Yesterday, Bill Galvini wrote: >For a study of the problems of handling, disarming, and storing >potentially explosive artifacts such as cannon balls, hand grenades, >bullets, or even larger items of military ordnance, the curatorial staff >at the Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington, would appreciate >hearing from museums which have experience, either good or bad, with >these items. We often come across live munitions at the Australian War Memorial. We have a good working relationship with the Australian Army and Australian Federal Police Bomb Squad, and we refer any live bombs, cannon balls, flares, etc to them for disarming. They can usually give us back the undamage casings etc, after the explosive has been removed. We usually disarm centre-fire bullets (up to 0.5" cal) ourselves with a Kinetic Bullet Puller or, in the case of bullets that have corroded to the extent that the shells have been perforated, we dissolve the propellant in acetone. The bullet primers are either soaked in acetone or detonated by firing in the appropriate firearm after the propellant has been removed. Rimfire 0.22" cal bullets we usually dismantle by hand and then treat with acetone. Live munitions should be stored in a cool, dry, vibration free place, away from flammable items, and should be clearly labelled as to their danger. You should also be aware that some firearms are dangerous, even without live ammunition. In 1995 the Singleton Infantry Museum had an accident with a PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank) Projector. A person was handling the PIAT without a projectile in it, when he pulled the trigger. The weapon was in the cocked position, and the release of the spring mechanism and firing pin cut off 2 of his fingers! George Bailey Objects Conservator Australian War Memorial Treloar Centre for Conservation 4 Callan St, Mitchell, A.C.T. 2911 Australia Phone: +61 6 241 6122 fax: +61 6 241 7998 email: [log in to unmask]