Noelle,
As long as the balustrades are
in a more proper environment where the RH does not go above about 60%, the mold
will go inactive. You do not need to do anything to "kill" it.
Personally, I would wipe the surfaces with a slightly damp (distilled water)
cotton cloth. Test a small area first but for most finished wooden
objects, this is safe (I am assuming they are not raw wood?). If you are
sensitive to mold, wear nitrile gloves and a mask. The amount of water is
so slight that it will evaporate away quickly and cause no
problems.
Increasing in severity, you can
apply organic solvents on a cloth (for most finishes mineral spirits is the
safest, except for wax). Next in line of severity are fungicidals that
leave no residue after application. Next in severity are fungicidals that
leave a residue. All of these have significantly more risks to both the
object and humans and greater potential complications than plain water. If
you keep the balustrades in a relatively decent environment, none of these
are necessary and there will be no further mold growth.
I also would not put them in the
sun. Not only may this bleach their surfaces, but it also may cause rapid
moisture content changes with potential checking of the finish or wood
surface. Please let me know if you have any further
questions..
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 Objects Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2014 5:19 PM
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Conservation advise needed
Hello fellow list servers. I am currently an intern at the Fort Sill
National Landmark and Museum. I am presently working
on stabilizing their archaeological collection. I have
encountered mold on some very important wooden balustrades which were previously
stored in an inadequate building. They have since ben removed from
the storage facility that caused them to mold and have been rehoused in a
more appropriate environment. So far I have placed the
balustrades in direct sunlight to try and stop the growth of the mold. I
am hoping that others have had more experience than I have with this issue
and can offer some tips on how I should proceed in getting rid of the mold. I
have read that vacuuming the balustrades with brush attachments on a low
setting maybe an option. Is this an appropriate course of
action? I greatly appreciate any advise that you all can offer.
Feel free to contact me of the list as well.
Thank you,
Noelle Scarfone
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