Hi Melissa,
We have some old computers too. One thing we encountered was that the Styrofoam seems to interact with the computer components, particularly the
cords for the mouse, keyboard, power cable, monitor cable, etc. The Styrofoam actually looked a bit melted in places. I discussed this with some people who regularly work with old computers and they said they see this all of the time. We don’t have the
room to store the computer separate from its box, so we isolated the components from the Styrofoam using acid-free tissue when we could. We also inserted MicroChamber paper into the box to help absorb harmful off-gassing. All of the components (the cardboard
box, the Styrofoam, and various computer components) are all likely to off-gas. They are all harmful to themselves as well as to each other. I honestly don’t know if separating them would make much difference – the inherent vice of each item is going to
accelerate deterioration. However, accessing a computer in its original box is a real pain. Getting those Styrofoam trays to slide out without damaging the box is really tricky. If you have the luxury of enough space to store them separately, you might
want to consider it.
We have a lot of cardboard items in the collection and they have held up surprisingly well. Good climate control is important. Whenever possible,
we isolate cardboard from other items and slip a sheet of MicroChamber paper in with the cardboard items. Pest management is vital – all of those little corrugated spaces are great hiding places for pests. In my experience, cheap cardboard rapidly attracts
pests, especially when humidity levels aren’t in check. And if corrugated cardboard becomes infested, you’ll have to rely on thermal or anoxic treatment because it’s impossible to vacuum out the corrugations.
I was also advised by some local computer experts NOT to turn our machines on – I’m not well-versed in this at all but it’s something to do with
a high risk of it just frying it out and totally ruining it (sorry for that extremely technical explanation!) so if firing it up is something you want to do, I’d suggest getting some expert advice first.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
Amber
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From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Melissa Jolley
Sent: Monday, April 29, 2013 2:35 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Preserving Cardboard
I recently received an early computer to accession into our collection. One of the interesting things about this artifact is that it has not been removed from the original packaging.
The box has been opened but the computer does not appear to have ever been taken out. The issue with this is that the original packaging is a cardboard box with the computer packed in plastic and styrofoam. I'm considering removing the computer from the box
but am not sure how successful storing the cardboard box on its own would be. Any thoughts on preserving cardboard or how detrimental leaving the computer in the box would be?
Thanks!
Melissa Jolley
Curator, New South Associates Inc.
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