 www.conservator.com 860-386-6058 *Collections Preservation Consultation *Conservation Assessments & Surveys *Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control *Moisture Management Solutions *Collections in Historic Structures *Collections Care Grant Preparation *Conservation Treatment of: Furniture Painted Wood Horse-Drawn Vehicles Architectural Interiors Decorative Objects & Folk Art 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: David Lewias To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 1:31 PM Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] How to Safely display a feather lei Ken, While I understand your desire to be protective of your "very old" objects, in these hard time you may find you don't have the budget funds to afford a separate display case for this feather. Although I am NOT a trained conservator, I propose that exhibiting the feather exposed on a pedestal would be fine for limited periods of time --- provided you kept it clean using..... (get ready to groan) ....a FEATHER-duster. ~ Ba-dumb-dump! ~ (is it Friday yet?!) - David - David Lewis, Curator Aurora Regional Fire Museum www.AuroraRegionalFireMuseum.org -----Original Message----- From: Ken Mark <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thu, Aug 20, 2009 10:52 am Subject: [MUSEUM-L] How to Safely display a feather lei I have one very old feather lei I want to display in its own display case. What precautions do I need to take and where do I find a case to do this? Ken Kenneth D. Mark Director of the Oakes Museum Messiah College One College Ave. Box 3029 Grantham, PA 17055 Telephone: 717-691-6082 FAX: 717-691-6046 Email: [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). ========================================================= 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).