Thank you David Harvey, your message was right on the money and exactly the type of response I would expect from the professionals on this list! I know that this goes without saying, but I'm going to state the obvious when I say that many of us are finding ourselves being put in the position of becoming in-house conservators because of dwindling resources. We would certainly hire the services of a professional conservator if we could afford to, but for many it is no longer an option and we are left to either watch our valuable artifacts deteriorate slowly, educate ourselves as best we can to prevent further damage and ask for *free* help wherever we can get it. Luckily, for many of us who have found ourselves in this unenviable position, this list is a lifesaver (pardon the pun). Jeanne Keefe ********************************** original message ******************************************************** >I am always impressed by the consistency and the tenacity of the professional >polarizations which always seem to develop over such, "How do I clean >such-and-such" requests...... >************** clip >David Harvey >Conservator of Metals & Arms >Colonial Williamsburg Foundation >P.O. Box 1776 >Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776 USA >voice: 804-220-7039 >e-mail: [log in to unmask] **************************************************************************** ************************************ Jeanne M. Keefe Graphics Curator Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Architecture Library Troy, NY 12180 Tel: (518) 276-2727 E-mail: [log in to unmask] "I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure it is not to enjoy ourselves" ____________ Ludwig Wittgenstein, Cambridge philosopher